The best souvenirs from all regions of the Russian Far East is authentic handicrafts of wood, birch, semi-precious stones and fur, skin and bones of reindeer and marine animals made by representatives of local aboriginal peoples but articles manufactured at local undertakings are also good). Your guide will suggest you the best places where you can purchase original, natural and qualitative local souvenirs.
The main gastronomic brand of the Russian Far East is smoked salmon fish and salmon caviar (so called the red caviar). The Kamchatka and the Magadan Regions are also well-known for crabs. These products are known very well in the world and it doesn’t need special recommendations. From our side we can recommend you only to purchase all food-stuff in factory package at large groceries and to abstain from purchasing of local delight at markets. We kindly recommend you also to check regulations of food products import to your country’s territory if you decide to purchase gastronomic souvenirs.
We want to pay your attention for practically unknown local medicinal herb — Vaccinium praestans growing at the Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands and also at the mountain-taiga parts of the Maritime and the Khabarovsk Territories. In Russia this bushes is called krasnika (red berry). Folk name of this herb the klopovka means bed-bug berry because of its specific smell but its medicinal properties are considerably more important. Juice of this herb helps in the treatment of colds, it improves digestion and has a toning properties. It is also used for hypertension as an effective means to reduce blood pressure. In the local shops you can buy juice of “klopovka” and balms infused with this herb. The best place for purchasing of local balms is chemist’s shop.
The Magadan Region (often called just the Kolyma in Russia) is known for its gold industry. That’s why articles of gold (especially of gold nuggets) are ones of the most popular local souvenirs side by side with decorations of bones (mammoth, walrus, moose), leather and beads; malachai (traditional for some Asian peoples large fur cap with a broad ears); lockets made of leather, fur and beads; handmade dolls in national clothes of Even people; leather balls beaded.
Visiting Magadan you have a chance to taste also traditional food of local native peoples: dried salted fish (especially grayling) and dried salted reindeer meat. This is not possible to find such delights in the original vacuum packaging because it is produced by local individual businessmen selling their products at the market but usually they have special vacuum packers and can pack products purchased by you.
The well-known symbols of Yakutia are diamonds, gold and… mammoths so jewerly , articles of mammoth tusks and also mammoth figurines made of different materials are the best souvenirs from Yakutia.
The next authentic local souvenir recommended is articles of charoite. It is rare mineral with very nice lilac colour found in Yakutia only and named for the Chara River. Unique local tradition is Yakut birch embroidery. Articles of reindeer fur, skin and bones of reindeer, the elements of Yakut and Even national clothes are also very good authentic local souvenirs.
Traditional folk art of Chukchi, Koryak and Eskimo peoples is walrus, fish and reindeer bone carving. The most popular souvenir is figurine of Peliken (local idol), traditional talisman.
Many people think that living in not too comfortable nature conditions Yakuts just can’t have interesting cuisine but this is not correct and we kindly recommend you to taste dishes of the Yakut cuisine at local restaurants and cafe. Yakuts haven’t vegetables and fruits at their menu but this is quite compensated with using of berries (for example, kyuerchekh — traditional Yakut dish of sour or whipped cream with berries and sugar). There are practically two main ingredients of their national dishes — boiled meat or fish and milk products (cheese, curds, sour milk and traditional for many Asian peoples kumis) but in spit of this Yakut cuisine is very various and similar for cuisine of Central Asian nomadic peoples (Kazakhs, Mongols) and also for Russian traditional cuisine. All offals are used maximum completely. Soup of the giblets (is miine), blood sausages (haan) are very popular in Yakutia.
It seems incredible but it is a fact that vising the Sakhalin Island you have a chance to taste original… Korean cuisine. The point is that in period of WW II (both the South Sakhalin and Korea were part of Japan in that period) considerable Korean workforce was deported to the South Sakhalin by Japanese authorities. That’s why there is numerous Korean population in the Sakhalin Island and Korean cuisine is very popular here.
Cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk are usually included into the Great Transsiberian Journey Moscow-Vladivostok. Very often after the end of Transsiberian tour clients book ferry or flight from Vladivostok to Japan or to South Korea and continue their trip in these countries. If you are not interesting in multi-day tour by trains you can use international and domestic flights and visit these cities for several days to acquaint with numerous local places of interest. In the Chukotka Peninsula, Magadan Region, Yakutia and the Sakhalin Island our company offer tours acquainting you with fantastic nature and rich history and culture of these places.
