There’s Whales in Your Living Room!

The Taiji Whale Museum, located in the small town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, is focused totally on whales and dolphins, a rarity in Japan.

The museum features a three-story exhibition hall on whale biology and whaling history, live dolphin and whale shows, interactive dolphin experiences, and a large ocean aquarium with a walk-through tunnel.

More importantly for most of us, the museum recently launched a 360-degree panoramic experience that virtual visitors can enjoy from home.

The museum hall has hundreds of artifacts on display, including several complete whale skeletons. There are recreations of old Japanese whaling from the days of hand-thrown harpoons, and a dozen accurate whale models built to 1/30 scale.

*Whale artifacts at the Taiji Whale Museum.*

It also features historical whaling artifacts, including tools used hundreds of years ago, as well as modern harpoons.

There are Japanese crafts made from whales, such as a tea room ceiling made of baleen. The museum is a place to learn about a wide variety of subjects from Japan’s whaling history and culture to the biology of whales native to the region.

The new technology allows guests to enjoy these exhibits from home, but those who wish to experience the scale of whales in person are welcome to visit. On the interactive tour, clicking on the blue markers brings up digital explanations and detailed imagery.

Click here to Enter the 360-degree Panorama Experience!

ABOUT THE MUSEUM:

The Taiji Whale Museum

2934-2 Taiji, Taiji-cho, Higashimuro-gun

Wakayama, Japan 〒649-5171

Tel: +81 (0)735-59-2400

Whaling Today.

This article is published in cooperation with the Institute of Cetacean Research in Japan and appeared in its original Japanese on the Institute's website, Kujira Town, at this link. Let us hear your thoughts in our comments section.

Author: Whaling Today