We had been looking forward to our family trip to Osaka for months—but as departure day approached, Mother Nature had other plans.
A Kona low storm swept through Hawaiʻi on the day of our flight, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and plenty of delays. But after a 2-hour wait, we were finally on our way to Japan.
We flew in the main cabin on Hawaiian Airlines (Airbus A330), and the experience was pretty solid overall.
- Each passenger received a pillow, blanket, and amenity kit which includes earplugs, earbuds, and
- In-seat entertainment providing hours of free movies, music, shows
- Meal options: pasta or chicken
- Pre-landing snack: tuna sandwich
My son actually really liked the pasta, while the chicken was just okay. Nothing amazing, but decent for airplane food.
After 10 hours of flight time, we landed at Kansai International Airport, Terminal 1, and this is where preparation really paid off.
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Before leaving Hawaiʻi, we made sure to complete our Japan QR codes for immigration and customs—and I highly recommend doing this (be sure each person traveling with you has their own QR code). It made the process so much faster and smoother after landing.
After grabbing our checked luggage, our next mission was picking up our pocket WiFi rental. I went to seek out the place while the husband went to go look for our driver who was supposed to meet us at the airport to take us to our hotel.
The instructions from Japan Wireless said to go to the NEST counter on the second floor of Terminal 1. Easy, right? Not quite. Turns out, not too many people knew where this counter was—even airport staff.
After wandering around a bit, a very kind employee at McDonald’s pointed us in the right direction (shoutout to him 🙌). Eventually, we found it—but just a heads up: the NEST counter is actually outside of the Terminal 1 building.
My husband arranged a private airport transfer and this was honestly one of the best decisions we made.
- Driver was on time
- Extremely courteous
- Smooth, stress-free ride
If you’re traveling with a group (or a lot of luggage like we were), I’d definitely recommend this over figuring out trains right after a long flight, especially if you're arriving after sundown.
We finally arrived at MIMARU Osaka Namba —and we were so happy to have finally made it!
- Spacious rooms (rare in Japan!)
- Mini kitchen (including refrigerator/freezer)
- Super clean and modern
- Bunk beds—which the kids loved
By the time we got in, it was late. We took quick showers and called it a night.
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