By JR Train & Bus -- Because there's no train station at Akanko Onsen itself, transportation to the resort town is by train to Kushiro or Kitami and then by bus to Akanko. Kushiro is about 4 hours from Sapporo by JR train (�8,610 for an unreserved seat); Kitami is 4 1/2 hours away (�8,290 for an unreserved seat). From JR Kushiro Station, buses depart two to five times a day for Akanko; the 2-hour trip costs �2,650 one-way. From Kitami, buses depart twice a day (at last check at 9:30am and 3pm), and the 70-minute trip costs �1,800. You must make a reservation for this bus by calling tel. 0157/23-2181 in Kitami or tel. 0154/67-2205 in Akanko.
Two Sunrise buses a day depart Sounkyo Onsen for Akanko Onsen (at last check at 9:27am and 4:57pm), with the one-way fare costing �3,260 for the 3 1/2-hour trip. Reservations are required; call tel. 01658/5-3321 in Sounkyo, or 0154/67-2205 in Akan, or drop by the bus terminal in either town. All bus fares are half-price for children.
By Plane -- Because Akan National Park lies at the eastern extremity of Hokkaido, you may wish to fly at least one-way between here and Tokyo. The closest airport to Akanko Onsen is Kushiro Airport (KUH), with the flight from Tokyo taking about 1 1/2 hours and costing �39,000 for a regular one-way fare, though tickets purchased 28 days in advance can run as low as �13,900 on selected flights. From Kushiro Airport, buses travel to Akanko in about 1 hour and 20 minutes for �2,090
