First Whale of the Season Butchered in Japan

Carving whales is a part of ceremony, tradition and business in Japan that is carried out in front of children even as they cringe at the gruesome spectacle. Its to reinstate in their minds what Japans food culture is about!


The whale is washed with sake in a ceremonial act


The process of cutting the whale up then begins

Hunting of whales goes to feed a huge market for whale meat.The meat is sold as food and the bones and innards are used as fertilizer.

These days, Japan’s government limits coastal whalers to a total of 66 whales a year which is apart from the 1,000 whales that Japan catches under a scientific program sanctioned by the IWC. Truly plunder with dishonesty.


Gallons of blood gush from the body as workers cut away the meat


Like any butchering operation, the show is a bloody one

IWC restrictions on the types and numbers of whales that can be caught have dealt a major blow to Wada and three other Japanese towns that host coastal whalers.


Hooks, chains and a winch are used to peel thick strips of blubber from the body


Japan has fought for years against a 1986 IWC moratorium on commercial whaling, but anti-whaling nations such as the United States, Australia and Britain have so far blocked Tokyo’s efforts to win more hunting rights for its whalers.



Whale meat being packaged

Source: Telegraph Posted by: Kanchan    Source