Airport conquest series. I planned a two-day trip covering Okushiri, Rishiri, and Wakkanai airports, but a bomb cyclone caused all Hokkaido flights to be canceled. The plan could not be executed. Preserved here as a memorial.
I later succeeded on a revenge attempt using a different route.
The full series index is here.
Route Design
Okushiri and Rishiri are both island airports, primarily accessible from Okadama Airport. Wakkanai is close enough to Rishiri to reach by ferry. The plan covered all three in two days.
Day 1: Haneda → New Chitose → (overland) → Okadama → Okushiri → Okadama → Rishiri → (ferry) → Wakkanai (overnight) Day 2: Wakkanai → Haneda
The key is using Okadama as a hub: round trip to Okushiri, then fly to Rishiri. The Okushiri ferry schedule didn’t connect, so the plan was a simple air round trip. From Rishiri, ferry to Wakkanai.
Itinerary (based on January 2022 timetables)
Day 1: Haneda → Okadama → Okushiri → Okadama → Rishiri → Wakkanai
Day 2: Wakkanai → Haneda
Collapse
Winter Hokkaido island airports have high cancellation rates. Okushiri, Rishiri, and Wakkanai are all among the most cancellation-prone. This time, a bomb cyclone hit directly and all Hokkaido flights were canceled. If Okadama → Okushiri and Okadama → Rishiri don’t fly, the plan is dead.
Planning this route in winter was itself a risk. The revenge attempt was executed in a season with more stable weather.