Airport conquest series. Nemuro-Nakashibetsu Airport and Okhotsk-Monbetsu Airport in two days. There’s no direct connection between Nakashibetsu and Monbetsu, so the route links them by bus and JR: north through Shibecha → Abashiri → Engaru, then the free airport shuttle from Engaru to Monbetsu Airport. This was the fastest route I found to connect the two airports.
The full series index is here.
Route Design
Nakashibetsu and Monbetsu aren’t far apart in a straight line, but there’s no direct transport between them. Monbetsu Airport has only one flight per day (to Haneda), so the route must be planned backwards from that departure.
After research, I determined that Nakashibetsu → (bus) → Shibecha → (Senmō Main Line) → Abashiri (overnight) → (Sekihoku Main Line) → Engaru → (free shuttle) → Monbetsu Airport was the most reliable connection to the next day’s Monbetsu flight.
Itinerary (as of September 2022)
Day 1: Haneda → Nakashibetsu → Shibecha → Abashiri
Day 2: Abashiri → Engaru → Monbetsu → Haneda
Transfer at Shibecha Station
The bus from Nakashibetsu arrived at Shibecha at 19:10. It was already pitch dark. The Abashiri-bound Senmō Main Line train departed at 19:46 — a 30-minute wait. The area around the station was so quiet that I wondered whether the train would actually come.
Three Hours in Nakashibetsu
After arriving at Nakashibetsu Bus Terminal from the airport, there’s about three hours until the Shibecha-bound bus. I walked about 20 minutes to Tōbu South Hills (a shopping center) and ate at the food court to pass the time.