There's been plenty of publications and media reports regarding the Japanese research whaling ships in action at the Southern Ocean. The public emotions run high at some video reports shown on TV (Warning: this video could be disturbing) and Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil being destroyed in the collision with the whaling ship at sea.
We can argue who is right and who is wrong all day but I want to try and find out what's been puzzling me for a long time.
I am Japanese and I don't remember eating whale meat. All Japanese are implied to eat whale, but in fact, I don't know of anyone who does.
So WHO IS EATING THE WHALE MEAT?
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Publications
In the Editorial of the New Zealand Herald dated Jan 18, 2010, the author wrote that the elderly Japanese were the main whale meat eaters and only few young people were bothered if the whaling was discontinued. According to the author, the elderlies were being nostalgic, holding on to past memories when whale meat was part of their culinary culture.
Japan's population pyramid as of October 1, 2004.
Jonathan Head of BBC wrote on Jun 19, 2005, that 'whale meat is only served in a few specialist restaurants, and occasionally appears on supermarket shelves. Younger people almost never eat it'.
And there is the Greenpeace fact sheet which highlights that 'the majority of people in Japan do not eat whale meat.'
Finally, there's the Editorial from Asahi Newspaper/English dated Mar 15, 2010, claiming that 'Japanese don't eat much whale in the first place, except for people in areas which have a regional culinary culture deeply linked to whales'. That must be places such as Taiji in Wakayama Pref. and Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Pref. which is the home port to Antarctic research whaling fleet.
Interestingly, Wakayama was featured in the article by Jonathan Head who explained that 'a few coastal communities, like Wakayama, have been hunting whales for centuries....' (BBC)
For reference, Japan is divided into Prefectures (regions). Yokohama city belongs to Kanagawa Pref., Kobe city belongs to Hyogo Pref. and Taiji town belongs to Wakayama Pref. (dark green on the map)
All in all, the publications note that the whale meat eaters are scarce. It's time to do some interviewing.
Japan's population pyramid as of October 1, 2004.
Jonathan Head of BBC wrote on Jun 19, 2005, that 'whale meat is only served in a few specialist restaurants, and occasionally appears on supermarket shelves. Younger people almost never eat it'.
And there is the Greenpeace fact sheet which highlights that 'the majority of people in Japan do not eat whale meat.'
Finally, there's the Editorial from Asahi Newspaper/English dated Mar 15, 2010, claiming that 'Japanese don't eat much whale in the first place, except for people in areas which have a regional culinary culture deeply linked to whales'. That must be places such as Taiji in Wakayama Pref. and Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Pref. which is the home port to Antarctic research whaling fleet.
Interestingly, Wakayama was featured in the article by Jonathan Head who explained that 'a few coastal communities, like Wakayama, have been hunting whales for centuries....' (BBC)
For reference, Japan is divided into Prefectures (regions). Yokohama city belongs to Kanagawa Pref., Kobe city belongs to Hyogo Pref. and Taiji town belongs to Wakayama Pref. (dark green on the map)All in all, the publications note that the whale meat eaters are scarce. It's time to do some interviewing.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Interviews and blogs
I asked four people in Japan whether they eat whale meat or not. The summaries are translated and their names and exact age are not given. They are followed by a couple of blogs and a newspaper column.
Female (early 70s) from Nagoya
I've always wondered who was eating the whale meat. I don't think they've been eaten at ordinary households for 50~60 years now. I remember seeing whale bacon at a fish market 40 years ago but not since the supermarkets emerged. We had school lunch but it was always just hard bread and powder milk, my age group didn't have much to eat. There were canned 'Yamato-ni' but my mother didn't get any. I heard that people of Taiji kill coastal whale for living so the locals may be eating some but I can only speculate that the rest are processed and mixed with other fish into paste.
Male (mid 60s) from Tokyo
I was born in Yamaguchi Pref. so the whale meat was part of my diet just as other fish were, until I moved to Tokyo. Since then, I've hardly had any. I've seen a very small quantity of meat sold in fish shops at times and I'm guessing they come via special route. I don't see the old 'Yamoto-ni' canned whale meat around but I hear that the famous 'Kujiraya' restaurant is doing well. I suppose the whale meat these days are consumed partly by those who used to eat it as a normal diet and the gourmet seekers.
Female (early 50s) from Tokyo
I think whale meat is hardly eaten at ordinary homes except at certain coastal towns. My work colleagues can order from menu at their favourite pub. One, in his late-30s, eat whale sashimi once a year. Another, in his early-40s from Okinawa, eat whale dish once every 3 visits. Another colleague in his mid-40s from Chiba, remembers when a whale beached at his hometown. The locals wanted some meat but was told it was illegal to help themselves. I was astonished to find anyone eating whale meat so close. Canned 'Yamato-ni' can be found at rare food shops and there are few whale restaurants in Tokyo so I suppose there is a demand.
Female (early 20s) from Hokkaido
I have never tried whale meat and I don't know of anyone around me who have tasted it. When I was a child, I didn't think they were edible. Having said all that, Hokkaido is a vast island and in coastal towns such as Kushiro, whales are caught for some reason and meat is consumed. That is what I saw on TV but as far as I know, it is extremely rare to eat whale meat and it isn't part of our diet.
Edward from blogsite JAPUNDIT wrote in 2006 that he hadn't been able to locate any whale meat yet. Robert Fish from About Japan: a teacher's resource is inviting students' opinions on eating whale from both scientific and cultural perspective. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any response. Bharti Legros, a freelance writer wrote 'Whaling: the meat of the matter' in 2008 of his culinary experience at Kujiraya restaurant.
They all give their insight into this controversial issue of eating whale meat at ground level. Fascinating.
Female (early 70s) from Nagoya
I've always wondered who was eating the whale meat. I don't think they've been eaten at ordinary households for 50~60 years now. I remember seeing whale bacon at a fish market 40 years ago but not since the supermarkets emerged. We had school lunch but it was always just hard bread and powder milk, my age group didn't have much to eat. There were canned 'Yamato-ni' but my mother didn't get any. I heard that people of Taiji kill coastal whale for living so the locals may be eating some but I can only speculate that the rest are processed and mixed with other fish into paste.
Male (mid 60s) from Tokyo
I was born in Yamaguchi Pref. so the whale meat was part of my diet just as other fish were, until I moved to Tokyo. Since then, I've hardly had any. I've seen a very small quantity of meat sold in fish shops at times and I'm guessing they come via special route. I don't see the old 'Yamoto-ni' canned whale meat around but I hear that the famous 'Kujiraya' restaurant is doing well. I suppose the whale meat these days are consumed partly by those who used to eat it as a normal diet and the gourmet seekers.
Female (early 50s) from Tokyo
I think whale meat is hardly eaten at ordinary homes except at certain coastal towns. My work colleagues can order from menu at their favourite pub. One, in his late-30s, eat whale sashimi once a year. Another, in his early-40s from Okinawa, eat whale dish once every 3 visits. Another colleague in his mid-40s from Chiba, remembers when a whale beached at his hometown. The locals wanted some meat but was told it was illegal to help themselves. I was astonished to find anyone eating whale meat so close. Canned 'Yamato-ni' can be found at rare food shops and there are few whale restaurants in Tokyo so I suppose there is a demand.
Female (early 20s) from Hokkaido
I have never tried whale meat and I don't know of anyone around me who have tasted it. When I was a child, I didn't think they were edible. Having said all that, Hokkaido is a vast island and in coastal towns such as Kushiro, whales are caught for some reason and meat is consumed. That is what I saw on TV but as far as I know, it is extremely rare to eat whale meat and it isn't part of our diet.
Edward from blogsite JAPUNDIT wrote in 2006 that he hadn't been able to locate any whale meat yet. Robert Fish from About Japan: a teacher's resource is inviting students' opinions on eating whale from both scientific and cultural perspective. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any response. Bharti Legros, a freelance writer wrote 'Whaling: the meat of the matter' in 2008 of his culinary experience at Kujiraya restaurant.
They all give their insight into this controversial issue of eating whale meat at ground level. Fascinating.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Summary
Obviously, the cultural preservation and whale preservation have polarised and the culinary aspect is caught in the middle. And things have got out of hand because both parties attack each other with literally guns ablazing. I don't need whale meat but if there are people who have been eating them as a normal, ordinary diet, I can't tell them to stop and start eating what I deem is normal and ordinary.
Without a doubt, the Japanese population of whale meat eaters is small and shadowy. For the sake of preserving both the culture and the whale, it is desirable to at least acknowledge each other's perspective.
References
EDITORIAL: Anti-whaling activists. (2010, March 15). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved from http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003140131.html
Editorial: Diplomatic way to end whale killing. (2010, Jan 18). nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10620734
Fish, R. (2010). Canned whale meat. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/canned_whale_meat
Greenpeace. (n.d.). Fact Sheet: The Whale Meat Market in Japan. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/fact-sheet-the-whale-meat-mar.pdf
Head, J. (2005). Japan pushes whale meat revival. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4106688.stm
Legros, B. (2008, July 22). The Japan Times. Retrieved from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080722zg.html
Whale meat redux. (2006). Japundit: a whole lot more than raw fish. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://blog.japundit.com/archives/2006/10/29/3966/
Without a doubt, the Japanese population of whale meat eaters is small and shadowy. For the sake of preserving both the culture and the whale, it is desirable to at least acknowledge each other's perspective.
References
EDITORIAL: Anti-whaling activists. (2010, March 15). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved from http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003140131.html
Editorial: Diplomatic way to end whale killing. (2010, Jan 18). nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved from
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10620734
Fish, R. (2010). Canned whale meat. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/canned_whale_meat
Greenpeace. (n.d.). Fact Sheet: The Whale Meat Market in Japan. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/fact-sheet-the-whale-meat-mar.pdf
Head, J. (2005). Japan pushes whale meat revival. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4106688.stm
Legros, B. (2008, July 22). The Japan Times. Retrieved from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080722zg.html
Whale meat redux. (2006). Japundit: a whole lot more than raw fish. Retrieved Apr 3, 2010, from http://blog.japundit.com/archives/2006/10/29/3966/
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