Ultimate Airport Guide for Eastern Hokkaido - All You Need to Know About 5 Airports
Planning a trip starts with looking into flights. Did you know that there are five airports just within Eastern Hokkaido? If you are feeling lost in your planning, you are on the right page. Here’s an ultimate guide to airports in Eastern Hokkaido. After reading this article, you will be able to pick the best airport to fly in for your trip!
OTHER USEFUL POSTS
Most of the airports in Eastern Hokkaido have multiple a day from Sapporo and Tokyo Haneda Airport. These are the most convenient airports to travel to the region. There are also one or two daily flights from Osaka (Kansai International Airport and Osaka Itami Airport) to Memambetsu Airport and Kushiro Airport.
Four airlines operate in Eastern Hokkaido; JAL (Jalan Airlines), ANA (All Nippon Airways), Air Do, and Peach. JAL and ANA, the top two airlines in Japan, fly most frequently to Eastern Hokkaido. Air Do is a local airline in Hokkaido, often codesharing with ANA flights. Peach is a Japanese budget airline that usually offers a lot cheaper tickets than the other companies when booked well ahead of time. They often have sales on domestic flights, offering quite good deals.
Although Peach could be perfect for a budget trip, it charges extra fees on check-in luggage and on-board services like EasyJet and other low-cost airlines. The other airlines have a free baggage allowance of up to 20 kg.
Peach flies from Tokyo Narita Airport (NOT HANEDA) and Kansai International Airport (NOT OSAKA ITAMI) to Memambestu Airport and Kushiro Airport. If you are using these airports, Peach could be a good option. Otherwise, you will have to take other airlines.
Renting a car is highly recommended to travel around Eastern Hokkaido. Hokkaido is huge, and some areas are not well connected with public transportation.
It could be difficult to get around with English. Not many people there speak English, even in restaurants and shops. Some basic Japanese phrases or translation apps would definitely be a help!
Flights might be canceled due to heavy snow in winter. This happens multiple times a year. If the weather forecast is not looking great, be ready for changes to your trip schedule.
A fun fact! Hokkaido has 14 airports, which is the highest number of airports in one prefecture in Japan. Five of them are located in Eastern Hokkaido. Memambetsu Airport and Kushiro Airport have the most daily flights. Depending on which area of Eastern Hokkaido you want to travel to, either of these airports would be a good starting point for your trip.
You will have to move around quite a bit distance if you are visiting multiple destinations. Check out the table below to see how long it takes from each airport to major destinations in Eastern Hokkaido by car. Sapporo and Asahikawa are not in Eastern Hokkaido, but are listed here just for reference.
Memambetsu Airport has good connections with other parts of Japan and the northern half of Eastern Hokkaido, especially the areas along the Okhotsk Sea where there are many popular tourist attractions.
The airport has 7 flights from Sapporo, 6 from Tokyo, 2 from Osaka, and one from Chubu Centrair Airport near Nagoya per day. There are bus services from the airport to Kitami (40 min/ 1,000 yen) and Abashiri (35 min/ 920 yen). A bus line to Shiretoko operates on a summer schedule from May to October and a winter schedule from January to March. You can check the timetable here. There are also five rental car companies available.
IT’s A PERFECT GATEWAY TO…
Recommendations Nearby
Located just 30-min drive away from central Kushiro, Kushiro Airport offers easy access to the southern half of Eastern Hokkaido.
There are 7 daily flights from Sapporo, 7 from Tokyo, and one from Osaka. Buses are available to go to the central area of Kushiro and Akan, a popular hot spring town. Three rental car companies operate at this airport.
IT’s A PERFECT GATEWAY TO…
Recommendations Nearby
7 flights fly to Obihiro Airport from Tokyo daily. A seasonal flight from Chubu Centrair Airport near Nagoya is available in August.
The airport is 40 min away from central Obihiro by car. There are a bus line to the city center and 5 car rental companies.
IT’s A PERFECT GATEWAY TO…
Recommendations Nearby
This is the smallest airport in Eastern Hokkaido, connected with Tokyo on only one round-trip flight a day by ANA. There are free shuttle busses to central Mombetsu and to Engaru. The Engaru line requires booking in advance.
IT’s A PERFECT GATEWAY TO…
Recommendations Nearby
Nakashibetsu Airport has 3 daily flights from Sapporo and one from Tokyo, all operated by ANA. There are busses to go to Nemuro, Nakashibetsu, Kushiro and Rausu. Rental car services are also avaiable from 5 companies.