How Do You Get to Abashiri and Get Around from Memanbetsu Airport and Sapporo?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Abashiri on the Okhotsk coast of eastern Hokkaido and move around once they arrive. It uses the English pages of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and the Hokkaido Official Tourism Site "HOKKAIDO LOVE!". All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Timetables and fares are not on these pages, so check them before you travel.

The short answer

Fly to Memanbetsu Airport and continue by road. JNTO says that "Flights from Sapporo and Tokyo fly directly to Memanbetsu Airport; from there it's a 30-minute drive to Abashiri." If you are travelling overland, JNTO adds that "a bus or train to Abashiri from Sapporo will take about six hours."

From Memanbetsu Airport by bus

Two JNTO pages describe the limousine bus from Memanbetsu Airport to Abashiri Bus Terminal, and they give different times. One page says it takes 40 minutes and that from the terminal it is a 10-minute walk to the Aurora icebreaking ship. The other page says it takes 35 minutes and that the same bus carries you to the Aurora in an additional 5 minutes. The pages do not explain the gap, so allow 35 to 40 minutes and check the current timetable before you plan a connection.

From Sapporo, Monbetsu and Nakashibetsu

• Sapporo to Abashiri: about six hours by bus or train, according to JNTO.
• Sapporo to Monbetsu: a bus takes about 4 hours on one JNTO page, and about 6 hours on another page that groups Monbetsu with Abashiri. The two pages disagree.
• Sapporo to Nakashibetsu, the airport for Rausu: 7.5 hours by bus, on both pages.

Getting around by car

JNTO's Abashiri page says "The best way to explore the area is by car." It describes a scenic road trip of 150 kilometers from Lake Saroma in the west to Shiretoko National Park in the east, with lots of stops and photo opportunities. Along the way it names Lake Notoro, Lake Saroma, Mt. Shari and the hidden blue lake of Kaminokoike. We found no rental prices or driving times from the airport on these pages, so check those with a rental company.

Getting around without a car

The Hokkaido tourism site's two-day sample itinerary shows how far you can get on buses from JR Abashiri Station:

• It calls the "Sightseeing Facility Loop Line" operated by Abashiri Bus "the most convenient way to travel" to the Abashiri Prison Museum, and warns that the number of bus services is limited during the winter season.
• From the Prison Museum bus stop, the itinerary lists about 20 minutes by bus back to the vicinity of JR Abashiri Station.
• From JR Abashiri Station to the bus stop for the Aurora drift ice ship, it lists about 10 minutes by bus.
• The Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum on Mt. Tento is listed as about 15 minutes by bus from JR Abashiri Station.

The same itinerary suggests dropping your large luggage in a coin locker on arrival so that you can explore the city hands-free.

A scenic train in winter

JNTO mentions the Ryuhyo-Monogatari train, which it says runs along the coast from Abashiri to Shiretoko-Shari, as an easy way to admire the drift ice. Its Abashiri page also says you can "simply drive or take the Ryuhyo Monogatari train along the coast". The pages give no timetable or operating dates, so confirm them before you plan a day around it.

Three bases for drift ice

JNTO notes that three airports serve the drift ice areas: Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport, Memanbetsu Airport for Abashiri, and Nemuro Nakashibetsu Airport for Rausu. All three, it says, offer direct flights from Tokyo and Sapporo. Plan your arrival airport around the cruise you want, because the three towns are separate bases.

A sensible plan

1. Choose the season first. The drift ice usually arrives by late January and retreats by late March, so the cruise and the loop-line buses matter most in winter.
2. Book the flight to Memanbetsu Airport and allow roughly an hour from landing to the centre of Abashiri, counting the bus and a wait.
3. If you travel in winter, check the loop-line bus timetable, because the pages say services are limited in that season.
4. If you plan to drive, read the road and weather conditions yourself; these pages say nothing about winter driving.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Bus and train fares, and current timetables, including the limousine bus and the Ryuhyo-Monogatari train.
• Rental car prices and winter road conditions.
• Which of the two Memanbetsu bus times (35 or 40 minutes) is current.

Related guides

• What is Abashiri? Drift ice, the prison museum and Mt. Tento
• How do you join a drift ice cruise in Abashiri and dress for the cold?

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Abashiri (JNTO) — (flights, drive, six hours from Sapporo, the coast road)
2. Abashiri Drift Ice Cruises (JNTO) — (limousine bus 40 minutes, Sapporo bus times)
3. Ryuhyo Drift Ice (JNTO) — (limousine bus 35 minutes, Ryuhyo-Monogatari train)
4. One night, two days sample itinerary (HOKKAIDO LOVE!) — (loop-line bus, bus minutes, coin lockers)
5. Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum & Mt. Tento Observatory (HOKKAIDO LOVE!) — (15 minutes by bus)