Dear Ambassador @CarolineKennedy ,

Dear Ambassador Caroline Kennedy,
Thank you for reading the following rather long note for you and your great country United States of America to understand more about Japan.

Japanese admire the entire nature. We admire the trees, ocean, mountain, grass, birds, fishes, animals, human and everything surrounding us.
We do not think humans are above or superior to all other life forms.

 When we have meals we thank to all the life that we took including crops, vegetables, fishes, meat and everything and say “Itadaki masu” meaning ”Thank you for letting me have your lives” thus we do NOT think vegetarians are special or kind person since they are taking life from vegetables. Any plants have its own life to live.

When western people say “Don’t kill the whales or dolphins because they’re smart and have emotions!” we feel “Does not the cows, chickens, pigs, are smart and have emotions?”.
The opposite of “Do not kill because they are smart.” would be “Kill if they are not smart.” and we do not agree to that policy.
When vegetarians say “Don’t take life of animals?” we think “Does not the vegetables and crops have their own life to live?”.

Some westerns say “God gave the whole world to humans.” but I do not believe so. We live in this planet with other lives and we need various lives and energy in order to live in this planet, thus everything is precious.

Thus we thank to everything surrounding us. We borrow life and energy from the nature which we admire and humans cannot live without them thus we thank all of them and become humble. We do not have the “right” to conquer the world but oppositely the nature is letting us live and this belief we have for more than two thousand years in this islands, after long history of mankind and development of science has now becoming prove to be true.

The western culture is heavily influenced by Christianity and “Love your enemy.” is one if the greatest words of wisdom and many other great concepts comes from Christianity, but sometimes since the influence is so heavy people forget some of their thoughts are based on that religion.

Do YOU believe you should kill any lives because they are not smart?

We need to take lives from others living on this planet in order to live.
If you think that is a sin, it is a sin, we are all guilty taking lives from others.

Please do not decide only by your culture and your religion which lives you can take and which lives you cannot take.
The only thing we can do is follow our tradition in each country and thank every lives and energy surrounding us that we take.

Thank you again for reading this. I hope we two countries would understand more about each other and have a better peaceful world for all of us, every lives in the planet.
I pray that your stay in Japan continues to be pleasant and comfortable.

Best and warmest regards,
Shinji HIRATA

P.S. I also noticed that 53 years ago today, January 20, 1961, your father John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the 35th. President of the United States of America. John is the most popular and admired President of all times by the Japanese people knowing that he stopped the nuclear war and fought for human rights for the minorities in your country.

Dear @shinjihi

I just read your letter to ambassador @CarolineKennedy and I globally agree with it. First, I would like to assure you of my deep respect for your wonderful country and your so beautiful culture. I love and admire the japanese connection with nature. I tell you that because I'm an anti-Taiji's drive hunt peaceful protestor and would like to explain you why.

You seems to believe that we, protestors, don't understand your traditions and want shut your culture down. That's not true. You say that we want the whole world to become vegetarian and that dolphins must not be killed "because they're so smart". You didn't got the point at all.

What you didn't understand is that it's NOT a matter of being vegetarian or not (I'm not), or to be smart or not... It's all about the ugly way it's done. We also protest for chickens, bees, or sharks...Speaking for myself, I don't think dolphins are as smart as people say. In my country (I'm french), I regularly protest against my fellows citizens who stab fightings bulls to death in bullrings. So you see, it's not about your culture; I'm fighting mine as well as yours.

It's all about cruelty towards living beings who can endure physical pain, suffering, stress, fear, love... If they could be killed quickly without suffering and traumatism, if the fishermens did'nt torn mothers/babies apart, If others members of pods wouldn't see and hear their family's slaughter, If they didn't caught them in captivity for money, If they didn't suffer many injuries and stress due to the violent selection process... Then there would probably be no protest at all!!!

So,I beg you to believe that we love Japan and it's culture, we only demand some kindness towards dolphins, and others animals.

I'm very grateful for you taking your time reading me and hope you understand our point of view a little better.

Sincerely yours,

@kcalBBird

Dear @kcalBBird , 

 Regarding my letter to Ambassador @CarolineKennedy , thank you so much for your kind reply. 

I understand that you are NOT against Japanese culture and I appreciate it very much.

I am not a vegetarian. 

I eat almost anything. 

I understand that you are NOT trying to shut our culture down.

However, the point that I made was human, animals, birds, vegetables and plants (or any lives) are equal when it comes to a precious “life” on earth.

If you kill a flower, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a plant, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a vegetable, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a pig, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a cow, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a chicken, it is hurting them

If you kill a dolphin, it is hurting them. 

If you kill a whale, it is hurting them.

In order to eat them you will need to kill them and that hurts them, any plant or animal (or any lives).

I don’t think only “bloody kill” is brutal, “every kill”,”silent kill” is brutal, including killing cows, dolphins, plants and every lives.

The only reason we think that “bloody kill is brutal” comes from our emotion, but the fact is every kill is brutal and we have to kill other lives in order to stay alive.

Humans are brutal and we have to take lives of others in order to live. So we regret and thank to the “lives” we take. We pray for them on every meal we have. 

ITADAKI MASU

I hope this explains our view of life.

Thank you very much for reading this long note.

Sincerely,

Shinji HIRATA