Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Understand

History The city was founded in 1882 under the name of Vladimirovka and originally populated by liberated convicts, but was transferred to Japanese control after the end of the Russo-Japanese war. The Japanese renamed the city as Toyohara, and made it the capital of the Japanese prefecture Karafuto occupying the southern half of the island. After the end of World War II, Soviet troops occupied Karafuto, and the city was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk when control of the city was transferred back to Russia. Little remains of the Japanese administration apart from a very limited number of Japanese buildings, including the impressive old government building now used as a regional museum. The main heritage of the Japanese ownership of the city is a sizable number of Sakhalin-Koreans, deported here by the Japanese in the 1930s, and denied repatriation until the mid-1980s; many have decided to stay on Sakhalin, and around 20,000 reside in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. In the 21st century, the oil industry has brought in many expats from Europe and America. Due to this there are occasional English-language signs in the city, several upscale hotels, and an expat district.

Climate

The climate is defined as humid continental. Summer and winter temperatures are less extreme than in Siberia or elsewhere in the Russian Far East, instead it rains more. Fog is common during the summer.

Geography The city is located 25 km north of Aniva Bay and the same distance west of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, in the Susuya River valley and flanked by mountains to the west and east. Due to the risk of earthquakes, buildings are generally low-rise. The main industries – oil, coal and forestry – are located outside the city itself. Ul Leninareet (Ulitsa Lenina), the main street, runs parallel to the railway from north to south, and downtown forms a rectangle around it. The Susuya River flows west of the city.

Getting there

Sakhalin is a fairly remote island, so if you're coming from elsewhere in Russia, plane is by far the most hassle-free way for getting in.

By plane

1 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport Khomutovo (UUS IATA) (situated 8 km south of downtown and can be accessed by public buses 3 and 63 or by taxi.), ☏ +7 4242 788390, +7 4242 788055. Flights from major Russian cities and from several East Asian cities. As of 2017, Aurora (a subsidiary of the national carrier Aeroflot) has by far the largest presence on this airport. Despite its moderate size, the airport has a luggage room, a cafe and a food store. The airport closes during the night however police can let you stay overnight inside the terminal building if you have boarding card. The airport is subject to long closures under bad weather conditions. Russia: Aeroflot, Rossiya and Aurora operate flights from Moscow (9 hours) and S7 from Novosibirsk. From Eastern Russia, there are a lot more flights. Vladivostok is served by Aurora and S7, and Khabarovsk by Aurora and seasonally Yakutia Airlines. Krasavia and Aurora fly in from Blagoveshchensk and Aurora moreover serves Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Bogorodskoye, Iturup, Okha and Yuzhno-Kurilsk South Korea: Asiana and Aurora operate flights from Seoul-Incheon. Japan: Aurora flies from Sapporo and has seasonal flights from Osaka. Yakutia Airlines has seasonal flights from Tokyo. China: Aurora services Harbin airport.

By train 2 railway station, Lenina Sq (is in the city center), ☏ +7 424 712134. The station is open 5:30AM—11PM; there is a luggage room (7:30AM—8:40PM). For towns close to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, it's often an easier and more convenient choice to jump on a bus, while the train is the main mode of transportation to destinations on the northern part of the island. It's a good idea to confirm these times as train schedules change fairly frequently. Check the website of the Passenger Company "Sakhalin" for train schedules.

Korsakov: Trains depart daily at 5:30AM, 1:45PM a

Getting around

Intracity transportation is provided by a network of a few public buses, running along the main avenues, and large number of minibuses running on set routes, but with no particular schedules. A single bus ticket costs 20 руб as of 2017.

See

The drab rows of Soviet-style concrete buildings that make up much of the island's capital are really not that interesting for travellers, especially not the ones who have been adventurous enough to come here in the first place. On the other hand, there should be enough to entertain you for a day while you get your bearings and organize things to venture out into Sakhalin's great outdoors — and you really owe it to yourself to get out there if you have come this far. If you're short on time and only here to catch a ferry, skip these sights and hike up Chekov Peak — the trail head is a muddy dirt road just behind the Santa resort, the whole hike takes around 6 hours if you're in reasonable shape.

Japanese heritage If you are interested in the Japanese heritage, consider the regional and art museums, the House of The Garrison Court (1908; Nevel'skogo St 44), and the small bridge on Sakhalinskaya St. Other Japanese buildings were destroyed before the 1970s.

1 Building at Sakhalin Street 44 (Сахалинская улица, 44). Now empty, this building from the Japanese (Toyahara) era has surprisingly survived intact. (updated Feb 2017) 2 Former Toyohara City Hall (Мэрия города Тойохара), Kommunisticheskiy pr 41. Built in the 1920s, now used as an office building. Next to the building there is a memorial to the Japanese crown prince Hirohito's visit to the city in 1925. (updated Feb 2017) 3 Headquarters of Karafuto Guard Units (Резиденция командующего охранными войсками губернаторства Карафуто/Гарнизонный военный суд), Nevelskovo ul 44a. The oldest standing building in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, built in 1908 as the residence of the commander of the Japanese forces. The house later hosted a museum of the Japanese period, but has again become a military building. It can be seen from the Dzerzhinsky or Sakhalin street. (updated Feb 2017) 4 Karafuto Conference Centre (Конференц-зал губернаторства Карафуто), Ul Dzerzhinskovo 30. Built by the Japanese in the 1930s in the style of post-constr

Do

Theatres 1 Chekhov International Theatre Center (Сахалинский театральный центр Чехова), Kommunistichesky pr 35, ☏ +7 4242 42-5262. Really not that much "international" about it, this theatre is in a rather unusual (for a frontier region) building covered by mosaics in the socialist realism style (1964). The theatre's roots are in the 1930s. It sometimes has musicals and concerts on the repertoire, if sitting through 2 hours of Russian is not your thing. (updated Feb 2020) 2 Sakhalin Regional Puppet Theatre (Сахалинский театр кукол), Ul Karla Marksa 24, ☏ +7 4242 42-3498, [email protected]. While mostly geared towards children, some of their shows are quite extraordinary, so it might be an option for a rainy day, even if you don't have children. They are quite renowned within Russia and occasionally travel overseas. (updated Feb 2020)

Sport

3 Kr