With Japan's declining birth rate, pets often create an even more important relationship with their owners and are considered members of the family. In fact, in 2006 the number of dogs (13 million) exceeded the number of children under 12 (12 million) for the first time!
I've been discussing this topic with some of my colleagues, and I have found 3 people who have pets:
- Fujii has a Welsh corgi dog, but he is quick to point out that it's his wife's dog not his!
- Tag has a cat.
- My friend Yuri has a miniature poodle named Louis Vuitton and a cat (name not mentioned!)
Dogs are the favorite
Preferred breeds are small and can be toted around in purses. A dog that costs $300 in the USA would typically sell for $3,000 in Japan.
Some even come with their own kimono!
But sadly many people live in apartments in Japan, and apartments often have a ban on pets (besides fish & turtles), so here are some other options if you can't have your own dog in Japan:
- Bow Wow Kingdom is an all-dog theme park for humans with 300 dogs from 80 breeds. People pay an entrance fee plus extra for activities such as walking dogs, sunbathing with puppies, and belly scratching sessions in the Petting Place. There is a special show featuring dogs riding bikes, walking tightropes, playing ball, and rescuing a princess from Bow Wow castle.
- Young men trying to meet girls have found that having a dog is the perfect ice-breaker. One Tokyo pet shop has cashed in on the trend by lending dogs—$50 a day for a poodle, $80 for a golden retriever—to young men. Satisfied customers have said "having a dog generates a lot to talk about" and "grabs their date's hearts."
- Rent-a-dog salon, where people spend time with pets in the salon, are popular with unmarried female office workers and double income couples. Customers can rent out pedigree dogs for around $8 to $13 an hour and make requests for a special dog. Miniature dachshunds and Chihuahuas are especially popular.
- Puppy the World rents out dogs by the hour, matches clients with pets, and has a rating system that lets customers know which dogs are the most popular or suited for them. Its customers include families with children who live in apartments where dogs are not allowed; lonely old timers who miss their pet dogs; and both young men and young women who want extra companionship. One satisfied customer said: “Its just such a perfect way to spend a day. I can walk along with my boyfriend, and we can pretend that we own a cute dog together. I would really love to own a dog, but I live with my parents and they won't allow it.”
Japan's obsession with dogs may have started in 1934 with Hachiko. Check out the 2009 Richard Gere movie "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" to hear about one dog's true devotion to his owner. There is a statue of the faithful dog at Shibuya Station in Tokyo that was erected one year before Hachiko died.
For the people that are lucky enough to have a dog, there are plenty of wacky things you can do with them. My favorite is the doggie laundromat.
It's a vending machine where you put your dog through and wash and rinse cycle for only $11!
I couldn't find a dryer though... and that's going to be one angry puppy when he gets out!
For a $20,000 membership fee, dogs can join the Athletic Dog Club in Tokyo, where they can take etiquette classes, and participate in a weight-gain or weight-loss programs. There are even some special dog hotels or onsen where you can take a hot springs bath with your pooch.
There is a special device called the Bowlingual that can decode your dogs barks and tell you what they are really feeling. I hear an American version was brought to the market a year ago but was a dud because the translator kept saying sad things like "You're not listening to me" and "Why aren't you playing with me?"
Traditionally, dogs have been carefully bred with dogs with similar genetic make up to bring out desirable recessive traits, but in Japan caution is often thrown to the wind as breeders try to make quick yen by breeding siblings and parents to produce the recessive traits quickly and in large numbers. The result at times has been disfigured dogs with eyes that literally fall out of their sockets and other gross traits. The breeding industry and pet abuse is largely unregulated. There are only four officials monitoring 25,000 pet shops, kennels, and breeders (not to mention pet owners) in the entire nation.
Statistics show that 25% of pets in Japan are overweight due to being overfed and lack of exercise. Cats come in first on this scale since they often live in tiny homes and never leave the house.
Obsession with Cats
Japan is known for Hello Kitty! and Maneki Neko (beckoning cat), so it's not shocking that this country loves cats as pets, too. On television, you can find prime time shows chronicling the lives of city cats. As well as websites and blogs devoted to cats are very popular.
How about a Hello Kitty Transformation Set for your pet? LOL
I have seen a ridiculous number of stray cats, and I hear it's again because many people can't actually own them due to this housing agreements, but they happily leave food outside and then pet the cats whenever they come by!
Have no fear! You can still enjoy cats in Japan without actually owning one or rounding up a stray:
- Neko cafes, or cat cafes, are places where people can relax, sip tea or coffee and spend time with cats. Customers pay around $9 for the first hour to play with cats. There are also cat salons where customers pay $13 to enter a room full of rare breed of cats—such as Himalayans and Persians—and stay as long as they like as well as cafes and restaurants where cat-owners can bring their own pets for snacks and treats and relax and play games.
- One café in Tokyo with 19 cats was so busy customers often need reservations to get in. A customer said, “This is just like having my own cat as a pet at home. They have a soothing effect on me.”
- One of the most famous cats in Japan is Tama, a calico cat appointed as station master of Kishi Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture. The cat has its own office. People make a special visit to the station to have their picture taken with Tama.
Yes, the most popular cat is the odd-looking (to me, at least!) Japanese bobtail. There are many folklore and legends why this breed of cat does not have a tail, including one where the tail of a burning cat once ran around town and caught other buildings on fire, thus destroying the town!!
My favorite cat is definitely Business Cat often featured in advertisements with traditional Japanese things, like riding the shinkansen (bullet train), Mt. Fuji, bento (lunchbox), bottle of tea, and of course his necktie!
Here is Business Cat again with his traditional hard-case luggage on 4 rollers checking into a hotel!
Lastly, I cannot confirm the rumors of rare and wacky pets in Japan. Some people ask if they really keep squirrels and monkeys and beetles at pets, but I haven't heard of anything specific. I sure there are plenty of nut jobs out there just like the USA, but these people are few and far between.
Then again, maybe it's not just an urban legend. I do like to stop by the pet store when I am at the mall in Nagoya to look at the tiny dogs and cats. After hearing I'd recently been to the store, a friend asked me if I went in the back room where they kept the "exotic pets". I've been to the mall 3 times, and although I'm not usually wandering around looking for a special room, I've never seen anything indicated that there are more pets hiding elsewhere. Not sure if I will make it to the mall again in the next few months, but if so I will investigate further next time. (Or this friend could be pulling my leg... some days it's hard to say!)
