Kushiro Airport KUH

Kushiro Airport, also known as Tancho Kushiro after the red-crowned crane, is the airport of eastern Hokkaido. It lies about 17 km west-northwest of central Kushiro and is the gateway to Kushiro Shitsugen National Park and the Lake Akan area. It is a small-to-medium regional airport, with about 685,000 passengers in 2015.

Terminals

There is a single three-level terminal with three boarding gates, designed mainly for domestic flights. It is small and easy to get around.

Airlines and destinations

ANA, JAL, Air Do and Peach operate here. The main connections are Tokyo Haneda and Sapporo New Chitose, and depending on the season there are flights to Osaka Kansai and Tokyo Narita. Since the early 2000s a few international charter flights from South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong have also called.

Services

The terminal has restaurants and cafés serving Hokkaido food, souvenir shops with local products and an observation deck on the third floor. Carry some cash in yen.

Tips

The airport is half an hour or more from the centre, so allow for that on the way in and out. In summer, sea fog is common on this coast and can cause delays; in winter, snow can do the same, so leave some slack if you have a same-day connection. Winter is also crane season, one of the area’s great attractions.