The spanking new ferry terminal, directly east of the train station, hosts frequent (in summer) connections to the National Park islands of Rebun and Rishiri; there are also a few shops and restaurants and a tourist information desk in the building. Right across from this terminal is the International Ferry terminal with biweekly departures for Korsakov, on Sakhalin Island. Journey time is 5.5 hours, and one way tickets start at �24,000. Note that a Russian visa is required to buy tickets bound for Russia. Also be aware that you MUST arrive at least two days prior to departure so that you may purchase a ticket. You will NOT be allowed to purchase a ticket the same day as ferry departure. To purchase a seat on the ferry to Russia follow these instructions:
1. Go to the domestic terminal, across the street from the international terminal.
2. Walk up to the front desk and ask for an English speaker. In summer 2010, a male supervisor was able to speak broken English.
3. Just tell the customer service rep that you'd like to purchase a ticket for the ferry to Russia; also give them your passport. They will have you fill out a paper which is the request for a ticket to Russia. This will be sent over to their offices on Yuzhno and you'll then be able to arrive two days later to pick up your ticket. (Note: This may be able to be done over phone or e-mail. At my time of visit, I was unable to get in contact with them via land-line.)
May be confusing at times but will be worth the hassle.
Alternatively, you can have a Japanese speaker call and ask for availability. You will then fill out and fax an application form to 011-233-2783 or 0162-23-6730. They will then fax back a confirmation form, which is in Japanese and English.
All ferries out of Wakkanai are operated by the Heartland Ferry Company .
Thanks to the influx of Russian autodealers and fishermen, many signs include Russian writing
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Wakkanai
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Wakkanai - updated May 2024
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Wakkanai Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
