Welcome to the Whales' Home Page. This purpose of this home page is not as
a forum for debate over whether the hunting of whales is right or wrong,
but rather as a place to recognize the dwindling image of whales as
dispensable consumer products. Let's start off with a simple fact.
Whales are not fish, but warm blooded mammals, like you and me.
In Kochi prefecture, the realization of our environmental problems
and the new relationship between us and the planet Earth can be
represented in one word -- whales. Using the appeal of whale watching,
and accounts from people who have been influenced by that appeal,
I would like to introduce you to the present and future states of
whale watching here in Kochi. Takao Moritani - Whale Watcher
| The Human race has had a very long relationship with the ocean.
We have been heading out to sea to reap it's abundant harvest
since the beginning of our time here on the planet. But then, a couple of decades after the end of World War II, a strange transformation began taking place. For the first time since the birth of humanity, we started riding in boats and heading out to sea just to take a look around. This marked the beginning of a new consciousness concerning our relationship with our environment and ecology. In some ways, it was the birth of a new culture. A major reason for this change in behavior is whale watching. Setting out to sea with the sole purpose of spotting whales hails the arrival of a new period of people being in touch with the living mystery of the ocean. The mystery of Whale Watching. This was the start of ocean ecology. At the east and west extremes of Kochi prefecture are found the peninsulas of Cape Muroto and Cape Ashizuri, both of which extend out into the Pacific Ocean to greet our prefectures' sea. This semi-enclosed marine habitat is called Tosa Bay, and has become well known among whale lovers world-wide as an important whale watching area. People from all walks of life are heading out to sea here. Maybe these people feel the same trepidation as the fisher folk of yore did when they view the ocean stretching out before them. Who can tell? The spread of ecotourism throughout the modern world today is based primarily upon education, with the protection living things being a major theme. But it is more than this. It's the heartfelt appreciation of our environment. Like the old saying says, there is no substitute for love. Across the ocean on the west coast of the U.S.A., there seems to be an abundance of this love. I believe that each and everyone of us should examine the mystery of whale watching to begin learning about ocean ecology. |
 Kyusoku Iwamoto Born in Kochi Prefecture in 1939. In 1967 he found his independence as a comic book artist with his original creation '"Nasense Manga". He is known as an avid watcher of wild birds and is a member of the Japanese Wild Birdwatchers club. In 1988, he founded the first whale watching venture in Japan at the ocean district of Ogasawara-kaiki. The author of many books, some of his titles include: "Tosa no Kujira", "Kujira no Kanzume",and "Kyusoku no Furari Nochozoku". |
Ocean Ecotour - Muroto
The Dairy of Gon-chan(Risso's Dolphin)
Ocean Ecotour - Ogata
Whale Watching Report - Kochi and the World
Principle Species of Whales and Dolphins Found in Tosa Bay
Individual Identification of Whales
Come on! Whalefreaks.(Newsgroup)
last update:September 9, 1996/(C)Kochi Pref.