Photo credit: Lee Gen Hee
The results of the first trip of Japanese tourists to the southern islands of the Kuril ridge have been summed up, RIA Novosti reports. The tourists visited Kunashir, where they spent two days. Guests from Japan got acquainted with the natural beauties of the island, visited the old Japanese cemetery, examined the Orthodox church. They paid a visit to the museum of local lore.
From Kunashir the tourist group moved to Iturup. It was planned that travelers would stay there for two more days, but weather conditions hindered the plans. Because of the storm, the program had to be limited to an excursion around the city of Kurilsk.
The Ethopirika ship was urgently sent to pick up the Japanese. On November 2, it headed for the port of Nemuro on the island of Hokkaido.
Russkiy Mir reported that the trip became a
pilot project. According to Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, it was planned to establish a full-fledged permanent tourist route on its basis.
The Foreign Minister expressed hope that the trip would help find a solution to the problem of the northern territories, as the southern islands of the Kuril ridge were called in Tokyo. The minister also hopes that consultations with the Russian authorities on joint economic activities on the islands will advance after the trip.
Russkiy Mir
