Kobe Airport Guide (UKB): Access, Flights, Terminal Info & Transport Options

Kobe Airport is the third major airport in Japan’s western Kansai region after Kansai International Airport and Osaka Itami Airport. Located on an artificial island in Kobe Port, it is a convenient access point for the area being just under 20 minutes from central Kobe by road or rail.

This airport mostly serves domestic flights, but began offering a limited number of international flights in 2026. The airport has two terminals with Terminal 1 handling domestic flights and Terminal 2 primarily handling international flights. Most of the airport’s shopping and dining facilities are in Terminal 1.

Regular domestic flights include destinations in Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. International flights began in April 2025 and include destinations in China, South Korea and Taiwan. There are plans to increase the number of international flights by the year 2030.

In addition to the two terminals there is also a railway station, which is directly attached to Terminal 1, and a pier for the Bay Shuttle ferry service, which runs between Kobe Airport and Kansai International Airport on the other side of Osaka Bay.

Domestic Flights from Terminal 1

The following airlines run flights from Kobe Airport to the listed domestic destinations.

All Nippon Airways – Sapporo, Haneda Airport in Tokyo

Skymark Airlines – Ibaraki, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Naha, Miyako Shimojishima, Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Sapporo, Sendai.

Solaseed Air – Naha

AIR DO – Sapporo

Fuji Dream Airlines – Aomori, Hanamaki, Matsumoto

Toki Air – Niigata

International & Domestic Flights from Terminal 2

The following airlines run flights from Kobe Airport to the listed international destinations.

Korean Air – Seoul

Juneyao Airlines – Nanjing, Shanghai

STARLUX Airlines – Taichung, Taipei

EVA AIR – Taipei

Terminal 1 – Orientation

Terminal 1 has four floors.

On the first floor of Terminal 1 you can find the Arrivals Lobby, a general Information Counter, a Car Rental Counter, and a Free Space waiting area.

On the second floor you can find the Departure Lobby with Check In counters and Departure Gates.

There is also a convenience store on this floor, souvenir stores, and a Baggage Storage and Delivery Counter.

The third floor is the airport’s dining area with a cafe, and restaurants serving noodles, donburi-style rice dishes, curry, Chinese food, gyoza dumplings, and onigiri rice balls. There is also a Royal Host serving western-style meals.

On the fourth floor you can find the rooftop Observation Deck. From here you can wave to family or friends as they board or disembark from their planes, and you can watch the planes landing and taking off too.

There is also a “Miniature Life” museum on the fourth floor displaying works by the artist Tatsuya Tanaka. Here Tanaka has created several humorous scenes from the Kobe area using everyday objects.

Terminal 2 – Orientation

Terminal 2 has just two floors.

On the first floor you can find the Departure Lobby with Check In counters and Departure Gates for both International and Domestic Flights.

There is also an Information Desk inside the Departure Lobby.

The Arrivals area is also on the first floor and is located just past the stairs and escalators that lead to the second floor.

On the second floor there is a large waiting area with a coffee and sweets stand where you can buy donuts and ice creams.

There is also a rooftop Observation Deck on the second floor, but the view of the planes here is not as clear as the view from Terminal 1’s Observation Deck.

Getting Around Kobe Airport

Kobe Airport is small enough that you can walk between the two terminals and the pier for the Bay Shuttle ferry service. However, there is a free shuttle bus service that runs regular trips in a loop between both of the terminals and Bay Shuttle Pier. The shuttle bus takes 1 minute to run from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and then just 5 minutes to run to the Bay Shuttle Pier. However, if you don’t have too much heavy luggage, you can also easily walk between the terminals and the pier. It takes about 3 minutes to walk between the terminals and about 6 minutes to walk from Terminal 1 to the Bay Shuttle pier.

Kobe Airport Access

You can travel to and from Kobe Airport by train, taxi, bus, rental car, private car and even high speed ferry! Details of each of these options are given below.

The Port Liner

The Port Liner is a rapid transit railway service that connects Kobe Airport with Sannomiya in central Kobe in just 18 minutes. From there you can transfer to eastbound railway services for Osaka, Kyoto and Nara or westbound services for Himeji. You can also transfer at Sannomiya to the subway line which runs to the Shinkansen terminal at Shin-Kobe Station.

The fare between Kobe Airport Station and Sannomiya Station is 340 yen. Kobe Airport Station is directly connected to the second floor of Terminal 1.

Taxis

Taxi stands can be found outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at Kobe Airport. A taxi between Kobe Airport and Sannomiya in central Kobe should take between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on traffic. For a standard-sized taxi in Kobe the base fare is 700 yen for the first 1,300 meters and then an additional 100 yen for every 225 meters after that.

Bus Services to Kobe Airport

Limousine bus services run from Shin-Kobe Station and from Sannomiya in central Kobe to Kobe Airport. At Shin-Kobe Station the buses run from boarding point 2 outside the station’s first floor exit. These buses take around 26 minutes to reach the airport. At Sannomiya the buses run from a bus stop outside East Exit 2 of Sannomiya Subway Station. These buses take around 22 minutes to reach the airport. The fare from either location is 340 yen for adults and 170 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Bus Services from Kobe Airport

Limousine bus services from Kobe Airport to Sannomiya, Shin-Kobe, and other destinations run from bus stops outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. While services for Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe run regularly, other services are more limited so it’s a good idea to check the current bus timetables in advance. Details of these services are given below.

Free Shuttle Bus

The free shuttle bus that runs regular trips around the terminals and the Bay Shuttle Pier stops at Bus Stop 6 outside Terminal 1 and Bus Stop B outside Terminal 2.

Buses for Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe

Limousine bus services for Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe run from Bus Stop 5 outside Terminal 1 and from Bus Stop A outside Terminal 2. These buses take about 20 minutes to reach Sannomiya and 34 minutes to reach Shin-Kobe. The fare for both destinations is 340 yen for adults and 170 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Sightseeing Buses

City Loop sightseeing buses also run from Bus Stop 5 at Terminal 1 and Bus Stop A at Terminal 2. These buses run to Sannomiya, the Kitano area and Shin-Kobe. However, they are not as frequent as regular bus services and only run in the morning. One ride on the City Loop Bus costs 300 yen for adults and 150 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Other Bus Services

Limousine buses for Osaka Station run from Bus Stop 2 outside Terminal 1 and Bus Stop A outside Terminal 2. These buses take around 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach Osaka Station and the fare is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Limousine buses for the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel on Rokko Island and for Universal Studios Japan (USJ) run from Bus Stop 3 outside Terminal 1 and Bus Stop A outside Terminal 2.

These buses take around 30 minutes to reach the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel and 1 hour to reach USJ. The fare for the Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel is 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children aged 12 or younger. The fare for USJ is 900 yen for adults and 450 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Bus services for Sumoto and Fukura on Awaji Island, Tokushima on Shikoku, and Kinosaki Onsen all run from Bus Stop 7 outside Terminal 1. Buses that run from Bus Stop 7 do NOT stop at Terminal 2.

Limousine buses for Sumoto Onsen take around 2 hours and 12 minutes and the fare is 2,480 yen for adults and 1,240 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Limousine buses for Fukura take around 2 hours and 8 minutes and the fare is 2,910 yen for adults and 1,460 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Limousine buses for Tokushima take around 2 hours and 46 minutes and the fare is 3,800 yen for adults and 1,900 yen for children aged 12 or younger.

Limousine buses for Kinosaki Onsen take around 3 hours and 56 minutes and the fare is 3,550 yen for adults and 1,780 yen for children.

Private Cars

A car traveling between Sannomiya and Kobe Airport should take between 15 to 20 minutes depending on the traffic conditions.The parking lot at Kobe Airport can accommodate 2,460 cars and costs 150 yen per hour. The parking lot is open 24 hours a day, every day. There is also a rapid charging machine for electric vehicles, which is located close by the entrance to Terminal 1.

Rental Cars

Several companies, including Toyota, Nissan, Nippon and Orix, offer rental cars at Kobe Airport. You can find the Rental Car Counter on the first floor of Terminal 1, beside the general Information Counter. For more detailed information about renting a car, please see our article: Car Rental in Kobe.

Bay Shuttle Ferry

The Bay Shuttle is a high speed ferry service that runs between Kobe Airport and Kansai International Airport in Osaka. The Bay Shuttle Pier can be accessed in 5 minutes from Terminal 1 using the airport’s free shuttle bus, or you can walk there directly in around 6 minutes. For more details on this service please see our article: The Bay Shuttle for Kobe Airport and Kansai Airport.

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Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 2-Apr-2026.