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What happens when a group of overseas travel agents try whale meat!?

[Whale Tasting Event] First event!
What happens when a group of overseas travel agents try whale meat!?

 
Just recently, as we’ve started to notice more and more tourists from overseas, we took the courage to ask some of the overseas agents offering tours to Japan whether they would like to try whale meat.
And to our delight, our proposal was realized! It’s great to see foreigners showing interest to whale meat!

Event date: February 16, 2023

Participants in the event


StuartO
from Austria

Sébastien Duval
from France

Piyawipa Matsumoto
from Thailand

Taihei Huff
from USA

Nam Kiyoung
from Korea

Han Sangsam
from Korea
Cooperating Restaurant

Name: Murasaki
Phone: +81-6-6441-3871
Address: 1-15-4, Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi Osaka, JAPAN
Established in: 1952 (Famous whale cuisine restaurant)
Business hours:
[Mon to Fri] 17:00 to 23:00 (last order 22:00)
[Sat] 17:00 to 22:00 (last order 21:00)

Web site: http://www.murasaki-osaka.com/

 

Whale tasting! Let’s start!
What did you think!?

Type of Dish

 
 
[Whale Kushi-age] 
(deep-fried skewers)

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
Lean meat (back ribs)




MC MASA
How do you like the taste of whale?


Taihei Huff
from USA
Delicious! If they don’t tell you anything, it’s beef!


StuartO
from Austria
Delicious! And I love it with mustard!


 

Type of Dish

[Hassun] 
(the seasonal dish in kaiseki cuisine)
①Hyakujou with vinegared miso paste
②Oboke with ume plum paste
③Kaburabone with sakekasu
④Wrapped back ribs with avocado
⑤Simmered red back ribs

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
①Stomach(hyakujou)
②Tail fin(oboke)
③Cheek cartilage(kaburabone)
④Lean meat (back ribs)
⑤Lean meat (back ribs)




Piyawipa Matsumoto
from Thailand
Delicious! I thought whale meat would have a strong smell because of their size, but I don’t find the smell bad!


Nam Kiyoung
from Korea
I’ve had them before, but these are exceptionally different! Especially the “OBAKE,” they tasted better than I could have ever imagined!


StuartO
from Austria
Everything tasted good right from the start, and it goes great with the booze! I’m very satisfied!
Thank you very much. When I tried it, my impression was, Is this whale? It doesn’t taste unique! I thought it would taste unique in my mind, but it doesn’t taste unique at all! It’s amazingly delicious.


Type of Dish

 
 
[Bacon]

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
Jaw meat(unesu)




Han Sangsam
from Korea
Mmmm! Delicious!


MC MASA
I am Japanese, but I have never had such a good whale meat.


Han Sangsam
from Korea
How much is today’s course? I would like to know the pricing when foreign tourists come to Japan.


Tokoro
Whale expert
Without alcohol, I think it is about 7,000-8,000 yen per person.


Han Sangsam
from Korea
Cheaper than tuna sushi!


Type of Dish

 
[Sashimi]
①Onomi
②Kanoko

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
①Tail meat
②Cheek meat




Piyawipa Matsumoto
from Thailand
Where were the whales we ate caught?


Takano
Whale expert
After 2019, most are within 200 nautical miles and from seas around Japan. However, imported ones are also available. The meat served today, they are from the seas surrounding Japan.


Han Sangsam
from Korea
Are whale meat dishes available only in Osaka?


Tokoro
Whale expert
It is available in Tokyo, Shimonoseki, Nagasaki and many other areas. You can find a lot of them by searching on the internet. The most consumed areas are Sendai and Ishinomaki in Tohoku, and Nagasaki and Fukuoka in Kyushu. There are more than 10 good restaurants in Tokyo. There is also an Italian restaurant where you can eat a full course of whale. The price is about 25,000 yen, which is a bit expensive.


Type of Dish

 
 
[Lean special grade steak]

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
Extra lean meat
(back meat close to the tail meat)




StuartO
from Austria
Wow, look at that dish!


MC MASA
Master Chef! Tell me how to eat the dish!


Restaurant owner
First, open your mouth.


Everyone
(All laughing)


Taihei Huff
from USA
Delicious! My impression of whale meat has changed again!


Han Sangsam
from Korea
Really tasty! It’s like wagyu, light wagyu!


Sébastien Duval
from France
Tastes like tuna! Looks like beef!
If I didn’t know it was whale meat, it tasted like I was eating a variety of fish dishes.
And I’m French, so the kanoko looked like cheese to me (laugh).


Type of Dish

[Shabu-shabu nabe]
①Kanoko
②Lean meat
③Honnkawa
Mizuna
Tofu
(Bean card)
Osaka’s famous udon (noodles)

Parts of the whale meat

 
 
①Cheek meat
②Back ribs
③Skin + Fatty meat




Taihei Huff
from USA
Mmmm, delicious! Especially the lean meat wrapped in potherb mustard!


Nam Kiyoung
from Korea
Is today’s course popular in Osaka?


Restaurant owner
I think whale restaurants serve something similar.


StuartO
from Austria
The world is too whale-conscious, so I think whale should be one of the meat options, just like chicken!
And I think it’s nice to have one whale dish in a course meal!
I really discovered that whale goes well with sake!


Everyone
(All nodding)


MC MASA
After trying today’s whale course meal, do you think there’s an opportunity to include it in your travel tours?
Also, if you have any suggestions on how to make it better, please let us know.


Taihei Huff
from USA
In Japan, in most cases, fish market tours are conducted, and I believe fish comes to mind when foreigners think of Japan.
On the other hand, whale meat is a new content. Whale bacon has the element of being photogenic for SNS. I think it has the potential to become popular, especially among young people.


Nam Kiyoung
from Korea
I agree. Even if I lived in Japan for a long time, I rarely get a chance to experience such a special whale course.
I’ve been taking pictures all day and will try to get them on Facebook and Instagram as soon as possible. And now that many people from Korea, China, and Southeast Asia are coming to Japan, I think if they see the posts, more people will become interested in whales and feel more familiar with them.


Piyawipa Matsumoto
from Thailand
I don’t think the hurdle to get people to know about the whale eating experience is high. Because people can search for things about Japan in Thai on the Internet. And Osaka is the most popular area in Japan among Thai people, and is frequently mentioned on SNS as a “fun and delicious gourmet place” in Japan.

Also, many people on social media have tried horse meat, so I don’t think there are many barriers regarding whale dishes.
However, since whale meat dishes are not well known yet, if someone sends out the info on SNS, two or three people may experience it and share it to their friends through social media. Of course, the influence will depend on who the first sender is. However, since we do not know the pricing of this type of dish, the information needs to spread just like the already well-known “Kani Doraku” through social media. Once it becomes popular, there will be requests for tours.

Also, there must be well-known travel websites for each country, so I think it is necessary to distribute information there.

Thai people do not eat “raw food,” so I think it is better to include cooked food such as fried food and tempura in the PR.


Sébastien Duval
from France
The company’s Instagram has 250,000 followers. If I update the topic of dolphins or whales, I can’t post it because I get a lot of very negative responses, mainly from followers in the Western world.

But I think I can propose to people who come to Japan not as a group tour but as an individual gourmet tour, a personal tour with a couple, family, or friends.

When discussing tour content, food is always included if it is a Japan tour. I think it would be easy to introduce this content not only in Tokyo and Kyoto, but also in other parts of Japan.


Sébastien Duval
from France
When it comes to whaling in French newspapers, the only story about whaling is that only Japan and three other countries hunt whales.

The traditional food culture is not mentioned, and today was the first time I heard about whaling’s contribution to the SDGs. The French newspapers and the BBC in the UK only talk about research whaling.


StuartO
from Austria
Oh yeah.
Yes, it’s a shame that people would think “if they are whaling for research, why are they catching extra and putting them out there for food? If it’s for food, it’s better to say clearly that it’s for food, instead of saying it’s for research.”


Sébastien Duval
from France
Internationally, are all species of whales banned or are some species okay? They don’t know that either. So I think we have to promote (Japan’s opinion on whales) more.


Taihei Huff
from USA
Even in the U.S., the contribution of whale eating to the SDGs is still not well known. I think we should tell people more about it.


 
 

We also made guests aware of the
following things about whale!




Balenine-chan
Let me introduce you to three attractions (benefits) of whale meat that are good for our health.

First. It is healthier than chicken meat, which is said to be low in calories and high in protein.

Second. It is rich in “balenine,” which helps relieve exhaustion, improve immunity, and prevent dementia.

And third. It is also rich in DHA, EPA, and DPA, which are helpful in improving academic performance, preventing arteriosclerosis, and preventing hypertension.

In other words, whale meat is ideal in that it is very healthy compared to other meats, and it prevents aging and helps us to keep good health.

 




Balenine-chan
There are two reasons why this high quality whale is only available in Japan.

The first point is quality control before reaching the restaurants and dealers.
We catch the best kind of whales for each season in the best fishing grounds where freshness can be maintained.
We process the whales on board immediately after harvesting.

We are able to manage and deliver marine resources with the world’s best quality in the market.
Japan is the only country in the world that has achieved such a system.

The second point is the chef’s management and cooking know-how built up over a long history.
Whale eating culture has a long history, as whale bones have been excavated from ruins dating back 5,000 years.

In addition, over a long period of time, cooking methods have been developed that suit the characteristics of the parts of the whale.

Of course, this “Murasaki” restaurant has a 70-year history and is one of the best in Japan.

 


Han Sangsam
from Korea
Where is the most expensive part?


Tokoro
Whale expert
The most expensive is the “tail meat.”
In November 2022, in Shimonoseki, the price was 500,000 yen per kg.


Sébastien Duval
from France
After whaling, do you freeze them and bring them back to land?


Tokoro
Whale expert
There are two ways to transport it to land: frozen and raw.




Balenine-chan
There are such a variety of parts and cooking methods for them.
You can see that there are quite a variety of parts, like cattle.

 




Balenine-chan
In Japan we take good care of this whale meat and eat it with relish.
We know that there are some people in your country and around the world who may be against the hunting and eating of whales with a high intelligence quotient.

However, from the perspective of the food chain, excessive protection of one creature because it is pitiful can damage the ecosystem.

In fact, the over-protection of whales has resulted in major changes in the oceans surrounding our country, and catches of saury, sardines, and other fish have been drastically reduced.The balance of life in the oceans has been greatly tilted by the overabundance of whales, which feed on saury, sardines, and other sea creatures.
We Japanese consume a variety of foods with gratitude.

Even though whales are delicious, we do not overhunt them, but rather we survey and keep whales within the limits of the catch in order to protect the precious gifts of the sea.Finally, from the perspective of the SDGs, let me tell you a little-known story about whaling and whale eating.

 


Balenine-chan
(1) Whaling and whale eating protect the marine environment.

As we have just discussed, too many of a particular species can lead to the destruction of the ecosystem and the balance of the natural environment.

For example, if the number of deer, whose meat is popular gibier (wild game meat), increases too much, the underbrush and young shoots of trees, which provide food for deer, will be eaten up. Mountains without plants and trees lose their ability to store water, which can lead to landslides.Therefore, in Japan, deer that exceed the number of deer that can survive in an ecosystem are exterminated, but their lives are not taken lightly. However, the lives of the deer are used as foodstuffs with gratitude.

The same applies to whales.
It is said that whales consume 3 to 6 times the amount of marine resources consumed by the earth’s population as food, and if we continue to protect whales without regard to their ecosystem, the destruction of the marine ecosystem will surely proceed.
If we continue to protect cetaceans without regard to their ecosystem, the destruction of the marine ecosystem is sure to progress, and there is even a risk that the situation could become irreversible.

Incidentally, the number of saury, sardines, and other fish in the seas around Japan has been drastically decreasing, and this has become a social problem.



Balenine-chan
(2) Whaling and whale eating protect the environment on land.

From the perspective of environmental destruction, whale meat is a food that has the potential to deter the desertification of the earth.

In order to produce the meat of cows, pigs, birds, etc. that you eat every day, a lot of grain is needed as food for raising them.

It is said that 25 kg of grain is needed to produce 1 kg of beef. In other words, it takes 10 kg or more of grain production to eat one pound of steak.

Did you know that the amount of farmland used to produce grain for animal feed is currently estimated to be about 1/4 of the earth’s land area, and that deforestation to create this farmland is still ongoing?

On the other hand, whales that grow in the natural ecosystem do not need to be bred, and therefore do not require feed.
The amount of meat from one whale is said to be 7.2 tons, while the same amount of beef would require 180 tons of grain and the farmland to produce it.

In other words, the spread of whale meat around the world will make a significant contribution to the SDGs.


MC MASA
Have your impressions of whales changed after listening to the various stories today?


Taihei Huff
from USA
My impression has changed.
I did not know that whaling contributes to the SDGs.
I did not know that regular meat requires a large amount of grain.
If possible, I wanted people in the U.S. to know these facts and then be willing to eat it.


Nam Kiyoung
from Korea
I want to tell people about today’s story and promote whale meat to get them interested in it.


Han Sangsam
from Korea
It was my first time to try whale cuisine and my first time to hear about whaling and the SDGs. I had a lot of great food, and I would like to give back by sending out lots of messages.


Piyawipa Matsumoto
from Thailand
This was my first whale dinner.
Before I came here, I only knew about it from the media, but I realized that this is not fish, it is meat!
Thank you for inviting me.
It was very delicious. I would like Thai people to know more about whale food.


Sébastien Duval
from France
The whale sushi I had before was actually not good.Again, there were things I liked and things I didn’t like, but in total, this course was really good!
Also, even without data, I think the analogy of gibier (wild game meat) would go over well with Europeans.
After that, I think it would be good to have data on what kind of whales should be caught and how many whales are enough to avoid disturbing the whale ecosystem.
I enjoyed the different tastes and thought I could introduce it to the tour as it was my first experience of the taste.


Tokoro
Whale expert
That being said, our company, the Kyodo Shipping Company, are whaling within the quota of 25 Sei whales and 187 Bryde’s whales per year.
Within this quota, even if we have been whaling for 100 years, we will not reduce the number of whales by even one from the existing number.
Japanese whaling is also very strictly controlled. The genes of the whales taken are registered so that the whales can be identified when and where they were taken for management and distribution.


Sébastien Duval
from France
Greenpeace and others are sending out messages around the world like Japan is overfishing.
I thought Japan should do more PR about the fact that whaling is done only in the seas around Japan.


 

Post-event Note

The first impression all participants had of whale meat after experiencing it was how good the ingredients were and how delicious it tasted.All participants had a slight impression that it had a unique smell and flavor.

However, when they tried it, they did not feel any unique smell or flavor. They felt that each part of the meat had its own unique flavor.They even announced to each other which part of the meat they preferred.

When asked about their impressions, what everyone was most interested in was the contribution of whale meat to the SDGs and the strict control of whaling in Japan.

“It is a pity that whale meat is so delicious but is avoided by countries around the world due to prejudice.”
“Whaling contributes to the preservation of the marine environment.”
“Japan’s whaling is based on thorough research and rules to maintain the ecosystem of whales.”

Japan needs to appeal to the world more about these things.
The world should know these things about whaling.

[Related Article]
[Whale Tasting Event] Second event!
What happens when a group of overseas influencers try whale meat!?





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