Kansai Games Companion
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Independent guide · not affiliated with the organisers

Competing at WMG 2027 Kansai? Everything around your Games, sorted.

You have your sport handled. We help you handle the rest of Japan — which area to stay in for your venue, how to get there, and the onsen, food and sights worth building your trip around.

Games dates14–30 May 2027
WhereKansai, Japan
General entry closes28 Feb 2027
35
sports, 59 disciplines
~50k
expected participants
~20k
from outside Japan
30+
open to athletes aged 30 & over*

*Minimum age is typically 30 or 35 depending on the sport. Figures are the organisers' published targets — see sources at the foot of the page.

What this is

Your competition is fixed. Your trip shouldn't be a guessing game.

The official channels cover entry, rules and results well. This guide fills the gap around them — in plain English, from the athlete's point of view.

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Venue → stay matching

Your events are spread across several prefectures. We map each sport's competition city to the neighbourhoods and towns that actually make sense to base yourself in.

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Getting-there basics

The Kansai rail and airport picture, in one place: which airport, how the Shinkansen and local lines connect your venue, and roughly how long the door-to-venue hop takes.

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Before & after your Games

Most athletes stay one to two weeks. We tee up the onsen, food and sightseeing worth pairing with your competition days — so recovery and rest days aren't wasted.

Venue & stay

A few of the confirmed sport–city pairings

The Games are hosted across Fukui, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, Tottori and Tokushima, plus Kyoto, Osaka, Sakai and Kobe cities. A sample below — the full sport-by-sport map is what the guide builds out.

Squash
Kyoto City · 20–27 May 2027
central Kyoto — walkable to temples between matches
Archery · Cycling · Judo · Ground Golf
Tottori Prefecture (five host towns)
Tottori / San'in coast — sand dunes & quiet onsen
Athletics, swimming & more
Osaka · Kobe · Sakai & across Kansai
Osaka or Kobe — best transport hubs for multi-venue schedules
Events in Nara & Wakayama
Nara & Wakayama Prefectures
Nara Park or Kii Peninsula — deer, temples, Kumano

Sport, dates and host regions above are drawn from official and international-federation announcements (sources below). Exact venue addresses and full schedules are confirmed per sport in the guide as the organisers publish them. We never list anything unconfirmed.

Around the Games

Kansai is the reason to come early and stay late

A teaser of what pairs well with competition week. Full picks land in the guide.

Onsen & recovery

Kinosaki, Arima, Shirahama — hot springs built for tired legs.

Food that travels well

Osaka street food, Kobe beef, Kyoto kaiseki, Wakayama ramen.

Temples & trails

Kyoto, Nara's deer, and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes.