I visited Rebun Island as part of my island-hopping and airport conquest. Rebun Airport’s scheduled services were discontinued in 2003 and the airport is currently suspended. No planes come, but the terminal building and runway remain.
Itinerary
Day 1: Haneda → Wakkanai → Rebun Island
Overnight on Rebun Island. I ate a hokke chanchan-yaki set meal at “Robata Chidori,” a few minutes’ walk from the ferry terminal. Rebun Island is known for its hokke (Atka mackerel).
Day 2: Rebun Airport → Wakkanai → Haneda
Rebun Airport
The next morning, I took the first bus to Rebun Airport. About 35 minutes by bus from the Kafuka Ferry Terminal, then off at the “Kūkō-shita” (Below Airport) bus stop and a 10-minute walk.
The building is small, and you can’t go inside. The runway can only be viewed from outside, but traces of its operational days remain. I stayed about 15 minutes, then took the next bus back to Kafuka.
About This Visit
Rebun Airport is suspended with no plans to reopen before 2026. Since no planes fly here, whether it counts as airport conquest is debatable. But I believe there’s value in visiting and documenting an airport where the building and runway still exist.
Bus frequency is limited, so the itinerary means taking the first bus to the airport and the next bus back. Fifteen minutes at the airport was enough.