Hayden Panettiere has called for an end
to the annual dolphin hunt
The Heroes actress and her boyfriend, world champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko, hoped to talk to the local governors but were blocked at the door of the town hall.
Hayden said she would "love to be a spokesperson" for the town if it abandons the hunt.
Her visit to Taiji comes just weeks after The Cove, a gory depiction of Taiji's dolphin slaughter, won the Oscar for best documentary.
"We are trying to peacefully come up with better ideas as to how to generate income and utilise the nature here," Hayden said.
"We've been to Taiji before and it's a beautiful place with beautiful wildlife."
"I'd love to be a spokesperson or to help generate tourism," she said.
Fishermen in the village on the rocky coast of southwest Japan consider the hunt a proud legacy. But it has long been targeted by hardcore environmentalists and animal lovers, and the Oscar has given the opposition more mainstream attention.
Hayden, 20, later walked through a large hole in a barrier along a path leading to the famous cove depicted in the movie. The cove was strewn with nets used to trap the dolphins, as well as firewood and debris left by the hunters.
Hayden, who plays an indestructible cheerleader in Heroes, is also the spokeswoman for the Save the Whales Again! campaign, which wants to halt Taiji's dolphin hunt.
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