Hello

I am visiting your forum to learn. I am not looking to be ridiculed or to hold judgement on anyone, I mean who the heck am I. I just want to learn of your culture. I am very upset by the dolphin hunts in Taiji, and I just want to try respectfully to understand it from a Japanese perspective. I am not racist...lol. I am actually here as your student and do respect all. Thank you to those that will help me....

Hi Theresa!

Welcome to the Forum. I can understand you are upset about the dolphin hunts in Taiji, although you should know that the movie is made by activist... People who want to make it look worse than it actually is. I think because of that, a lot of Japanese aren't really interested in seeing the movie, because it feels like an attack on their country as well.

Welcome to JREF Theresa !

Sometimes you have to look in your own backyard for animal slaughter. In 2009 , in Colorado , there were over 80,000 animals killed by hunting. If you add up the elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, bear, moose, deer , and pronghorn antalope killed in your own state, the Japanese in Taiji might go there to protest all that killing. And yet, here in the United States, most people accept hunting with very few protests? The way we see things has a lot to do with our own culture. As a hunter in Maine for over 50 years , I never thought of all the animals killed as being horribly cruel. Probably the Japanese in Taiji have a similer feeling?

Uncle Frank

:?

Hi Dutch and Thank You for your reply. I can see how a spin is put on things by the media and my the film industry, but this film really impacted me. I have done some research and NO I am not just targeting Japan or the Japanese people. I just hope that people here will accept me for who I am, just a normal person and try and help me to understand better. I would not be here if I took everything that I saw and did not look at it from every angle. I am what you would call a curious sponge, I do long for learning and I must look into everything. No crime in that....lol.

Uncle, I live in Colorado as you mentioned and I do take LONG and Hard looks in my own backyard. I can say I am on the fence about hunting. I believe (and I am only speaking for myself) that hunting has its place. I feel that if your going to feed your family then yes hunt. I also believe you should have the proper permits to stay within your states law. I do not however believe in poaching or spotlighting as happens here at times. I also do not believe in killing the pregnant females or babies. That is why a doe permit is harder to obtain as you know. I also believe if your going to hunt, never wound and leave the animal out of your negligence, if you have to walk ten miles to retrieve that meat so be it. That is why I am not asking about the whaling, I believe some research may be conducted, but I also believe Many people of Japan enjoy this meat....Am I wrong? Hence, as long as its not an endangered animal...so be it. But with the dolphins, the method of the kill does not seem humane to me. The fact that they are so intelligent just hurts me. I am hoping that I can get some feedback and understanding....thank you all so much

First of all, welcome to the forums, I hope you enjoy it here.

Secondly, though this is probably not a good thread to start this discussion in, what is in human about the killing of dolphins, is it because they are smart, is it the process of killing them, or both? If there is something in the process of killing them that you find inhuman, what is it?

窶堙??堋､窶堋ｼ窶堙ｦ窶堙ｫ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｭ

Welcome to JREF Theresa ^^
Enjoy your time here...

I'm new here too. Nice to meet you all! I'm from Japan. I'm learning English. I'm looking for information and making friends with you all. Have a nice day.

Hello digipham
Nice to see you here,
Enjoy your time and if you need help just ask

hello, Please enjoy the forums.
窶ｹX窶堋ｵ窶堋ｭ窶堋ｨﾅ?ﾃｨ窶堋｢窶堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｷ

Welcome to jref the number one forum for japan!

Hi, sorry it took me so long to get back to reply... Thank you all so much for the warm welcomes....
Now to answer Lledargo, that is a wonderful question, I am thinking so I answer totally honest with you. I think a lot of why it upsets me more than another animal being killed is because they are so intelligent. I think they can rationalize what is happening and thus it makes me take more pity on them. I also "know" that is bothers me as the babies are killed. I love babies, whether human, dolphin or inchworm....lol. But seriously, I do have a problem with the slaughter of babies. I know in the USA they kill baby cows to make "milk fed baby veal", and I will not touch it....why? again cause its a baby. However, I worked at the sale barn here in Colorado, I was bleeding and mouthing the cows, ear tagging, and putting on the sale tag for them to be sold. They are sadly bred to die. I see the dolphins as wild creatures much like our deer, antelope and elk that "are" hunted. However again, we cannot kill babies. I just hate to think of anything having prolonged suffering prior to be killed for our tables. Again, I am not here to judge, more or less to learn. I understand cultural differences as I am blessed to have been raised around a variety of cultures. So, seeking out knowledge and again thank you all for the wonderful warm welcome....

I see, thank you for answering. What you have to say seems very interesting, perhaps you should post about it in the serious discussion forum. I am sure that many other members would like to join in on this conversation.