Whale Restaurant (2023)

Whale Restaurant 2023 / 鯨のレストラン 2023 / Kujira no Resutoran

A documentary by Keiko Yagi that approaches whales from the perspectives of ‟food'' and ‟science‟. Whale was once the top protein source for Japanese people and was eaten more than cows, pigs, and chickens. However, Japan's whale industry has now declined to 1% of its consumption during its heyday. Meanwhile, Ichinotani, a whale specialty restaurant owned by Mitsuo Tani in Kanda, Tokyo, is highly regarded across the country. The film focuses not only on the appeal of whales as a food ingredient but also on environmental issues and includes testimonies from key figures and experts at international conferences that decide rules for natural resources, as well as the modern vegan boom, deforestation, and protein sources. (Source: Japanese = eiga.com || Translation = XuongPhim)