The chef fires up the grill and bastes a thick whale steak, a Japanese delicacy that could soon appear on more plates across the country as a new whaling mother ship sets sail, despite criticism from conservationists.
Fatty raw pink and white whale meat is also on the menu at Nisshinmaru, a restaurant named after Japan’s previous massive marine mammal-capturing vessel, now retired after three decades at sea.
The last mothership was aggressively pursued in Antarctica by activists determined to disrupt operations, but Japan has built an even bigger boat to replace it. The brand new, nearly 9,300-ton Japanese whaling fleet ship set sail on its maiden hunt on Tuesday – heralding a new era for an industry championed by the government as an integral part of Japanese culture.
