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Since I first became aware of the existence of the large island, Sakhalin, in the Russian Far East that used to belong to Japan, and the fact that a ferry operated between the two countries at that remote point, I have wanted to travel on that specific ferry route.

A couple of years ago I visited Wakkanai in the off season and saw the dormant ferry. This year I am ready for my next trip soon and discovered cheap flights from Australia to Sapporo, which has rekindled this travel dream.

But a Japanese friend who lives in Sapporo and has been to Sakhalin (but by plane) informs me that the ferry stopped last year (2015).

I've since tried to follow this up and have found reports that an alternative ferry may operate this summer (2016).

But with such remote and little travelled destinations, you can't always rely on such reports. So I'm looking for either official or first-hand confirmation.

hippietrail
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2 Answers2

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Actually, just found the news dated July 4, 2016 (Russian).

The article states that SASCO had signed an agreement to resume the Ferry service from Sakhalin to Hokkaido using "Пингвин-33" as a ship.

Original Source on ria news (Russian)

Karlson
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May 31 2018 I got a e-mail message from Wakkanai municipality that during the summer of 2018 the ferry connection between Korsakov (Sakhalin, Russia) and Wakkanai (Hokkaido, Japan) will NOT operate.

Andoni MICHELENA
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