Looking back at our first trip to Japan PART 6

This is the last set of pictures I took in Otsuchi.  I don't think any of our cameras could really capture the situation we were faced with.  The smells, sounds and the sheer size of the disaster was something we had difficulty absorbing, it was overwhelming to say the least.  Once we made it out of Otsuchi we had to walk for another hour or so to get through a tunnel to the town of Kamaichi which was also destroyed.  At that point there were vehicles making their way in moving supplies and the deceased, there were camps being set up for people who lost there homes and medical care for any who were injured.  We knew we couldn't become a burden to these people and our hotel was a 45 minute drive from there so we made the decision to try and get a ride.  After asking around we met a kind man who motioned for us to follow him and after about a half hour he had organized a ride for us back to Tono. One of the women who drove us in her van told us she had lost her business in the tsunami and we offered her money for the ride but she refused it.  I will never forget the kindness and generosity of the locals we met after the tsunami hit Otsuchi.  I am dreading the horror that awaits me in The Cove this fall, but I also look forward to experiencing more of the Japanese culture and meeting more kind Japanese citizens who will hopefully help me speak out against these crimes.  

Marley Daviduk

Cetacean Defense League

Cetacean Defense League in the news!

Nanaimo activists plan return trip to Japan

By Toby Gorman - Nanaimo News Bulletin
Published: August 14, 2011 5:00 PM

The last time Marley Daviduk and Carisa Webster travelled to Japan to document the slaughter of dolphins, they barely escaped with their own lives after a massive earthquake and resulting tsunami destroyed much of the coastline along northern Japan.

The team sought refuge on a hill and watched as the sea flooded in, tearing apart the town of Otsuchi. What wasn't destroyed by water was on fire, and the pair watched as human bodies swirled in the devastation.

Forced to abandon their mission last March, Daviduk and Webster are returning to Japan in September, this time to Taiji, their original destination, to document and observe dolphins being butchered for meat. Those that aren't slaughtered are abused into submission and sold in the live dolphin trade.

"Taiji, made famous through the movie The Cove, ended the slaughter a month early last season so we changed our plans and went 1,000 kilometres up the coast to Otsuchi," said Daviduk. "We're going back to do what we had intended to do in the first place and that is expose the slaughter."

With a country on edge as a result of the earthquake damage and nuclear radiation concerns, Daviduk and Webster are prepared for a much different Japan.

But the country's challenges doesn't give it licence to continue butchering dolphins, said Webster.

"We don't intend to cause too much trouble, we just want people to be aware of the dolphin slaughter," she said. "We're very considerate of the problems that they've had in the last while."

According to friends who have been at the site Daviduk and Webster plan to document from, Japanese police are ramping up drills to deal with activists who disturb the fishermen.

"All we're planning on doing is filming and asking questions," said Daviduk. "We saw they were preparing to deal with activists who jump on the nets and cut them, but we're not planing anything like that."

Webster said she believes the police are there practising as much for activists' safety as for the fishermen.

They plan to stay in Taiji filming for three weeks.

In March, Daviduk and Webster were working with activist group Sea Shepherd. With that organization unable to provide members to film this fall, Webster said it's as important as ever to have "compassionate eyes" documenting the slaughter and sending the story out to the world.

The pair established their own blog (at www.cetaceandefenseleague.blogspot.com) to share their stories and experiences, including photos of the devastation from their first trip. They both took on multiple jobs to help pay for their travel and accommodations, but have established donation options on the blog site to provide them with financial assistance.

Webster said despite the risks, their efforts are worth it.

"We're very determined and compassionate people, so I think we'll get done what we need to get done," said Webster. "We feel we need to go to Japan in particular because our oceans are in dire condition and nobody is really talking about that. Large animals like dolphins are an important part of our ecosystem which we all depend on. We're devastating the dolphin population and it needs to be known."

Looking back at our first trip to Japan PART 5

This next set of photos I took the morning after the earthquake and tsunami.  We had to spend the night in our rental cars on the hill because there was no way we were going to get out of there in the dark.  There was one other Japanese woman with us and we shared our food, water, toilet paper, and blankets with her, and ran the heat all night in our two Prius rental cars to keep warm.  That night it snowed and the temperature dropped, I can't imagine how cold people were who survived the water in the city, spending the night exposed to the elements.  We woke up at first light and evaluated our situation.  It was at that point that we started seeing people who had not survived, something I had never witnessed before, and I hope to never witness it again.  The water was still surging in and out 10-15 feet making it dangerous to walk anywhere near the shore.  The roads on both sides of us had been washed out and we made the decision to hike out through the mountains with the help of a firefighter who had returned to show us the way out.  The following pictures show the route we had to take on foot to get out of the city.  At times we were knee deep in sludge and water, there were no paths to follow, bridges had been washed out and we literally had to climb over the remains of a city.  There were constant aftershocks, and much of what we walked on had burned the night before leaving the ground smoldering hot and melting our shoes and boots.  We had to walk fast, and we saw very few survivors.  

I have one more set of pictures to post in the next day or so so please check back for updates.

Thank you so much to those who have made personal contributions to our campaign, we are so grateful for your generosity.  For those of you who wish you could go in person but are choosing to contribute to our campaign instead we pledge to work tirelessly when we are there, doing everything we can to expose this slaughter.  

Please remember to continue calling the Japanese embassy in your country, there is no limit to the amount of calls you can make.  

Marley and Carisa

Cetacean Defense League

Please donate to our online auction!

Do you have anything you could sell on Ebay and donate to our campaign?  We have just set up an Ebay account for our online auction.  If you have something you think you could sell on Ebay let us know and we can set it up on our account and the money would go to our campaign in Taiji.
All money made will directly fund our campaign, from plane tickets to get us there, to transportation to The Cove everyday, our hotel costs and our food budget.
Without your generous contributions we would not be able to go at all, and the dolphins need us there!  We want to keep a constant presence in Taiji to show the government we are not backing down and we will continue to expose their horrific treatment of marine mammals to the rest of the world.  We are hoping that with the pictures and video we take in Taiji we will be able to encourage the public to take action against the Japanese government.

We appreciate all your support!

Marley and Carisa
Cetacean Defense League

Bottlenose dolphin BOTTLE DRIVE #2!

Well we are bottle driving our butts off again!  In two days we made almost $200 which will pay for our food for four days.  Everything is expensive in Japan, the food, rental cars, hotel, and we are thankful for every dollar donated.  If you can pledge $50 which budgets us twenty five dollars each for food for the day in Taiji we would be so grateful!

We are both vegan of course and we plan to save money by staying out of restaurants and sticking to the grocery stores.  During our first trip to Japan I have to say it was a bit of a challenge finding vegan food unless there was a grocery store around.  We were in pretty remote small towns for the most part and several times we tried to eat in a restaurant using our trusty Vegan Passport and were quickly sent away.  Everyone was really nice and made their best effort to check with the chefs and double check ingredient lists, but there was literally nothing that did not have some sort of fish or chicken stock in it at least at all the places we tried to eat at.  The grocery store was a different story!  I swear Japan has the most delicious strawberries I have ever tasted.  Sweet, juicy, ripe and fantastic!  We found cereal, Inari, roasted sweet potatoes, dried fruit, chips, roasted chestnuts, oranges and veggie sushi.

After the earthquake struck that was a bit more challenging of course.  When we were back at our hotel in Tono we quickly realized the size of the disaster and that the entire country was going into lock down.  The streets of Tono were deserted, very little was open but we needed to get food and water because we didn't know how long we would have to wait for a flight home.  We set out to the grocery store and found that it was cordoned off and they had brought food out to the entrance way and were rationing!  They weren't allowing anyone inside and what they had brought out was very limited considering we had no kitchen and a lot of what they had was not vegan.  But what we did have was a water purifier which looked very similar to a rice cooker.  All we needed was a bottle of hoisin sauce, some greens, fried tofu, noodles and we turned that water purifier into a soup pot and I have to say it was the best soup I have ever tasted!  Who says it's hard to stay vegan when traveling?

Please keep checking back, we have more pictures and videos to post soon.

Thank you for all your support!

Marley and Carisa
Cetacean Defense League

Looking back at our first trip to Japan PART 4

Please support the Cetacean Defense League by clicking to donate!  Every dollar donated will allow us to stay in Taiji for 3 weeks in September.  Let's keep up the pressure at The Cove and show the fishermen we are not backing down.  There is plenty we don't know about the dolphin slaughter in Japan and we intend to do our best to expose this filthy business.

We are excited to be joined by fellow Canadian Aster Demone halfway through our stay in Taiji.  We look forward to working with such a dedicated activist and a talented photographer!

As Canadians we understand what it's like to have a small group of violent individuals bloody the reputation of our country.  We know the murderous monsters who are killing cetaceans in Taiji do not represent the Japanese people, just like the seal clubbing psychopaths of the east coast DO NOT represent the rest of Canada.  It's just a shame the the governments of both countries cater to such blood thirsty scumbags instead of listening to the public outcry and demand for marine mammal protection.


SHAME on Japan, and SHAME on Canada.

Cetacean Defense League

Looking back at our first trip to Japan PART 3

This next set of pictures shows the aftermath of the tsunami.  At this point we decided to walk down the hill to see whether the road was still intact.   The road was completely destroyed and there was no way to get the vehicles out.  The water was still surging and at one point it started rising again forcing us to run to run for higher ground.  We were checking all vehicles to see if there was anyone trapped inside but we didn't see anyone, we were completely alone.  After inspecting the washed out road, we realized that we may have to climb through the forest and over the hill to get out.  There were massive islands of debris forming in the harbor, dozens of cars and houses grinding together making the most eerie screeching sound echoing through the hills and the silent wreckage of a city.  

Please consider donating to the Cetacean Defense League for our next trip to Japan this September 2011.  We rely completely on your generous contributions and every dollar helps us so much.  We plan to stay in Taiji for 3 weeks monitoring the cruel dolphin slaughter.  If you think you may be able to travel to Taiji yourself feel free to contact us with any questions.  The more people at The Cove the better!

Marley and Carisa
Cetacean Defense League