Airport News Japan

Signs with New Airport Name at Osaka International Airport Terminal Emphasize “Central Kinki” Location

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Osaka International Airport Terminal's Central Block.

In December of last year, new signs were put up on the terminal at Osaka International Airport (also known as Itami Airport) in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture with a “Kinai”/Kinki region design incorporating the nearby mountains and other features of the surrounding landscape.

Osaka International Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., which operates the building, made the redesign in conjunction with the reopening of the upper floors (5-8) of the central block. The purpose is to show that the airport is a highly conveniently located transportation hub in the heart of the Kinki region, or “Kinai.”

“Kinai” is a Japanese word that originated during the Nara period combining “Kinki” (meaning the Kobe-Osaka-Kyoto area) and “nai” (meaning “in”) to describe “the area around the capital,” as the capital of Japan was located in this region before being moved to Tokyo at the start of the Edo period in 1603. Since saying “an airport with a Central Kinki [‘Kinai’] location” better explains the where it is located, rather than using the prefecture’s name (Osaka), the “Kinai” name and a silhouette of the surrounding mountains and a five-story pagoda were incorporated into the design of the signs.

Additionally, in February of this year the airport placed original Kinai Maps on the first floor of the central block. The airport has been added to the maps, which include famous Kinki spots such as temples, shrines and places of scenic beauty. Together with the new signs, they express the “Central Kinki” theme.

Previously, the upper floors of the central block were occupied by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Osaka International Airport office, the Osaka Airport Hotel and other facilities, but they have either been moved or closed, creating open space at the airport. It was reopened and offered for use as an airline company office in December of last year, and plans are proceeding to start a new hotel.

The airport signs are 29.2 meters wide and 2.9 meters high, and are placed on both sides of the central block’s eighth floor, one facing the parking area and the other facing the runways. At night the airport and “Kinai” names are illuminated with LEDs.

Osaka International Airport (Japanese)