Sakhalin: Eurasia's Unique Cross Road

"I have seen Ceylon, which is paradise, and Sakhalin, which is hell."

                                                                           --Anton P. Chekhov

During his trip to Sakhalin Island, Chekhov first time saw the other side of Russia that nobody ever talked about: wild, oppressive, and gloomy. It was a place where criminals were exiled and left to die. He saw no future for this place, and certainly not a bright future for the Russian Empire if it wasn't willing to change.

Even in the modern age, there are places capable of reminding people the Sakhalin Chekhov saw

Chekhov visited Sakhalin Island near the end of the 19th century - a period marked by European domination in global affairs.When 20th century quietly arrived, everything changed, including the fate of Sakhalin. Following Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese war, the southern half of the island was ceded to Japan. Known as the prefecture of Karafuto (樺太), Southern Sakhalin remained under Japanese control until 1945, when Japan was forced to surrender all its territories north of Hokkaido in the Sea of Okhotsk to the U.S.S.R following the conclusion of World War Two.

The town of Korsakov, also known as Ōtomari (大泊), was Karafuto's first capital city. The building on the left is the former site of Bank of Hokkaido

A Japanese era statue in Yuzhno- Sakhalinsk

Despite the fact that Southern Sakhalin was under Japanese control for nearly 40 years, today there are very few physical evidences left standing that tell the glory days of Karafuto. The Sakhalin Regional Museum building is probably the most well-known Japanese construction in the city of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, the capital city of Sakhalin Oblast and also served as the capital city of Karafuto under the name Toyohara (豊原市). The building was constructed by the Japanese government to house the Karafuto Governate's Museum. Today, the museum remains the only building in Sakhalin that still plays the same function as it did during the Japanese era. Many artifacts related to that period, including the border stone between the Russian Empire and the Japanese Empire, can be found inside the museum.

The map of Toyohara, which is identical to the layout of today's Yuzhno- Sakhalinsk. [credit: Wikipedia]

Modern day Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The building of Sakhalin Regional Museum

World War Two era cannons on display inside the Sakhalin Regional Museum

Nonetheless, Sakhalin Island is full of second hand cars from Japan. Sometimes it gets people confused on where exactly they are in the world: Russia or Japan!?

Another legacy of Japanese imperialism can be found on the island's demographics and local cuisine. The Japanese empire forcefully relocated thousands of ethnic Koreans to Sakhalin and put them in hard labors such as mining. When the Japan ceded Sakhalin back to Russia (then U.S.S.R), these Koreans, known as the Sakhalin Koreans, were left behind and eventually became Soviet citizens (Soviet gymnastic gold medalist Nellie Kim, born in Kyrgyzstan, is of Sakhalin Korean descent). Today, roughly 12% of Yuzhno- Sakhalinsk's population is ethnic Korean. People can find authentic Korean food almost at every corner of the city. 

Inside Gagarin Park, the largest urban park in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk. It is the former site of Karafuto's main Shinto Shrine

Ethinic Korean girls in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

Bimbimbap meal in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

Still, Sakhalin feels almost 100% Russian (or Soviet). Khrushchyovkas can be seen from big cities to small towns, and Russian is the everyday language people use to communicate on a daily basis. The old Shinto shrine was torn down, but the statue of Lenin stands still even after all these years since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. In the city center of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, there is a performing arts center dedicated to the name of Anton Chekhov, possibly the most famous resident of Sakhalin, although he never really liked there.

City center of Korsakov

Korsakov

Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

A mermaid statue inside Yuzhno Sakhalinsk's Gagarin Park

However the complicated history of Sakhalin went even beyond the Russo-Japanese feud in the Sea of Okhotsk. The name "Sakhalin" itself is from the Manchurian language meaning "the black dragon" - derived from the "black dragon river" right across the Strait of Tartar: The Amur River. Prior to the 1870s, the island was claimed by the Qing Empire....... Long before the Manchus conquered China, it was mostly inhabited by indigenous people of Northeastern Asia........

A village in Sakhalin by the Sea of Okhotsk

The Sea of Okhotsk

The Sea of Okhotsk

Sakhalin in many ways reminded me of Vancouver Island, so to me it's definitely not a hell like what Chekhov described. The Island is still a very wild place, with very poorly developed infrastructure. This neither makes Sakhalin a "heaven" for tourists. I‘ve spoken to the warm and always eager - to - help residents over there - they were very proud of who they are and where they live. If you want to know what Sakhalin is like, whether it's "heaven" or "hell", you need experience it yourself.