Kansai International Airport is located on an artificial island in the center of Osaka Bay, in the immediate vicinity of the shores of Honshu Island. The airport was opened in 1994 in order to reduce the load on the existing airport.
Reasons for the construction of the airport
On September 4, 1994, the grand opening of Kansai Airport took place. The main terminal building was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. Since its opening, the airport has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the longest passenger terminal in the world. The length of the main building is 1.7 km.
The reason for building an airport on an artificial island is simple: the designers took into account the sad experience of building the Tokyo International Airport, when mass protests began due to the start of work in the countryside. Not wanting to repeat past mistakes, the authorities decided to build an artificial island off the coast. The emergence of a new airport was to increase the flow of investment in the prefecture, revitalize the business life of the region and relieve neighboring airports.
Kansai Airport Construction
Work on the construction of an artificial island began in 1987. By 1989, the construction of the island’s stone base was completed. During the construction, 180 million cubic meters of soil were used.
At a grand construction site, 10,000 workers were involved, who spent more than 10,000,000 working hours on the site in three years. However, there were some excesses. During the selection of construction companies and the competition for work, a scandal erupted.
American companies have accused the Japanese government of rigging the competition in favor of local contractors. The story continued when, after the start of the airport, foreign airlines stated that they were being infringed on by local carriers without providing enough slots for takeoff and landing.
Technical difficulties during construction
The project has become one of the most expensive in the history of airfield construction. It took 20 years to plan and design, three years to build, and the investment amounted to $ 15,000,000,000 at 1991 prices.
However, it was not possible to take into account all the difficulties in the construction of the airport. Although it was originally supposed that the island would settle by two meters, by 1999, the shrinkage was about 8 meters - much more than predicted. Despite this, Kansai International Airport remains one of the most impressive architectural projects built in the 1990s, as well as one of Japan's busiest airports.
How to get to Japan
Until recently, Japan was one of the exotic countries for Russians. This was due to the special attitude of the Japanese government in issuing visas to Russian citizens. However, the visa policy of the Land of the Rising Sun is diverse. For example, citizens of 53 states can enter the country for up to 90 days without a visa.
Citizens of seven states, including Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany, can enter Japan without a visa for three months, but upon arrival, extend the validity of their residence permit for up to six months. Citizens of Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia enjoy the right of visa-free entry to Japan for a period not exceeding 14 days.
As for the citizens of Russia, until recently, for obtaining a visa, compliance with a number of stringent conditions was required. A tourist voucher was required from the tourist with a full description of the route, places of residence, attractions, visits to which are included in the plans, an indication of the purpose of the visit.
However, since 2017, obtaining a visa has been greatly simplified. Today, to obtain a tourist visa, you need a completed visa application form, a passport, a copy of your internal passport, a document confirming the ability to pay for the trip and booking tickets. At the same time, a visa is issued without paying a Consular fee, which makes it especially attractive.
Osaka landmarks
Despite the fact that Kansai International Airport, located in Osaka, is served by numerous airlines, it will not be possible to get to it from Russia by direct flight. Most often, a transfer is required in Tokyo, however, the cheapest way to get to the city will be a route with one of the Chinese airlines and a change in Beijing.
Although tours from Moscow to Japan are still in demand among Russians, self-organized travels have become increasingly popular lately. It might seem that Japan is a very expensive country. However, accommodation in a capsule hotel is about $ 20 per night. This price is comparable to a hostel in Milan.
Among Osaka's many attractions, one can highlight the medieval castle built in the 16th century, the National Museum of Art, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics and the History Museum. Bunraku National Theater and kabuki theaters are also very popular with tourists. But a tourist cannot get past numerous Buddhist and Shinto temples.