16 May 2010

科学

(Science)
My name is Yukio, and I am the son of Yukio - a Japanese name which in English means "gets what he wants". I am a seasoned mariner, now skipper of the "Shonan Maru 2". Our voyages take us far from the cherry blossom hills of my homeland to the far corners of the Pacific Ocean. We are at sea for weeks on end. How I miss my dear wife Kimi - she who is without equal - and my daughter Miyoko and her two little boys. What joy it is to have a family to return to.

Last winter in a single trip, the "Shonan Maru" rescued two humpbacks, a pregnant fin, seven minke and four grays from the ocean but please don't be appalled my friends for this was all in the name of scientific research. We hauled each whale on board and measured it from tail to nose - dangerous work when the deck is awash with blood and seawater. But the cause of science is greater than my crew's safety. We hoisted each carcass and weighed it as we have each winter for the last fifteen years. All of our detailed findings were of course logged on computer and sent to the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research.
Unfortunately, our vital scientific research causes death to those creatures we save from the sea. Once the measurements are taken we have little choice but to butcher the whales. Their meat is blocked and placed carefully in the ship's freezer rooms but we always return the final remains of the carcass to the ocean so that it can feed and enrich the lives of other sea creatures.

Upon our return to the great whaling port of Shimonoseki, we have to somehow dispose of the whale meat so that our research vessel can prepare for further scientific voyages. Luckily, seafood merchants are happy to vie with each other for the meat blocks and any profit our company makes is of course pumped straight back into scientific research. Understanding the need to support our great work, Japanese consumers readily pay up their hard earned money in the fish markets, supermarkets and sushi restaurants of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in order to purchase fresh whalemeat - the mere by-product of our scientific endeavours.

We are aware that undemocratic organisations like Greenpeace are attempting to disrupt our research, inventing crazy figures to suggest that the Pacific's whale population is in terminal decline. Pure poppycock! There are plenty of whales out there and to better understand their lives and population trends, it is of course essential that our scientific research continues.

9 comments:

  1. Dead right ! - unfortuneately!
    Cheers
    Helen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is this a translation of someone else's writing or is it your own essay along with some pictures you saw somewhere or are you channeling the Eastern Hemisphere now?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HELSIE Thanks. You saw my point.
    RHYMES It was just my way of protesting about the Japanese whaling industry that often hides behind claims of "scientific research". The decimation of the world's whale population is an on-going tragedy. I created the piece myself, slightly adopting the persona of a Japanese whaler and I selected the images from Google.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/library/post/2969

    A world gone mad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Until you live in the east, westerners can't understand the mentality of society over here.

    The many things that we are apalled at aren't over here and vice versa.

    Life over here has little value, if you firmly believe that you are likely to be reincarnated.

    Eastern philosophy, religion and culture does so many things better than the west- that's for sure though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. YP: Just so you know, I'm over here now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Last winter in a single trip, the "Shonan Maru" rescued two humpbacks, a pregnant fin, seven minke and four grays from the ocean but please don't be appalled my friends for this was all in the name of scientific research."

    Yeah, right! I have watched all the "Whale Wars" videos.

    I love Yorkshire Puddin', as I am from England, but you can't get it to taste right with American flour.

    Happy Trails, Penny, TX

    ReplyDelete
  8. KATHERINE Thanks. That link emphasises my concerns about Japanese whalers.
    BOOTHIE Once the oceans were teeming with whales. East or west, I don't care... I just feel like weeping for the whales.
    ELLIPTIC I must be a bit thick 'cos I'm not sure who you are..
    LAKE CONROE PENNY If you supply me with the air fare I will be happy to fly out to Texas with a suitcase full of Yorkshire flour, Yorkshire eggs, Yorkshire milk and best Yorkshire lard to make you some lovely golden Yorkshire puddings. Your Texan neighbours would be so jealous they'd fall off their mules!

    ReplyDelete
  9. YP: I'm anonymous again.

    ReplyDelete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

Most Visits