Hey guys, sorry for the delay in getting this first post up!
We've had quite an interesting journey so far. Our plane was caught in a storm on the way to Tokyo, which caused a delay. The weather was really on our side in the end though, as we were rushed through immigration and customs to catch our connecting flight with no delays. We made our way to the nice hotel at Kansai airport to prepare for the next day's journey to Wakayama. The train ride was pleasant and everyone started getting excited as we pulled on our Sea Shepherd gear to exit in style. Our hotel in Kii-Katsuura is wonderful and we were greeted by several of our fellow passionate activists. The first couple days were nice, no dolphins were caught and we had a chance to learn the ropes and get to know the area. The Cove Guardians have a good relationship with our hotel and a few restaurants in the area who offer good vegan options, a vast improvement from the food in the hotel in Osaka. One place brings out several plates of delicious food for everyone in our group, something different each time. We are all missing Spiral Diner and Veggie Garden, but
are stoked to have our local restaurants here.
Yesterday, February 12, 2012, we witnessed our first dolphin slaughter and it is really hard to describe the emotions and absolute draining effect of seeing these beautiful beings chased and herded for miles and miles to be killed under tarps in a little cove. The contrast of the beauty of the area and the ugliness of the slaughter is almost unimaginable. Without the support of this amazing group of activists and all of our friends and family back home I know I would've broken down and shut off. That experience makes us all the more willing to take time away from everything and spend the money to be here to help, as hard as it all is.
Today was much better. There were clouds all across the horizon and a threat of rain, and the dolphin killers called it a day early. We spent the rest of the day observing the trainers and captive dolphins at Dolphin Base in Taiji. We want them to always be reminded that their business leads directly to the slaughter.
It's raining now and the day is winding down. We'll have a small community meal then head off to bed to do it all again in the morning.
Oh, and by the way, driving on the left side is pretty fun.
- Jeff
