🍱 Kure no nimono

The local dish eaten at New Year's Eve in Kochi Prefecture is "Kureno-ni-nimono" (simmered dishes at the end of the year), which contains whale meat. This dish was eaten with the wish that by eating something as large as a whale, one would "become a big fish. In the days when whales were readily available, it was a common sight to see them lined up at fish shops as New Year's Eve approached. In the mountainous areas, dried whale called "koro" was an indispensable ingredient. The port city of Muroto was responsible for Kochi's whale eating culture. Whales cross Tosa Bay as they migrate north and south across the Pacific Ocean. Fishing groups called "Kujigumi" whaled whales at that time of year. Tosa Bay is also known as the birthplace of Tosa whaling, and whaling is said to have begun in the early Edo period. Whaling in Tosa Bay continued for more than 300 years until 1936. Even today, Tosa Bay is a migratory course for whales, and whale watching and other whale watching activities are conducted there.