Lest we forget @ Albany “Of course, it is in a remote place,” said a lady at a tourist information centre, slightly frowning. I was a little paralysed with her reaction as it was not in the context of what I said before her words. In the early November last year, I was in Albany, […]
Author Archives: Yoko Harada
This article appeared in the Sunday Debate page in the Herald Sun, 15 January 2012. To read the argument from the anti-whaling side (Sea Shepherd), please go to the following link. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/commercial-whaling-in-the-southern-ocean-yes-or-no/story-fn6bn88w-1226244372581 ************************************************************* Before talking about the whaling in the Southern Ocean IT IS quite unfortunate that the current debate on whaling is somehow focusing […]
To whale or not to whale … THAT should be the question I was simply amazed when I read a small online Japanese article about a week ago. It was reporting the departure of three whaling ships from Shimonoseki, former whaling town in the western Japan, heading for the Antarctic. I was amazed not that […]
Is this just a “small” careless mistake? Or…? On Monday, ABC News online released a report titled “Japan whaling forum warned against sympathy vote.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/07/11/3266160.htm?section=world Ah, yes. It’s that time of the year … yet again. The annual four day meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has started in Jersey, UK. The […]
Sushi, Sukiyaki and Skyhooks When I first read an email from Sandra, our media person, saying “Abc radio 774 red symons would like to interview you re your blog and latest post”, my mind spun into two totally different directions. I immediately thought, “Me? On air? Nah ….” Although it was an honour to get […]
Whales and geisha girls Whether or not whaling and eating whale meat is a genuine part of Japanese culture is one of the hottest points of debate between a pro-whaling camp and an anti-whaling camp. The former claims that whaling and whale-eating culture has existed in Japan since the ancient time and is, therefore, […]
Japan March 11th 2011: For the record In the evening of 22 March, I boarded Qantas flight 22 bound for Sydney via Hong Kong from Narita International Airport. It was a familiar flight for me which was usually a direct flight between Tokyo and Sydney. However, the flight route of the QF22 had been […]
What to eat and what not to The most frequently asked question to me while talking with my friends here in Australia about the whaling dispute is “have you eaten whale meat?’ “What it’s like?” they ask. They all look very curious about the ‘mysterious’ and ‘exotic’ meat. I once heard a rumour […]
Would I be able to stand in the middle? It was around midnight on 18 February 2010. I was squeezed into a CityRail train from Homebush heading for Sydney Central Station. Luckily, I secured a seat. Then, I heard a voice saying “were you at the concert?” It was from a guy who got […]
Whaling has been a touchy issue between Australians and Japanese for a while. Since being appointed to my current position as an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow in May 2010, I have been asked a number of times by my Australian colleagues and friends “what’s your research topic?” And every time, I seem to need […]