Sports fans rejoice the IAAF in Osaka
August sees the arrival of the 11th IAAF world championships to Osaka with over 200 countries and territories represented and 3,200 athletes competing in the height of Summer heat it should be a spectacular and thrilling event.
If you’re already in Japan or are coming over to visit then here are some tips to help you enjoy your stay.
Getting there
From within Japan you can get buses from any major city or take the bullet train to Shin Osaka station. There are two airports, KIX (Kansai International) and Itami (domestic) which are about an hour outside the city.
Accommodation
There are hundreds of hotels in and around Osaka but with an event this size you should start to think about booking as soon as possible. A useful site to help you is the Kintetsu site which handily combines ticket sales and hotel rooms.
You can also try these links which offer very discounted rooms.
Another option is asiarooms.com which has a variety of hotels with discount rates.
Or you could stay in Kyoto and commute in (JR and Hankyu both have fast trains which take about an hour). The advantage of Kyoto is that it’s actually much more beautiful and used to foreigners (there’s a large expat community there). Try looking for some hotels in Kyoto.
Tickets
If you need to buy tickets then you can do so online from the official site.
Other stuff
Next is getting the most out of your stay. The stadium is located in the south of Osaka (MAP) on the Nagai Midosuji subway station, about 15 minutes out of the Nanba area, and 35 minutes from Umeda areas of Osaka which is not too punishing a commute.
If you want to take some time out from the games to explore a little more of the region then the world famous Kyoto (history) and Kobe (disaster!) are about an hour away. If pressed for time then Kyoto is the must see (find hotels in Kyoto) while Kobe can be enjoyed for its ambiance rather than anything to actually sightsee.
As the games will be in the height of Summer you can expect temperatures nudging mid to high 30’s with humidity about 80%. Biggest problems: dehydration and sunburn. Be sure to bring or buy plenty of sunscreen, wear a hat and keep hydrated as the humidity really makes you sweat even just sitting.
All in all the games are promising to be a great event and take this chance to enjoy the delights of Osaka and surrounds with world class athletics.
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