In Japan, the business of watching whales is far larger than hunting them

SUMMARY

People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show: splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water. In Kushiro, just 160 kilometres south of Rausu, where the four dozen people laughed and cheered, boats were setting off on Japan's first commercial whale hunt in 31 years. Killed that day were two minke whales, which the boats in Rausu also search for glimpses of - a situation that whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa confessed had him worried. Whale-watching is a growing business around Japan, with popular spots from the southern Okinawa islands up to Rausu, a fishing village on the island of Hokkaido, so far north that it's closer to Russia than to Tokyo. The number of whale watchers around Japan has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, the latest year for which national data is available. One company in Okinawa had 18,000 customers between January and March this year. In Rausu, 33,451 people packed tour boats last year for whale and bird watching, up 2,000 from 2017 and more than 9,000 higher than 2016. Many stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and buy local products such as sea urchins and seaweed.

By ReutersJul 9, 2019 12:46:32 PM IST (Published)

The fluke of a sperm whale sticks out of the sea as it dives in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A killer whale swims in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Killer whales surfaces in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon.

The fluke of a sperm whale sticks out of the sea as it dives in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Killer whales and a whale watching tour boat are pictured in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon.

Killer whales and a whale watching tour boat are pictured in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon.

A staff on a whale watching tour boat explains about whales to tourists on the boat in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A sperm whale breathes in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Tourists on a whale watching tour boat look for whales in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Tourists on a whale watching tour boat sails in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A staff on a whale watching tour boat looks for whales with binoculars in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A killer whale swims in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A killer whale jumps out of water in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A killer whale surfaces in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon.

A killer whale jumps out of water in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon