Rebun-tō Getting there & around

Getting there & around

From Wakkanai there are infrequent flights each day to Rebun-tō (¥9930, 20 minutes). The closest bus stop to the airport is Kūkō-shita (‘Below the Airport’) and you’ll need to walk 15 minutes to the terminal. The ferry (two hours) leaves five times a day between May and mid-September, four times a day between mid-September and December and in March and April, and twice a day in January and February.

Many lodgings will help out with transport to walking tracks or the ferry port, but packing light can help make the trip more pleasant; you can leave luggage in coin lockers in Wakkanai JR station if need be. Five buses per day run along the island’s main road from Kafuka in the south to Cape Sukoton in the north (¥1180, 70 minutes). There are bus routes to Shiretoko (¥280, 13 minutes) and Motochi (¥440, 16 minutes) as well. Service is greatly reduced from November to April, so check the timetable at the Kafuka ferry terminal on arrival.

Bikes, scooters, motorcycles and cars can all be rented; as a last resort, hitchhiking will often get you where you need to go.