Whale-watching Tours
It's said that the whaling industry in Kochi dates from 1591, when the local daimyo Chokosabe Motochika gifted the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Osaka a whale and in return received 800 bags of rice. Japan and whales have, in recent times, become a controversial combination, but along Kochi-ken's coast few are complaining as whale-watching tours replace the old way of making a living. Tours typically last three hours and cost around Y4500 per person in small boat holding ten people. The best time to see whales is May and June, though the season runs from spring through to autumn. Nothing's guaranteed, but with a good skipper expect to see the large Bryde's whales and medium-sized false killer whales as well as schools of white-sided and Risso's dolphins. For details, contact the Ogata Town Leisure Fishing boats Owners Association (tel 0880/43-1058) or Saga Town Fishermen's Association (tel 0880/55-3131).
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