Society of Asian Retailing and Distribution

How to get to UMDS

UMDS is located in the west of Kobe city in the Kansai region of Japan. Getting to the university is quite easy.

Take a Shinkansen Bullet Train from Tokyo station to Shin-Kobe
[There are several flavours of bullet train. The Nozomi is the fastest (and most expensive) and will save you up to 30 minutes. The slightly slower version, called the Hikari, takes 3 hours 15 minutes. It is not advisable to take a Kodama Shinkansen because these are the slow trains that stop at all stations.]
You can find full time tables in English at the JR West Home Page
From Shin-Kobe, take the Kobe Subway line to Gakuentoshi [30 minutes]. The cost is about ¥390 one way.
[Maps of the Kobe subway line are available in English here]
From Gakuentoshi station it is a 5 (five) minute walk to UMDS [map]

You have several options for travel from KIX to UMDS. All will take between 2 and 3 hours, and each has a different price. We recommend the bus as the most convenient and easiest to follow.

Outside the arrivals hall, find the bus to Sannomiya (central Kobe). The stop is in the middle of the terminal (ie not at either end)
[Some buses make a stop at the Sheraton Bay Hotel on Rokko Island, and some go directly to Sannomiya. The trip is about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes and costs about ¥1800. There is online information and a time table, but this is partly in Japanese and will cause problems to some browsers. Buses run every 20 minutes.]
At Sannomiya, you need to find the subway station.It is a 5-10 minute walk from the bus stop, unfortunately, with a lot of steps to negotiate, but this is still easier than the train. The map of Sannomiya and subway entrances is here .
Take the Kobe Subway line to Gakuentoshi station. It is about 25 minutes and costs about ¥330 one way from Sannomiya.
[Maps of the Kobe subway line are available in English here or here]
From Gakuentoshi station, UMDS is a 5 (five) minute walk [map]

There are two train companies operating out of KIX. You need to take the JR line to Shin-Osaka or Umeda (central Osaka). The Shin-Osaka train is a special express called the Haruka. You can see the time table at JR West's English site. More information in using JR out of KIX is given [here]
From Osaka, you need to change trains, and head west to Sannomiya station in Kobe. This is a 20-25 minute ride on a Shinkaisoku (Limited Express) train.
At Sannomiya, you need to find the subway station.It is below the train lines. The map of Sannomiya and subway entrances is here .
Take the Kobe Subway line to Gakuentoshi station. It is about 25 minutes and costs about ¥330 one way.
[Maps of the Kobe subway line are available in English here]
From Gakuentoshi station, UMDS is a 5 (five) minute walk [map]

The one-way fare by boat is ¥2,200 not including one bus fare from the terminal to the ferry dock. Departure times are less frequent than the bus, but for those of you who like boats, its quite a ride. The boat does more than 70 mph for most of the journey and, on a nice day, you get to see some of the bay.
At the K-CAT, it is a 10 minute bus ride to Sannomiya, but the bus is always waiting and the change over is quite easy.
For more information on the Jet Foil, please refer ~~[here]~~ --->[here]

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