“Whale Restaurant”: A Diversity Film on Eating Whales

— DVD Available Worldwide New Environmental Perspectives on Whale Cuisine

The documentary film The Whale Restaurant, which explores Japan’s whale-eating culture, is now available for purchase at Kinokuniya bookstores across the globe on bilingual edition (Japanese and English).

The film captures the atmosphere of traditional whale restaurants while also addressing global environmental issues, such as the balance of protein resources on Earth, through the perspectives of scientists and experts.

Alongside this release, Behind THE COVE—a counter-argument to the Academy Award-winning film The Cove—is also available. Both films come in bilingual editions (Japanese and English), and each DVD includes a special bonus: a postcard featuring a traditional ukiyo-e print of whales.

Both titles are currently available for purchase on Amazon Japan online.

「Behind THE COVE」　　https://amzn.asia/d/aaMzbYa

「Whale Restaurant」　　https://amzn.asia/d/biPJnb0

Kinokuniya operates stores not only in Japan, but also in the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), making the films widely accessible to international audiences.

Director Keiko Yagi commented:

“In international conferences, Japan’s position has often been dismissed as emotional. Through this film, I hope audiences can view the whaling issue more calmly and use it as an opportunity to reflect on global warming and food security.”

Director, Keiko Yagi　　 

After working at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, Keiko Yagi independently produced Behind THE COVE, a documentary tackling the long-taboo subject of whaling. The film was featured in major international media outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times, etc. (https://behindthecove.com/index_en.html) Unusually for a Japanese documentary, it was later distributed worldwide on Netflix, drawing significant attention.

Her latest work, The Whale Restaurant, was released in summer 2025 as a bilingual DVD (Japanese and English).