Qualla: Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands: Introduction

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Peter Fitzgerald, Public domain. Flight delays of three to four days are not uncommon. Return tickets do not exist — you put your name on a queue and hope. The ferry schedule depends on the weather, the freight load, and, reportedly, the mood of the captain. Traveling to the Kuril Islands is, by any measure, notoriously difficult. The Wikivoyage article says so in bold. But for the traveler willing to navigate Russian border permits, fog-grounded planes, and a bureaucratic maze that spans at least three offices in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the reward is one of the most remote and unspoiled island chains on Earth.

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Image: Peter Fitzgerald | Public domain

Kuril Islands: The Logistics of Remoteness

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit 敷香 at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Kurils are part of Russia's border zone, which means restricted access for foreigners and locals alike. Getting a permit requires an invitation letter from a tour company, a visit to the Federal Security Service office, a stop at another office on a different street, and a fi...

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Image: 敷香 at Japanese Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Kuril Islands: Ainu Homeland, Russian Territory

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NormanEinstein, CC BY-SA 3.0. The original inhabitants were the Ainu people, who also lived on Hokkaido and Sakhalin. In 1855, the Russian Empire and Japan established diplomatic relations and divided the islands between them. An 1875 treaty placed the entire chain under Japanese control. At the end of World ...

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Image: NormanEinstein | CC BY-SA 3.0

Kuril Islands: Where the Volcanoes Meet the Sea

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Vera.vvo, CC BY-SA 4.0. The chain stretches from just north of Hokkaido to just south of Kamchatka, and every island is volcanic. Kunashir, the most populated, is centered on Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Iturup, the largest, holds the administrative capital of Kurilsk. Atlasov Island at the northern end is an almost...

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Image: Vera.vvo | CC BY-SA 4.0

Kuril Islands: Life on the Ferry

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gisuke Sasamori（1845 - 1915）, Public domain. The Igor Fakhritdinov offers four-bed cabins with shared bathrooms and a couple of private two-bed cabins. Riding without a cabin is not allowed. The boat has a decent restaurant and a pricey bar, both frequented by locals returning from mainland vacations and fishermen heading t...

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Image: Gisuke Sasamori（1845 - 1915） | Public domain

Kuril Islands: The Catch of the Day

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ляховец Сергей, CC BY-SA 4.0. If the Kuril Islands justify their inaccessibility with anything, it is the seafood. The fishing in these waters is considered among the finest in the world. Sea urchin, salmon, crab, and other catches that command astronomical prices in Tokyo restaurants can be eaten here for al...

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Image: Ляховец Сергей | CC BY-SA 4.0