Visiting the Suspended Rebun AirportOne Night on Rebun Island

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.

Summary

Island: Rebun
Getting there: Heartland Ferry from Wakkanai
Duration: Two days, one night, from Haneda
Also visited: Rebun Airport, currently out of service
Total: ¥46,520

Itinerary

Day 1: Haneda → Wakkanai → Rebun Island

10:45 → 12:35Haneda → Wakkanai Airport ANA 571 (Super Value 75J)¥19,570

12:45 → 13:20Wakkanai Airport → Wakkanai Port Ferry Terminal Sōya Bus (shuttle)¥700

14:50 → 16:45Wakkanai Port → Kafuka Port Heartland Ferry (2nd class)¥3,070

The terminal building and drop-off area at Wakkanai Airport

The ferry terminal building and car park at Wakkanai Port

Heartland Ferry’s Cyprea Soya berthed at Wakkanai Port

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).

The area around Kafuka Port ferry terminal, with Rebun’s hills rising behind

The frontage of Robata Chidori, with a banner beside the entrance

A butterflied hokke on the grill, topped with miso and chopped vegetables

Day 2: Rebun Airport → Wakkanai → Haneda

06:30 → 07:06Kafuka Port Ferry Terminal → Kūkō-shita Sōya Bus¥870

07:10 → 07:20Kūkō-shita bus stop → Rebun Airport Walk

07:35 → 07:45Rebun Airport → Kūkō-shita bus stop Walk

07:48 → 08:24Kūkō-shita → Kafuka Port Ferry Terminal Sōya Bus¥870

08:55 → 10:50Kafuka Port → Wakkanai Port Heartland Ferry (2nd class)¥3,070

11:50 → 12:25Wakkanai Port Ferry Terminal → Wakkanai Airport Sōya Bus (shuttle)¥700

13:15 → 15:15Wakkanai Airport → Haneda ANA 572 (Super Value 75K)¥17,670

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.

The passenger terminal at Rebun Airport, the name still lettered on the wall

The monument at Rebun Airport and the closed terminal building

The runway at Rebun Airport seen through the perimeter fence

The wooden shelter at the Kuko-shita bus stop

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.

How this site counts an island as visited:

Jan 07, 2024 Island-Hopping RulesHow I define "island" for my island-hopping count. The official GSI definition, my own rules, and places visited so far.