The whale meat has a very dark color, almost black.

Whether whale meat will again become a major source of food here remains to be seen.

Some, however, continue to end up as whale meat in restaurants.

"I've been having whale meat since I was little," she said.

There is also a fish market that specializes in whale meat.

Whale meat, another cheap protein, was common until the 1970s.

This also means that whale meat is not available at supermarkets.

"I doubt if we should just let the culture of eating whale meat disappear," she said.

A growing number of Japanese don't want to eat whale meat.

The research would be funded through the sale of whale meat to Japan.