Osaka, Honshu, Japan
Winter, December 2013
It was sunrise. From the plane, you watch as a sliver of light blue creeps up over the horizon. The pale blue slowly lightens to a pale orange, before gradually darkening to a deeper rich peach hue. On the ground below, a lighted metropolis slowly awakes. Buiilding lights flicker on as street lights dim...
Osaka (大阪 Ōsaka) is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the largest part of the Keihanshin metropolis, which comprises three major cities of Japan : Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. Located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is Japan's third largest city by population after Tokyo and Yokohama, as well as an economic hub.
The hues of sunrise from the airport - orange, pink, blue purple -
This promises to be an exciting and colourful trip!
Kansai International Airport (関西国際空港 Kansai Kokusai Kūkō, IATA: KIX) is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, 38 km (24 miles) southwest of Ōsaka Station, and located within three municipalities, including Izumisano (north), Sennan (south), and Tajiri (central), in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore and was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Nankai Railways' Rap:t limited express trains take 30 minutes and cost 1,430 yen (all reserved) from Kansai Airport to Namba Station, while express trains do the same trip in 45 minutes and for 920 yen.
It was time for the Airport Express...
KIX was built on a manmade island in the Gulf of Osaka. It sits about 5 kilometers from shore. The only access is via the Sky Gate Bridge R. One end of the bridge lies at the Rinku area of Izumisano City in Osaka, and the other, at Kansai International Airport. Construction on the bridge began in June of 1987 and was completed in March of 1994.
The access bridge is multi-leveled; the upper-level is a 6-lane road, the middle level is a 2-track railway, while electricity, gas, water service, telephone and all others utilities to the airport are at the lowest level. The bridge was given the name “Sky Gate Bridge R” - the R comes from the first letter of the words Road, Railway and Rinku.
The access bridge is multi-leveled; the upper-level is a 6-lane road, the middle level is a 2-track railway, while electricity, gas, water service, telephone and all others utilities to the airport are at the lowest level. The bridge was given the name “Sky Gate Bridge R” - the R comes from the first letter of the words Road, Railway and Rinku.
Zipping by under the road layer of the Sky Gate Bridge...
It was early in the morning and the platform stands empty in the golden glow of the morning sun...
Likewise, the few commuters up at this early hour sit quietly, contemplating the day ahead...
Sources
- "Kansai International Airport". Japan-Guide.com. Retrieved from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2033.html (03 May 2014).
- "Kansai International Airport". Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_International_Airport (03 May 2014).
- "Sky Gate Bridge R: The longest truss bridge in the world" (21 April 2008). The World’s Greatest Japanese. Retrieved from http://www.japanese-greatest.com/civil-engineering-construction/truss-bridge.html (03 May 2014).
