#185 太地町立くじらの博物館 「世界唯一！鯨専門の体験型水族館」 / The Taiji Whale Museum: Hands-On Culture & Sea Life Center
Driving along the coastline A ship came into view ahead And a whale’s tail too! I’ve visited aquariums all over the country, but this one is a bit different. How is it different? It’s an aquarium, but it’s also a museum dedicated to whales. Where exactly is that? We visited the Taiji Town Whale Museum in Taiji Town, Wakayama Prefecture. The Whale Museum presents the history and culture of whaling and the ecology of cetaceans. Valuable materials are on display. As an aquarium Rare whale show Dolphin show You can enjoy feeding experiences and more The Whale Museum Through exhibits, interactive experiences, and shows and enjoy learning about whales using all five senses. It aims to be a facility where visitors can learn about whales. I’m so excited! Now we’ll enter the main museum building. On the first floor of the main building a full skeleton of a giant whale was on display. So many specimens! The size of a fin whale’s head is astonishing. Huge! Of course, the sternum is also enormous. This is an orca skeleton. It’s quite large, but but it feels small compared to a sperm whale. But it’s huge! This is the skeleton of a juvenile humpback whale. Even so, it’s this big, and when fully grown, it can reach up to 15 meters. Other exhibits include the lower jawbone of a sperm whale various other whale-related interesting materials were displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. I learned a lot about whales! This is a life-size model of a sperm whale. It’s incredibly impressive up close. Used in whaling in the past The “seko-bune” (hunting boat) was also displayed alongside it. said to have been developed in Taiji In the diorama recreating the net-drift whaling method Numerous support boats cooperated to drive the whale into the bay. It was recreated. What an incredible number of boats! Whale boats were also on display. Whaling boats weren’t just fishing vessels. The hulls were painted with splendid designs like dragons and tigers. That’s what I heard. In addition to the model, based on historical materials and vibrant design drawings of whaling boats created by contemporary artists were also on display. Here are actual, valuable surviving materials from whaling boats. Here are actual, valuable surviving materials from whaling boats. And modernized whaling techniques were also on display. At the gift shop At the gift shop, various whale and dolphin-related goods were being sold There are lots of cute goods. After leaving the main building and exploring the grounds, a giant full skeleton specimen of a blue whale was on display. It is estimated to have been 26 meters long and weighed 106 tons. It was captured in Norway in the early 1880s. This is a precise replica of the actual skeleton. The world’s largest skeleton is of immense size Next to the blue whale skeleton is the whale show area. Since the whale show was just about to start, we went to see it. Excited Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Whale Museum. Approximately 90 species of whales are known worldwide. Approximately 90 species are known From small dolphins under 2 meters To the giant blue whale to the giant blue whale varying greatly in size and shape. This time we’re introducing whales that remain relatively small even when fully grown, reaching only about 4 to 6 meters in length. Whale species differ in their feeding preferences, and ecological characteristics. We will introduce each whale species one by one as they appear, so we hope you will appreciate the unique charm of each. First up is the “Kobiregondō” The characteristic of the “Hana-gondō” is white scars spread across its entire body These are the white scars left behind and remain as white marks. They increase as the animal grows. Such as slapping the water surface with its tail fin The “Hana-gondō” exhibits a variety of behaviors The white scars covering its entire body resemble flower petals, earning it the name “Flower-leaved Pufferfish.” It is widely distributed in oceans around the world, Here in the Kumano Sea, it can be observed year-round. Its sharply pointed pectoral fins and sickle-shaped dorsal fin are one of the characteristics of the “Hana-gondou”. depicting a group of dozens in the wild, they mainly they prefer to eat squid The white scars covering the entire body of the “Hana-gondō” resemble pine needles, earning it the alternative name “Matsuba-gondō” (Pine-Needle-Gondō). Next up is the “Oki-gondō” It is entirely black and has a slender body, making it a distinctive whale. They are widely distributed in warm seas and live in pods of about 50 individuals. Due to its preference for krill, it was named the “Oki-gondō” (Offshore Dolphin). The active and curious nature of the “Oki-gondō” It slaps its tail fin against the water’s surface. It also exhibits behaviors like this. It’s one of the behaviors whales often display. The power of the tail fin Did you feel it? Spanning the waters off Taiji Town Here in the Kumano Sea, From around February to August each year, You can see them leaping. Lastly, we’ll introduce the one letting us hear its call “Kobiregondō” A whale characterized by its stocky build and large, round head And in contrast to its large body these small pectoral fins which is the origin of its name, “Kobiregondō” (literally “small-finned whale”), and is one of its defining characteristics. Small pectoral fins relative to its large body Did everyone understand? Another characteristic of the “Kobiregondou” is this large, round head which grows larger as it matures and males develop larger heads than females. The “short-finned pilot whale” inhabits these coastal waters a representative species of whale. Everyone, did you understand the physical characteristics and personalities of whales? From here on, please enjoy the whales’ dynamic performance. That was a back roll. What a spectacular jump! Next up, the “Hana-Gondō” Breaching jump The “Oki-gondō” is giving it its all too The “Oki-gondō” you’re seeing now Measures approximately 4.9 meters in length Weighs 760 kilograms The “Hana-Gondou” also did a backflip showing off its spinning move The “short-finned pilot whale” too showed off a spectacular jump The “short-finned pilot whale” is the largest species of whale among those kept at our facility The “short-finned pilot whale” performed a spectacular backflip jump. This time, the “Hana-Gondo”—its tail fin packs serious horsepower Picking up speed, straight ahead The swimming speed of whales can reach a top speed of 50 km/h. The whales keep pushing forward The distinctive white scarring covering their entire bodies The white scars covering its entire body Please take a close look, everyone. Even when fully grown, the “Hana-gondō” is a small species of whale, measuring about 4 meters. The “Hana-gondō” breaching jump This type of jump, where they slap their bodies against the water’s surface, allows them to bounce quite well even in the wild. Now showing off its jump “Hana-gondō” Body length: approximately 3 meters Weight: 380 kg The “Oki-gondō” also shows off its impressive jumps for us. The “Hana-Gondō” breaching jump The whales will keep fighting until the very end Here, just a moment He headed for this ball Attempting a jump. Hey, jump! Close call, just a little more But he gave it his best shot Ladies and gentlemen, the performance by the whales How did you like it? Until we meet again From the whales to all of you Goodbye! The whales’ goodbyes are so cute With that, we will now conclude the whale show. It was so much fun! At the Whale Museum, besides the rare whale-only show, a dolphin show, and you can see the dolphins up close. Since we ran out of time this time, we’ll show you that next time. Thank you for watching the video. Thank you very much. We look forward to your continued support. Thank you very much.
動画をご覧いただきありがとうございます
今回は和歌山県太地町にある太地町立くじらの博物館をご紹介します
太地町立くじらの博物館は、捕鯨の歴史と文化を学べる博物館機能と、クジラ・イルカのショーやふれあいが楽しめる水族館機能を融合させた、世界でも珍しい「鯨類専門の体験型施設」です。
400年にわたる太地町の捕鯨の歴史を伝える貴重な資料と、自然の入江を活かしたプールでのダイナミックなクジラ・イルカのパフォーマンスやふれあいを通じて、クジラとの関わりを五感で深く学べます。
太地町立くじらの博物館 : https://www.kujirakan.jp/
多くの見どころがある「くじらの博物館」の中で、今回は博物館本館とクジラショーの様子をご紹介します
日本の伝統文化である捕鯨漁や太地町を中心としたいるか漁は、国際的な批判と、それに伴う漁業者の生活権・文化の維持との間の対立が課題です
思想的な内容を含んでいると思いますので、ここではこれ以上の言及はいたしません
そんな環境に中で、太地町立くじらの博物館は
1. 文化的・歴史的背景の提供
2. 鯨類研究・教育拠点としての機能
3. 観光振興と町のイメージ転換
を担っていると考えられます
これからも2025年もいろいろな場所を旅して見たり食べたり体験したことをvlogとしてご紹介します。
ただのオジさんの旅動画ですが、これからも当チャンネル@arotitivlog を今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。
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00:02 はじめに
00:50 くじらの博物館本館の紹介
03:56 クジラショー
15:13 おわりに
#くじらの博物館
#太地町立くじらの博物館
#クジラショー