David @ Tokyo

This is an interesting blog you have here, David. Thank you for all your research. The Japanese government is great with publishing statistics, aren't they?

I live in Tokyo and am interested in contemporary whale meat consumption. I have seen a few places selling it in shotengai and even some retro-packaged canned kujira in MUJI recently. I wonder if it could become trendy?

But have you ever seen one of those vendors who roam the streets with their carts? I see a lot selling tofu products, satsuimo and so on. But apparently there used to ones selling whale meat in the past.
 

William,

Thanks for your comment.

Wow, you found whale in MUJI!? I don't go there often to know, but it's a surprise to hear that a kind of very mainstream (and international?) chain like that would have whale products.

I've never seen a street cart vendor selling whale though - nor heard of it. There was an "Asian Lunch" operator selling "whale karee" lunches in the news, but that was just part of a menu I think.
 

I'm also -extremely- surprised that an international concern such as Muji would expose themselves to potential demonization in foreign markets.

Perhaps they're too small a player in the non-domestic markets for a campaign to make enough return on investment for the animal protest industry orgs?
 

Yeah. I was in a Muji recently actually, but couldn't spot any whale products. There is another one not far from where I live which I haven't been to yet though.