Discover the world's most comprehensive whale and dolphin museum in the historic fishing village of Taiji — home to 4,000 years of whaling heritage — with live cetacean encounters and a remarkable collection of traditional hunting artefacts.
What to expect
The museum displays full whale skeletons, traditional harpoons, and centuries of whaling art alongside modern marine biology exhibits. Live bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales are kept in a sea pen adjacent to the museum with supervised touch-pool experiences. The village of Taiji itself — with its whale-bone monuments, ancient shrines, and the dramatic headland over Moriura Bay — merits a short walk. Rated 4.5 stars by over 50 independent reviewers.
Good to know
Taiji is approximately 30–40 minutes by road south of Shingu Port — factor in travel time carefully against your all-aboard. Combine with a walk through Taiji village and a stop at the historic Kujira-no-Hama (Whale Beach) for a full half-day. The museum opens from 09:00. Visitors with ethical concerns about cetacean captivity should research before visiting.
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at Shingu — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.