Enjoy life in Japan with a pet | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

Enjoy life in Japan with a pet

By Guidable Writers Jul 28, 2016

Dogs are very popular in Japan. They are not only popular as pets but also as TV characters. You can see dogs everyday on TV commercials, variety shows and dramas in Japan. The other day, I saw a famous white dog walking on a street, and tons of people were taking pictures of him (or her?).

Dogs have been the most popular pets in Japan for a long time. But recently the popularity of this man’s best friend has been threatened by another fluffy creature. Cats.

 

スクリーンショット 2016-07-28 10.31.25[Reference: http://pet-c.net/column/writers/petc/]


Dogs need plenty of space and be taken a walk everyday. But Japanese houses are so small without any yard and there are many people who have to work until late night. These facts make us difficult to keep dogs. Cats, on the other hand, can be kept in houses and no need to be taken a walk. They don’t care no one’s home for a long time as long as they have food.

If you are thinking to keep pets in Japan, you need to find an apartment that allows that. There are many options, but they are usually more expensive than usual apartments. In Japan, you need to pay deposit first to rent. It’s called deposit. You sometimes need pay extra deposit for keeping pets. Such apartments only allow small animals like cats, birds and rabbits. If you want to keep dogs, they should be small type like Chihuahua, Pomeranian and French bulldog. Bigger canines like American Pit Bull Terrier, Golden Retriever or even Shiba are usually not allowed. You need to rent a house not an apartment with a yard for them.

If you are lucky, you may be able to find an apartment with small yard. But it’s very rare.

 

スクリーンショット 2016-07-28 0.05.45[Reference: http://jmty.jp/chiba/]

 

So where will you get pets? Pet shops are everywhere in Japan so you can purchase there. You also can buy foods, toys and outfits for them. But there are more options. My sister keeps 2 cats and she bought them from a breeder. She says the breeder was very responsible and reliable. There are too many both good and bad breeders in Japan so it might be difficult to find a nice one. Asking your co-workers or friends in Japan is the best way. But you also can get information at cat cafe (Neko-cafe) in Japan.


You can get information and play with cat at Neko-cafe.

 


スクリーンショット 2016-07-28 0.05.54[Reference: http://nekogazou.com/]

 


This option may be the hardest way, but if you love animals please think about this. Becoming a foster. Many dogs and cats are being abandoned because of mainly selfish reasons. They will get killed after a while. If you can help them, visit animal shelters or websites.


[Rencontrer Mignon] http://rencontrer-mignon.org

[NPO Japan Animal Trust]  http://www.happyhouse.or.jp/pre_japananimaltrust/


Keeping pets will give you more opportunities to make friends. Have fun finding your lifetime partner.

 

Mayu

Japan