A Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its controversial products, has found a new way to cultivate clientele.
The Kujira Store, an unmanned outlet that recently opened in the port town of Yokohama near Tokyo, houses three machines for whale sashimi, whale bacon, whale skin and whale steak, as well as canned whale meat at prices from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen .Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Ottawa SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
The idea is to open vending machines near supermarkets, where whale meat is usually not available, to cultivate demand, a task crucial for the industry’s survival.Article content At the store in the Motomachi district of Yokohama, a posh shopping area near Chinatown, 61-year-old customer Mami Kashiwabara went straight for whale bacon, her father’s favorite. To her disappointment it was sold out, so she settled for frozen onomi, tail meat that is regarded as a rare delicacy.Article content
The decline occurred because fewer minke whales were caught by small-scale coastal whalers. Kurasawa says the reason for the smaller catch should be examined to see if it is linked to overhunting or climate change. Still, conservative governing lawmakers staunchly support commercial whaling and consumption of the meat as part of Japan’s cultural tradition.Article content
Under the research whaling, criticized as a cover for commercial hunts because the meat was sold on the market, Japan caught as many as 1,200 whales annually. It has since drastically cut back its catch after international protests escalated and whale meat supply and consumption slumped at home.Article content
Criticizing Iceland’s export to Japan, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said it “opposes all commercial whaling as it is inherently cruel.”Article content
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Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote salesA Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its controversial products, has found a new way to cultivate clientele.
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Japan firm opens whale meat vending machines to push salesA Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its products amid protests from conservationists, has found a new way to cultivate clientele and bolster sales: whale meat vending machines.
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Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote salesA Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its controversial products, has found a new way to cultivate clientele.
Read more »
Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote salesA Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its controversial products, has found a new way to cultivate clientele.
Read more »