Live or travel in Japan, speaking with Japanese, for any
length of time and the same subjects will surface again and
again: Japanese food, what you think of Japan, how small
Japan is, and the best way to learn English. The list goes
on, but eating whale is not a topic that often comes up.
Whale is just not among the many topics that Japanese like
to talk about. Mention English, sushi, Japanese writing, or
Obama and the conversation just flows. Bring up whale and
the response and interest is just not there. Read the
newspaper or watch the news and the topic will appear with
regularity. The same tired arguments appear from both
sides. The anti-whaling groups will speak with passion of
how Japan's research whaling is a fraud conducted to put
whale on the table. The pro-whaling groups will speak about
how whaling is a part of Japanese culture and whale stocks
have sufficiently recovered. The groups usually conclude by
stating that people have no right to tell them what to do.
They ask why eating beef is fine but eating whales is not.
Both groups may be right but the world is passing them by.
While I am sure the Japanese population has whale
aficionados, they are not standing on every street corner.
I hear Japanese praise persimmons, sushi, and barbecued
beef. They talk about different kinds of rice and ramen,
but have a marked lack of interest in whale. I have brought
the subject up several times and nobody really seems to
care. A few people have replied that they ate it when they
were younger, but really don't care for it. There is far
more concern about diminishing tuna stocks and increasing
prices.
Were I to visit Taiji in Wakayama prefecture, I might feel
differently. Whaling is more important, culturally and
historically, to the people of Taiji than other places in
Japan. In 1606, organized groups of whalers began
hand-harpoon whaling in Taiji. Taiji is the birthplace of
Japan's traditional whaling method. Taiji is now known for
its annual hunt, slaughter, or killing of dolphins and
small whales. Depending on your political perspective, you
can pick the term you prefer. While both Westerners and
Japanese criticize the hunt, slaughter, or killing of
dolphins and small whales, the people of Taiji need an
alternative to replace this source of income. Would a
tourist industry centered around dolphin- and whale
watching earn enough to do so?
I can't really endorse the killing of Flipper, but neither
can I condemn the people of Taiji. I do eat other meats. I
can say with certainty, however, that people who eat
dolphin or whale frequently are putting their health at
risk. Even people who eat too much large fish need to be
careful. These fish and marine mammals at the top of the
food chain store mercury. A recent study done by
researchers from Health Sciences University of Hokkaido and
Daiichi University's College of Pharmaceutical Studies
found some residents of Taiji had dangerously high levels
of mercury in their bodies.
A few of the residents who were tested had more than 50
parts per million (ppm) for mercury, which can lead to
neurological problems. The average mercury level among the
residents tested was approximately 10 times the national
average in Japan. An earlier study of dolphin meat served
to children in school lunches in the Taiji area showed that
the mercury was higher than the health ministry's accepted
level of 0.4 ppm: over 10 to 16 times higher. This level of
mercury should be setting off warning bells somewhere.
Japan's cultural memory for earthquakes, typhoons, and
other natural disasters is strong. The memory of the danger
of atomic bombs is even stronger. Yet, the Japanese memory
of the dangers of mercury poisoning seems much weaker. Has
Minamata been forgotten? Chisso Corporation dumped
approximately 27 tons of mercury into Minamata Bay, causing
severe mercury poisoning to thousands of people. The
residents of Taiji are probably consuming some of that very
mercury today. Regardless of whether you are pro- or
anti-whaling, or whether a dolphin is food or Flipper to
you, mercury consumption is, like the plague, something to
avoid.
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Aaron Language Services (http://www.aaronlanguage.com/ )
provides translation, proofreading, and online English
coaching to a primarily Japanese client base.
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