Sakhalin as Seen From a Japanese Tourist in 42 Points

Sakhalin is a large and sparsely populated island in the North Pacific, lying directly North of Japan and East of Russia. While it currently belongs to the latter, the island was the source of a bitter territorial dispute between the two countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Getting into Sakhalin as a tourist can be rather difficult due to the restrictions set by the Russian government, which is why, despite the island’s proximity to Japan, Japanese and other foreign tourists are few and far between. While you can find tours of historical remains from Japanese occupation and landmarks visited by famous Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, you’ll need quite a bit of cash and patience to get there in the first place.

One of our Japanese correspondents recently returned from a trip to Sakhalin and shares with us his rather random thoughts on the Russian island in convenient numbered list form.

1. No one speaks English (or perhaps no one can understand Japanglish…)
2. Prices are surprisingly high (probably as high as Japan)
3. Even at the most run-down apartment complexes have tight security
4. The crime rate isn’t that bad, but females should try not to walk the streets at night
5. Draft beer at restaurants comes in gigantic glasses
6. The sushi at the “Japanese restaurant” in my hotel was horrible and was probably made by a Russian part-time worker
7. The kombu (edible kelp) is delicious. Even better than Hokkaido, where most Japanese kombu is cultivated.
8. There are no Japanese people around
9. Russian smokers are everywhere. Many of them throw their cigarette butts on the ground.
10. There are lots of beautiful women (a common remark by Japanese tourists)
11. Cars are so dirty that I wondered if perhaps Russia doesn’t have a culture of washing cars. Opening a car wash in Sakhalin may be a profitable venture.
12. Police smoke in their police cars
13. No Japanese names for geographic locations remain
14. The bus costs about 15 yen (20 cents) to ride
15. When getting off the bus, you just hand money directly to the driver
16. Not many landmarks remain from the Japanese occupation
17. You can bring your car over by ferry from Hokkaido (about 28,000 – 34,000 yen each way)
18. Cars frequently make sudden stops
19. Sakhalin-born Japanese tourists visit frequently
20. Many people drive Toyota
21. You can’t drink the tap water
22. Nobody wants to speak English
23. Clouds of dust and sand in downtown areas are horrible
24. Other Japanese tourists who visit Sakhalin comment: “I could never live in Sakhalin. It’s not a good environment.”
25. There’s a plane that takes you to the disputed Kuril Islands, but you need to make a reservation in advance
26. There are Japanese shinto shrines still on the island, but they’re completely trashed
27. Amusment parks are so…Soviet.
28. There’s a chronic lack of fast food restaurants
29. Apartment complexes look unchanged from the Soviet Era
30. Many of the cars on the street are used cars from Japan
31. Sakhalin loves statues
32. The capital city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is littered with small concession stands
33. They sell donabe in Sakhalin
34. Many Russians walk their dogs without using a leash
35. You can buy fake Paul Smith polo shirts
36. Japanese trains are on display but unused
37. You can always count on soup to taste great
38. The bus from the port to customs is definitely Japanese
39. Russians love Japanese kanji tattoos
40. There are two old Hokkaido Takushoku Banks on the island
41. Water drainage on the streets is horrible
42. Police men show butt crack on duty