The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory is located in Misasa, a small hotsprings town located in the central part of Tottori prefecture. This prefecture, on the western part Honshu island Tottori (the main island of the Japanese archipelago) facing Japan Sea is well known for the famous sandunes and for having and excellent gastronomy.
Japan has two main international airports: Narita International Airport located at the north of Tokyo and Osaka-Kansai International Airport on the SE side of Osaka city. In general, Misasa is accessible from Tokyo-Haneda Airport by air (~2 hr and 35 min.) reaching to Tottori Airport and then transfer to a local bus (~1.5 hr.) that leads you to Misasa. Also it is possible to reach Misasa from Osaka-Kansai International Airport by rail (~4 hr) or by bus (~4 hr and 30 min), both of them requiring a transfer in the city of Osaka.
International travellers coming from Tokyo must transfer to Haneda Airport (HND) to catch the ANA flight to Tottori. The Airport limousine buses leave Narita for Haneda every 20 min. Tickets are available from the Information counters at the Arrivals Hall and the cost is ¥3,100. Bus stops are outside this terminal hall and the bus ride takes approximately 95 min. Misasa's nearest airport is Tottori Airport (TTJ). ANA (All Nippon Airways) flies between Haneda and Tottori with five flights per day; flying time is approximately ~1 hr. Once you have reached Tottori Airport, the airport limousine bus takes you to Kurayoshi station. The price of the bus from Tottori Aiport to Kurayoshi station is ¥1,200. If you miss the bus, you need to take a taxi to Kurayoshi or to Misasa (approx. ¥10,000).
International travellers arriving to Osaka-Kansai International Airport (KIX) has two possibilities to arrive to Misasa. The first option is to take the train directly from the airport to Kurayoshi station with a transfer in Shin-Osaska (~4 hr). The second option is to take an Airport limousine from KIX to OCAT (Osaka City Air Terminal) bus central station in Osaka and then transfer to a second bus that will bring you to Misasa and Kurayoshi station (~5 hr).
For rail users, Japan West Railway Service (JR-West) offers a regular rail service from Osaka-Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Kurayoshi city which is the nearest tran station to Misasa. The simplest combination of trains are: 1) Airport limited express "Haruka" from KIX to Shin-Osaka station with a frequency every 30 min; 2) Limited express "Super-Hakuto" from Shin-Osaka station to Kurayoshi station. These service counts with five trains per day.
For bus users, the trip from KIX Airport till Kurayoshi and Misasa requires two buses. First of all take the Shuttle bus service from KIX to OCAT at bus stop number 11 outside 1F of KIX terminal building. You need to buy the ticket at the maching outside of the therminal with a cost of ¥1050. The machine contains an English menu. After arriving to OCAT 2F, it is necessary to take the Nihon Kotsu Express bus to Misasa and Kurayoshi. This bus stops at Misasa Onsen-Guchi and also Kurayoshi Station. You need to purchase the ticket from the information counter at the same floor (2F) of OCAT. The cost of the ticket from OCAT to Misasa is ¥4200 and ¥4300 to Kurayoshi. Once you have arrived to Misasa or Kurayoshi a PML member will pick you up!
For all the Travellers coming from Tokyo and Osaka, most likely the final destination will be the station of Kurayoshi which is the nearest railway station to Misasa, the town where PML is located. To arrive Misasa, there is a local bus service avilable from the platform 3 in the bus station attached to the main railway station. The bus from Kurayoshi to Misasa is a blue bus and you can read in the digital front panel Misasa Onsen. When you enter the bus from the rear side, please take a numbered ticket. This ticket will indicate the stop number from where your started, and you will be able to confirm the payment amount from the digital panel in the top of the driver seat. Please ride off at the "Okadai Wakusei busshitsu kenkyu-sho mae" which the stop in front of IPM.
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