Whales in the Japanese Landscape: A Test of Character, Past and Present
2022-06-16
Practiced in Japan as far back as 4000 BC, and humans are still chasing whales 6,000 years later, largely for a spiritual reward not measured by economics.
Whales in the Japanese Landscape: The Power of the Warrior Spirit
2022-05-25
The whaling economy was preceded by a battle to overcome a giant creature which, more than profits and losses, required a spiritual vitality.
In Chiba Prefecture’s Minamiboso, Fighting to Save Coastal Whaling Traditions
2022-02-17
There was a time when whale meat was so common in Japan that we almost expected it to be a part of every meal. But this changed from the late 1980s, when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed a moratorium on commercial whaling. Since then the overall whale market hasContinue Reading
Whale Research Drone ‘Asuka’ Debuts at Japan Drone Exhibition
2021-12-14
The use of the Asuka drone allows researchers to identify whales even in the midst of ice floes, where research vessels are unable to go.
Audience Choice: New Accolades for Bon Ishikawa’s Indigenous Whaling Film ‘Lamafa’
2021-11-30
Lamafa, an independent documentary about traditional life in a distant Indonesian whaling village, has continued to impress modern audiences around the globe, and was selected by viewers as the best film at the Guam International Film Festival (GIFF). The festival announced Monday, November 29, that the documentary, produced, written, andContinue Reading
‘Lamafa’ Documentary Wins International Film Award, ‘More than a Whaling Movie’
2021-11-05
Warming waters and the whims of the Kuroshio Current bring new fish and whales to the fishermen at the heart of Japan’s centuries-old whaling culture, and sometimes they turn out to be quite popular.
New Whale Meat on Plates in Taiji as Fishermen Adjust to Whimsical Kuroshio Current
2021-10-29
Warming waters and the whims of the Kuroshio Current bring new fish and whales to the fishermen at the heart of Japan’s centuries-old whaling culture, and sometimes they turn out to be quite popular.
Oshika Whale Land: Tribute to Whales and Whaling, Rebuilt after the Tsunami
2020-11-06
Tomiji Saito is the Representative Director of the Ayukawa Town Planning Association, which operates Whale Town Oshika. He was born in Ayukawahama, where he still lives and works today. In July 2020, two momentous events converged to highlight the whaling history of the tiny coastal community of Ayukawa that sitsContinue Reading
Kamogawa Sea World at 50: Building on the past, a new commitment to animal welfare
2020-10-06
Hiroshi Katsumata was born in 1962 in Kamogawa City in Chiba Prefecture. He began working at Kamogawa Sea World in 1987, and became Director of Zoological Operations in 2016. He is a former rugby player. Kamogawa Sea World is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The venue located in Kamogawa inContinue Reading
Storms and Protests During the First Month of Taiji’s Dolphin Hunts, Minus the Foreigners
2020-09-30
Jay Alabaster is a Ph.D. student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Arizona State University. He currently lives in Taiji, Japan, where he is working on a book and his dissertation. You can find him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alabasterjay. His email is jay.alabaster(at)asu.edu. It’s September again! Perched onContinue Reading