WTF: Japan Has Vending Machines with Whale and Dolphin Meat
The snack vending machine has undergone a true revolution in recent years. Whereas you could previously only pull frikandellen, croquettes and kipcorns out of the wall, there are now pizza vending machines, sausage-roll vending machines and oyster vending machines. Even the meat vending machine has already made its debut. You can also find one in Japan, but with very special meat snacks. Anyone who puts a coin into that vending machine gets… whale or dolphin meat.
Correction: you probably won’t get the vending machine working with just one coin. Anyone craving a piece of whale or dolphin meat has to put the equivalent of between 7 and 21 euros into the machine. Either you want to pull a delicacy out of the wall or you don’t.
Forbidden meat
Whaling has been banned worldwide for many years (since 1986). Japan, however, does not care. One of the main reasons is that eating whale meat is part of its culture. It is a centuries-old tradition that they want to continue. For example, by selling whale and dolphin snacks through vending machines.
@viceworldnews These Japanese vending machines are now selling whale meat to boost domestic consumption. #japan #whale #whalemeat #vendingmachine #whaling ♬ original sound – VICE World News
Growing opposition
The hunt for whale meat is also being accepted by fewer and fewer Japanese people. There are regular protests about this issue in the country. The company bringing the whale and dolphin meat vending machines to the Japanese market wants to push back against this. In the hope that the snacks will eventually become just as popular again as they once were. Whether that will succeed remains to be seen. To be honest, we hope not.
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