Toyokoro Gliderport

The gliderport was officially closed following a request for abolition submitted by its operator to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The underlying reason was the cessation of activities by the local gliding club that managed the site, likely due to a combination of economic factors, declining membership, and the operational challenges of maintaining a private recreational airfield.

The site of the former gliderport has reverted to a natural state as part of the Tokachi River flood plain. Satellite imagery shows the area as an open, grassy field, with the faint outline of the former runway still visible. There are no remaining hangars, buildings, or any aviation infrastructure on the site. The land is managed as public riverbed territory and is used for flood control and informal, low-impact recreation, but it is not maintained as an airfield.

Toyokoro Gliderport was a recreational airfield located on the vast riverbed (kasenshiki) of the Tokachi River. Its primary function was to serve as a base for sport gliding and soaring for enthusiasts in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido. Operations were centered around a local gliding club (such as the Obihiro Glider Club) and consisted of launching sailplanes via winch or aero-tow. The airfield featured a single, unpaved grass/gravel runway approximately 800 meters long. It held no commercial or military significance and was purely for private, recreational aviation, contributing to the local sport flying community.

There are no known official plans, proposals, or prospects for reopening the Toyokoro Gliderport. Re-establishing the airfield would require a new, well-funded organization to lease the land from the river authority and rebuild the necessary infrastructure, which is considered highly unlikely in the current environment for general aviation.