Going to Sakhalin Island is require a patience, a love of exploration and a good command of Russian… or lots of money. You can fly to the territory capital, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk,(During under Japanese rule from 1905 to 1946 it known as Toyohara), from mainland Russia through Moscow and Vladivostok or from Japan through from Sapporo and Tokyo, though I arrived and left by ferry from Wakkanai port. I arrived on the twice-daily ferry runs from Vanino, the terminus of the Baikal-Amur Mainline railway in Russia, to Kholmsk. Tickets (under $100) can supposedly be reserved by phone (7 421 37 57708), though that only marginally shortens the 11-hour-long line at the station. I left on the infinitely more comfortable ferry from Korsakov to Wakkanai, Japan. Tickets can be reserved from $170 at Sakhalin Fantastic (7 4242 420917, 7 4242 744163in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Ulitsa Lenina 154).
Locals travel around Sakhalin by hitchhiking, but others may want to use the buses or trains, though neither have much coverage outside the several major cities. There are hotels in the larger cities. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, it pays to have reservations as the hotels are numerous but frequently book out. If you travel to Nogliki, do not stay downtown. Use the infinitely cheaper hotel by the train station. The city’s most famous and authentic Japanese restaurant (179 Lenin St) is run by Yutaka Miyanishi, a man in his 70s, who came to Russia in the early 1990s. There are delicious (and economical) bento lunch boxes available as well as a good collection of sushi and sashmis. Furusato, which means homeland in Japanese, also has Asian seating arrangements. (A lunch for two without alcohol would cost around 3000 roubles)
The city’s central park is one of the largest in the Russian Far East and leads straight into the taiga. There’s a small amusement park and a zoo within its premises as well as a toy train. You can also take a long stroll on some of the wooded paths. If the hike to Chekov’s Peak took away all your energy, sit back by the lake and take in the peace of a summer evening. There are also many stalls where you can get shaslik or Russian kebabs. Residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are very proud of the city’s Chekhov centre (Kommunistichesky Av), a premier venue for plays and concerts. There is a very active theatre scene in the city and it’s worth catching some of the island’s most talented performers on stage. Gorny Vozudkh (mountain air in Russian) is one of the premier ski resorts in the Russian Far East and is very popular with skiers and snowboarders across the region in the winters. It’s also a nice place to get a panoramic view of the city all year round. Take the cable car up to the top to get a great view of the city that lies on a valley.
A dominant feature in the Russian Far East is the island of Sakhalin. Once assumed to be a peninsula attached to the main land until someone managed to sail around it, today Sakhalin is the centre of a blooming oil and gas industry. Historically, as with the Kurils, Sakhalin has been claimed and fought over by both the Russians and the Japanese. During the Cold War the strategic location north of Japan and not that far from US territory in the form of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands meant Sakhalin was used by the Soviet Military to assert their authority in the region. Probably the most tragic example of this was the 1983 shoot down of Korean Airlines Flight 007 which strayed into Soviet Airspace and was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 Interceptor flying out of Sakhalin. The Soviets believed the Korean airliner was an American spy plane at the time of the shoot down.
As with many Russian towns, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk has a giant Lenin Statue in the centre of the city and elsewhere numerous monuments to the soldiers who fought and died in various conflicts of the Soviet era. And again in common with most of Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church represents the majority in Christianity. The Orthodox Churches use significant amounts of Iconography within the churches, much more so than Roman Catholic or more contemporary Protestant Churches. I was also lucky enough to catch a traditional Russian folk performance in the park, with Cossack-style dancing and sword wielding, bear fur hatted men in uniform strutting there stuff beside traditionally dressed Russian women. This was my first travel experience to Russia, and whilst there was no shortage of wealth on display in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, particularly with the oil and gas developments, there were certain images that were exactly what I expected from a remote Russian experience. Run down Lada cars, drab buildings, homage to Lenin, and similar powerful icons of Russia’s past history were never far from the eye.
The Russian-Japanese conflict in this area is intriguing. Sakhalin itself was at one point divided roughly in half with the northern half Soviet controlled and the southern half Japanese controlled. The city of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk was once the Japanese prefectural capital of Toyohara.At the end of WWII, after the Atom Bombs had been dropped, the Russians saw their chance to capitalise and took the southern half of Sakhalin and the nearby Kuril Islands. The southern most Kuril Islands sitting very close to Japan are still subject to controversy today. Whilst they are firmly under Russian control the Japanese still lay claim to them creating political tension to this very day. There are still remnants of the pre-1945 Japanese occupation of southern Sakhalin, the most notable being the building which today houses the local museum, still complete with the crest of the Japanese Royal Family on it’s doors.
So YOU want to visit Sakhalin?
1) There is a substantial airport at Yuzhno Sakhalin.
2) Regular flights from Moscow, Seoul, Vladivostok and else where land there.
3) Airlines servicing Sakhalin include Aeroflot, Vladivostok Avia and Asiana Airlines.
4) Ferries from northern Hokkaido to Korsakov port are available.
5) You will need to carefully check and comply with Russian Visa requirements for your nationality. Some aspects of the Soviet era die hard……
The view from up here was impressive, and gives you an
idea of just how small Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is.
idea of just how small Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is.
Locals travel around Sakhalin by hitchhiking, but others may want to use the buses or trains, though neither have much coverage outside the several major cities. There are hotels in the larger cities. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, it pays to have reservations as the hotels are numerous but frequently book out. If you travel to Nogliki, do not stay downtown. Use the infinitely cheaper hotel by the train station. The city’s most famous and authentic Japanese restaurant (179 Lenin St) is run by Yutaka Miyanishi, a man in his 70s, who came to Russia in the early 1990s. There are delicious (and economical) bento lunch boxes available as well as a good collection of sushi and sashmis. Furusato, which means homeland in Japanese, also has Asian seating arrangements. (A lunch for two without alcohol would cost around 3000 roubles)
The view from a hotel looks nice in the evening sun until you pan the lens back
and see what the view is really like!, This is typical of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
The city’s central park is one of the largest in the Russian Far East and leads straight into the taiga. There’s a small amusement park and a zoo within its premises as well as a toy train. You can also take a long stroll on some of the wooded paths. If the hike to Chekov’s Peak took away all your energy, sit back by the lake and take in the peace of a summer evening. There are also many stalls where you can get shaslik or Russian kebabs. Residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are very proud of the city’s Chekhov centre (Kommunistichesky Av), a premier venue for plays and concerts. There is a very active theatre scene in the city and it’s worth catching some of the island’s most talented performers on stage. Gorny Vozudkh (mountain air in Russian) is one of the premier ski resorts in the Russian Far East and is very popular with skiers and snowboarders across the region in the winters. It’s also a nice place to get a panoramic view of the city all year round. Take the cable car up to the top to get a great view of the city that lies on a valley.
Sillhouette of a piece of equipment left over from Soviet times,
when this was (so I’ve been told) a serious skiing facility.
Further up the road is an abandoned ski jump.
A dominant feature in the Russian Far East is the island of Sakhalin. Once assumed to be a peninsula attached to the main land until someone managed to sail around it, today Sakhalin is the centre of a blooming oil and gas industry. Historically, as with the Kurils, Sakhalin has been claimed and fought over by both the Russians and the Japanese. During the Cold War the strategic location north of Japan and not that far from US territory in the form of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands meant Sakhalin was used by the Soviet Military to assert their authority in the region. Probably the most tragic example of this was the 1983 shoot down of Korean Airlines Flight 007 which strayed into Soviet Airspace and was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 Interceptor flying out of Sakhalin. The Soviets believed the Korean airliner was an American spy plane at the time of the shoot down.
Derelict displays at the old military museum
A street mural paying homage to Lenin in Korsakov
Even today in these post-Soviet times and the growth associated with the oil and gas offshore, reminders of the Soviet time are everywhere, particularly in architecture. Large drab, grey concrete, apartment complexes are everywhere. Significant military infrastructure, most of it appearing run down, lines the main road between the port of Korsakov and the main town of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk. At one military compound beside the road tracked amphibious vehicles by the dozen appear to be rotting away. In the heart of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk a military museum and function area is decaying, bricks falling off the building, the once proud military vehicles on display are now covered in graffiti and surrounded by empty beer cans and vodka bottles.
Heroes Square, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk
The founder of Uniter Socialist of Soviet Republic(USSR),
Vladimir Illich Lenin Stute in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
As with many Russian towns, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk has a giant Lenin Statue in the centre of the city and elsewhere numerous monuments to the soldiers who fought and died in various conflicts of the Soviet era. And again in common with most of Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church represents the majority in Christianity. The Orthodox Churches use significant amounts of Iconography within the churches, much more so than Roman Catholic or more contemporary Protestant Churches. I was also lucky enough to catch a traditional Russian folk performance in the park, with Cossack-style dancing and sword wielding, bear fur hatted men in uniform strutting there stuff beside traditionally dressed Russian women. This was my first travel experience to Russia, and whilst there was no shortage of wealth on display in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, particularly with the oil and gas developments, there were certain images that were exactly what I expected from a remote Russian experience. Run down Lada cars, drab buildings, homage to Lenin, and similar powerful icons of Russia’s past history were never far from the eye.
The 1980's Russian car has slightly damaged
The old Japanese administration building is now a museum
The Russian-Japanese conflict in this area is intriguing. Sakhalin itself was at one point divided roughly in half with the northern half Soviet controlled and the southern half Japanese controlled. The city of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk was once the Japanese prefectural capital of Toyohara.At the end of WWII, after the Atom Bombs had been dropped, the Russians saw their chance to capitalise and took the southern half of Sakhalin and the nearby Kuril Islands. The southern most Kuril Islands sitting very close to Japan are still subject to controversy today. Whilst they are firmly under Russian control the Japanese still lay claim to them creating political tension to this very day. There are still remnants of the pre-1945 Japanese occupation of southern Sakhalin, the most notable being the building which today houses the local museum, still complete with the crest of the Japanese Royal Family on it’s doors.
La Perouse Strait, a sea border between Russia and Japan,
this sea route heading to Wakkanai, Japan
Japanese fishermen on the boat at the sea defecting to Japan.
So YOU want to visit Sakhalin?
1) There is a substantial airport at Yuzhno Sakhalin.
2) Regular flights from Moscow, Seoul, Vladivostok and else where land there.
3) Airlines servicing Sakhalin include Aeroflot, Vladivostok Avia and Asiana Airlines.
4) Ferries from northern Hokkaido to Korsakov port are available.
5) You will need to carefully check and comply with Russian Visa requirements for your nationality. Some aspects of the Soviet era die hard……
No comments:
Post a Comment