Taiji

The little coastal village of Taiji, Japan is lauded as the birthplace of Japanese whaling. Today the secret of ‘The Cove’ and Taiji’s annual dolphin hunt is out. Set amid the activists’ frontline battle to protect Taiji’s dolphins, ‘Taiji’ brings a bigger untold story to readers. It sets out the conflict against the backdrop of Japanese history and culture; documenting its duality set in stark contrast against the high spirituality of the nearby Kumano region. Drawing on his three trips to Japan, Len Varley details his mysterious encounters with a number of captive dolphins. Interactions with police and dolphin hunters. There is action and intrigue; loyalty and loss. ‘Taiji’ is a broad canvas which the author paints lovingly-sometimes hard-bitten, sometimes in wonderment-but always with his trademark sensitivity and respect for life. As a work which observes an example of human mishandling of interactions with nature and wildlife, its messages remain timeless and relevant.