Oh how fun! I had no idea when I booked this trip that I would be travelling on such a decorated and adorable train. There are two main train options for this route and I chose this one. Taking the Haruka Hello Kitty Train from Osaka to Kyoto was easy and cute.
Online Booking
Try as I might, I could not get the direct website to work for me while I was in Thailand trying to book this trip. I ended up using Klook for the first time and it worked just fine. Booking general tickets was as much as I could accomplish however, and these were good for use within the next 90 days after purchase. I was unable to reserve a specific day let alone a seat.
My ticket cost was $40 CAD return, virtually the same as the Haruka website.
Arrival at KIX
Upon my initial arrival into Osaka, I had time to kill before I could check in to my Airbnb. I went across from the arrival’s terminal to the train station, a quick walk of only 5 minutes. Here, I was able to go to the Haruka ticket booth, and show my booking with Klook.
The helpful lady was able to then narrow down my reservation to the specific days I needed and even reserve me a window seat both ways. It was surprisingly easy to do.
Travel Day
When my travel day arrived, I took two metro trains from my hotel to the Osaka Airport, where the Haruka Express train was departing from. I followed the signs for the Haruka which departs from Gate B and track number 4. It was when I went down to the platform that I realized I was going to be riding aboard Hello Kitty!
Haruka
The train is clean, bright and has space for your luggage at the front and rear ends of the car. If you reserve a seat, your car will have a toilet for those aboard to use. If you are in general seating, you will share a toilet with many more people and not have an assigned seat.
The journey is only 75 minutes and 60 of those is getting out of Osaka. The Haruka makes two very brief stops in Osaka city, not more than a couple minutes each.
There is no food service so bring a snack and drink if you wish.
I witnessed no spectacular scenery along the way, which was a bit disappointing I’ll admit. It was urban landscape for the duration. You are no sooner outside of Osaka and are approaching the outskirts of Kyoto.
Kyoto
I had read the Kyoto train station was a bit of a nightmare to navigate. While I did find it dingy and many parts under construction, it was relatively easy to find the metro, although a long walk up and down stairs and elevators when I could find one. By this point, dragging my luggage was getting really old and my hands were raw.
I am here! In lovely Kyoto, so excited to explore this new city and have a look at some of the beautiful temples and shrines I have seen photographs of.
