A Japanese whaling firm unveiled vending machines offering whale sashimi, whale steak and whale bacon in Yokohama on Tuesday in hopes of reviving sales of a food long in decline and shunned by many supermarkets. Wearing a whale-shaped hat, Kyodo Senpaku President Hideki Tokoro greeted prospective customers at the firm's latest 'unmanned store'--a trio of vending machines in Motomachi, an upmarket shopping district home to fashion boutiques and artisan bakeries. The firm has recently set up two similar outlets in Tokyo, plans to open a fourth in the western city of Osaka next month, and hopes to grow to 100 locations over the next five years. "There are many major supermarkets that are afraid of being harassed by anti-whaling groups so they won't use whale. So there are many people who want to eat whale but can't," Tokoro told Reuters at the launch. "Therefore, we are opening stores with the thought that we can provide a place where those people can eat." The products on sale mainly contain whale caught in Japan, a company spokesperson said, with prices ranging from 1,000 JPY ($8) to 3,000 JPY ($23).