I've just returned from a month-long adventure with my boyfriend Harry, travelling around the fascinating, endearing and intensely different country of Japan, and therefore to base my first post around some of my Japanese findings, only seems fitting.
Almost accidentally, we ended up in Osaka in the final week of our trip, due to outrageously expensive trains and buses and
(despite our ruthless saving) a distinct lack of funds! Having spent four days in the city of Kyoto with its rich cultural history, we were at a bit of a loss for what to see in the huge metropolitan mass of Osaka. The "Rough Guide to Japan", which basically became our bible on the trip, informed us that Osaka was home to the largest and most incredible Aquarium in Japan. We went along, subconsciously imagining it to be as ethical and 'conservation-friendly' as so many aquariums and zoos in the United Kingdom have now become, but how very optimistic we were...
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| Kaiyukan Aquarium- looks appealing right? |
Whilst the array of marine life was vastly broad (with the addition of a strange selection of land animals) and despite being truly amazing to experience in the flesh, we felt the conditions weren't brilliant.
The tanks and enclosures seemed very over-crowded and small, with most shaped like a thin, flat corridor in order to maximise the sightings of animals the visitors would receive. Undeniably the most tragic and heart-breaking thing we saw was two
whale sharks confined to a 9m deep and circa 25m wide tank.
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| This shark's dorsal fin is bent, due to consistent pacing in circles in the centre of the tank. |
The sheer size of these animals is hard to establish from this photo as there isn't much scope, however this image provides a staggering comparison... It can almost be likened to keeping an elephant in a pig pen.
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| And THIS in an aquarium! Pure shame on you, Japan... |
One shark swam slowly in a circle in the centre of the tank which, over time, had caused its dorsal fin bow to one side, almost seeming to express its sad deflation. The other shark paced around the edge of the tank at the surface, just above the viewing glass which surrounded the tank allowing shrieking visitors to peer in from three different tiers. The aquarium had included some extremely basic information boards about damage to ecosystems around the world, yet there was no mention of conservation or their contribution to this!
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| Harry going mad for his favourite animal in the aquarium... |
With the aquarium's main events being featured as these whale sharks and the four dolphins confined to an even smaller tank, it was very hard to enjoy the aquarium as a whole! Particularly with the knowledge that some 23 000 dolphins and porpoises are slaughtered with harpoons and knives in a cove in Taiji, Wakayama annually in September (it was September 5th!). The number of dolphins killed in this butchery is said to be several times greater than the number of whales killed in the Antarctic.
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| Are dolphins their friends? |
Its a kind of strange, perverse irony that alongside this massacre, as well as Japan's consistent campaign for whaling, the country is scattered with cute cartoon dolphins and whales, which are used as mascots for all manner of things! On the subway, a wide-eyed caricature of a dolphin reminds passengers to be cautious of the doors; in a supermarket, a friendly whale indicates the location of baskets; statues in the streets of Tokyo; hashioki...
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| 'Hashioki'- or, chopstick rests. |
Is it really Japan's best kept secret or are the masses purely choosing to ignore it? Japan is an intensely dazzling and truly incredible country with the most forgiving and hospitable people I've ever encountered and their efforts towards world peace are extremely honourable, yet the country's somewhat lacking contribution towards conservation and the environment should not go un-noticed.
For more information on the Taiji annual dolphin hunt, watch The Cove- a documentary by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos and sign the petition to help save Japan's dolphins and porpoises!
(Here's a link to the full film)
