Hokkaido Airport, East Hokkaido DMO, and other organizations will conduct a demonstration service of a regular sightseeing bus during the drift ice tourist season with the support of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Transportation and Tourism Coordination Project”. The purpose of this project is to disperse the concentration of overnight stays in Abashiri during the drift ice season, to improve the convenience of secondary transportation at Memanbetsu Airport, and to attract more visitors to the Abashiri and Kitami areas.
The Abashiri Bus and Hokkaido Kitami Bus tours will run from January 26 to February 25, and the Akan Bus tours from February 1 to March 10. During this period, tours will operate daily.
Abashiri Bus and Hokkaido Kitami Bus tours offer “Kitami → Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami No. 8” and “Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami → Abashiri No. 9” to and from Kitami and Abashiri, respectively. Fares vary depending on the boarding and alighting stations, but “Kitami → Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami No. 8” starts at 3,187 yen and “Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami → Abashiri No. 9” starts at 1,687 yen.
The “Kitami → Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami No. 8” includes a ride on the Orora at the Orora Terminal, the Abashiri Prison Museum, and spectacular views of Tentozan and Cape Nodori. The “Abashiri → Bihoro → Kitami → Abashiri 9” includes a visit to the Bihoro Pass Roadside Station and Memanbetsu Airport, as well as the Aquarium of the Northern Lands and the North Fox Farm.
The Akan Bus tours include the Kushiro→Akan→Bihoro→Abashiri→Utoro No. 4, which departs from Kushiro and arrives in Utoro, and the Utoro→Notsuke→Akan→Kushiro No. 5, which departs from Utoro and arrives in Kushiro. The fares vary depending on the station, but “Kushiro → Akan → Bihoro → Abashiri → Utoro No. 4” starts at 1,687 yen and “Utoro → Notsuke → Akan → Kushiro No. 5″ starts at 1,687 yen.
Kushiro → Akan → Bihoro → Abashiri → Utoro No. 4” has Lake Akan Onsen and Mashu Onsen Roadside Station as its transfer stations, and sightseeing at Lake Mashu First Lookout and Bihoro Pass is one of its main attractions. The Utoro→Notsuke→Akan→Kushiro Route 5 offers sightseeing at the Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center, as well as easy access to the Nakashibetsu Bus Terminal and Nakashibetsu/Kushiro Airport.
© Source travel watch