a change

Dear Sirs, a small, but complicated question: on Aug. 28th, at ca. 8.35 a.m. we'll be arriving at Osaka Kansai from Noumea and should leave again to Tokio from Itami on the same day at 12.00 ca. Our flight back to Italy will leave from Tokio on the day after at 1.20 p.m. We are going to make a change and would like to hear your opinion about that: instead of flying to Tokio we'd like to reach it by your beautiful Shinkansen train. Would it be possible? In this case, where can we buy the train ticket? Do we need to buy a Japan rail pass in advance from here? Obviously we have to be sure that by doing it we can get our flight back to Italy on Aug. 29th! I thank you for your help and remain
with kind regaards from Italy
Donatella Zucconi

If I understand correctly, your flight back to Italy leaves approximately 29 hours after you arrive in Kansai so it sounds like a good idea to me. You'll get to see some country-side and if you sit on the left hand side of the train
(and the weather is clear) you'll also get a nice view of Mt Fuji. You can buy tickets on a arrival at the JR office, you'll probably have to change trains at Shin-Osaka.

There is a JR railway station right in Kansai airport. when you exit the customs you will be on the main floor of a big hall several stories high. take the elevator to 2nd floor, go outside. cross the pedestrian bridge and enter another building. the JR ticket office is right at the very end. They will book you a trip from Kansai airport to Shin-Osaka by the Haruka then the Shinkansen from Shin-O to Tokyo. depending on the schedules you may leave within 10-15 minuts or 30-40 minutes later. If your credit card doesn't work there are ATM on the main floor of the first Hall you were in. You can get cash there. The whole trip will cost around 16 000 yen (110-120 Euros)and last 4 1/2 hrs. this doesn't includes the train from Tokyo to Narita. Don't buy a 7 days JR pass as it cost 28 300 yen!. for hotels i Tokyo, if you haven't one, check www.japanhotel.net

instead of flying to Tokio we'd like to reach it by your beautiful Shinkansen train. Would it be possible?

Not only possible. It would probably also be faster to take the shinkansen instead of flying from Itami Airport! A train trip from Kansai Airport to Tokyo takes about 3.5 hours. And then it is an additional hour to Narita Airport.

In this case, where can we buy the train ticket?

At JR Kansai Airport Station.

Do we need to buy a Japan rail pass in advance from here?

A Japan Rail Pass does not pay off for a simple journey from Osaka to Tokyo. You should just buy regular one way tickets.