Russia to Japan via Sakhalin
From Halal Explorer
Russia to Japan via Sakhalin covers the journey from the Russian Far East through Sakhalin Island to Japan.
Contents
Russia to Japan via Sakhalin Halal Travel Guide
This itinerary descibes one of three feasible options for continuing a Trans-Siberian Railway journey to Japan, via the island of Sakhalin in Russia's Russian Far East|far east. The other two feasible routes are by ferry from Vladivostok (the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway) to Takaoka on Honshu's central coast, or from Tianjin (the terminus of the Trans-Mongolian Railway near Beijing) to Kobe, near Japan's 2nd city, Osaka. This itinerary is interesting as it ends in Wakkanai, Japan's northernmost city, and therefore allows travelers the opportunity of continuing through Japan from north to south in a straight line and to get well off the beaten path in both countries.
Prepare
- Please refer to the Trans-Siberian Railway
Travel Guide for general information about this great railway journey.
Bring a phrasebook. As this journey takes you far off the beaten path, don't expect anyone to speak English. Bringing a Russian phrasebook is not only recommended to help the traveler socialize with fellow cabin mates during the trip, and thus enriching the experience of this trip immensely - but also perhaps more importantly, it's invaluable help should you encounter any emergencies. Once you have finished the journey, you may also find a Japanese phrasebook useful as you venture out from the port.
Have your papers in order. Sakhalin is designated a special border region, and as such and the movement of foreigners is limited. Because of this, travelers should pay special attention to the Russian registration rules if he or she plans on entering Sakhalin, and have all the paperwork (registration stamps and train tickets) ready on disembarkation in Kholmsk. It is also advisable to have the name, address and telephone number for the intended accommodation on Sakhalin Island written in Russian, for the Sakhalin customs officials.
Certain nationalities require a visa to enter Japan, while citizens from most Western nations can obtain landing permission on arrival. There are Japanese consulates in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk. Also note that you are required to provide information on your first night's accommodation on the disembarkation card, as well as to purchase ferry tickets for the Korsakov -Wakkanai ferry.
Pack warm clothes. Even in summer, Sakhalin can be quite chilly, so be sure to bring a jacket and long pants.
Check dates of operation. The Sakhalin–Wakkanai ferry is a summer only service, but the exact service window varies from year to year: from the beginning of June to mid-September is certain, but in some previous years it has run from May to October. Some alternate transportation options, particularly the Khabarovsk–Komsomolsk hydrofoil ferry up the Amur River, are also seasonal.
Travel to Russia to Japan via Sakhalin
Russia-to-japan-via-sakhalin.gif|Route of the itinerary
There are two feasible options of reaching Sakhalin over land and the easiest of which is branching off the main Trans-Siberian Railway|Trans-Siberian line in Khabarovsk and the last major station before the terminus in Vladivostok. More adventurous travelers can travel by the more exotic but poorly served Baikal-Amur Mainline to Komsomolsk and enter the route from there. It is of course also feasible to reach Sakhalin and Khabarovsk by air, although some would argue that it kind of defeats the purpose of the journey,
What to See
There really isn't any particular point of interest along the route - that is not to say that there is nothing to see, and the guides for the cities along the route are full of listings for attractions you can check out while there. However, since heading off to Sakhalin in the first place takes a fair bit of planning and effort, you really owe it to yourself to at least seriously consider spending the extra time, effort and above all money it takes to venture off the direct path from A to B, and out into the islands spectacular outdoors. Furthermore Komsomolsk-on-Amur, has equally spectacular landscape right at it's doorsteps, and is a good place to organize excursions into the renowned nature reserves of Khabarovsk Krai.
You will however, have to be more than your average seasoned traveler, and have some command of the Russian language to get anything organized on your own accord, and most will have to enlist the aid of local or a tour agent to see more than the sneak peeks you can catch from the window of your preferred mode of transport. Below are some suggestions for destinations that relatively easy can be visited from stops along the route;
- Sikachi-Alyan —
- Komsomolsk-on-Amur#Komsomolsk_Nature_Reserve|Komsomolsky Nature Reserve —
- Sakhalin#Moneron|Moneron —
- Sakhalin#Lake Tunaycha|Lake Tunaycha —
- Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park —
Go
1st leg: Khabarovsk to Komsomolsk
There are several options to consider on this leg of the journey. The easiest, no doubt, is by train, but a more interesting way, is to take the daily hydrofoil services connecting the two cities, up the Amur river.
Train (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | Departure | local | Arrival | local | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
008/667 | 14:10 | 21:10 | 00:10 | 07:10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
351/943 | 01:26 | 08:26 | 11:47 | 18:47
If you do not want to attract the wrong kind of attention, be considerate when you board the train, as the passengers who boarded in Vladivostok will mostly be asleep. The train ride is quite scenic, with occasional views over the Amur river. Note that there are no longer stops on this leg where you could stock up supplies from the usual station sellers, but the train does have a decent restaurant vehicle with a small shop, in case you forget to bring food and fruit drinks. In Komsomolsk there is a 1 hour layover. The station has many shops selling fresh foods and other supplies.
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