Wandering the World
The Ground Beneath my Feet
Cats and Dogs in Japan6/5/2019 After years of begging, I finally let my daughter pick out a tiny kitten when we moved to Spain. Previously we were living in Japan and our apartment didn’t allow pets. This meant that we had to leave our beloved cat Hisser (who was born under our bed just weeks before I married my husband) with my parents in Arizona and no pets for my daughter. Our apartment in Spain however, happily allows pets so, welcome Thimble! For the 4 years we lived in Japan and were unable to have pets, I was constantly amazed and amused by the differences I saw between how pets are viewed and cared for in Japan and how I am used to caring for them in the United States. Dogs around TokyoWe were fortunate to live near one of the most beautiful parks in Tokyo, Ueno Park. It took me about 20 minutes to walk there at a good clip and many weekends would find me strolling through its many cherry trees and lotus ponds. I was not alone, many many people frequent this park and often with their dogs. People in Japan often take their dogs on walks in strollers and sometimes backpacks just as we do in the United States with children. They often also accessorize their dogs. Japan Loves Cats!People in Japan love cats! There are cat statues, toys, paintings etc. everywhere and on the rare occasion you actually get to see a cat on the street there are often many people gathered around it taking pictures. Cat CafesSince many people are unable to own cats, they have cat cafes where people can go and spend time with them. I visited a couple of cat cafes. Once with my daughter because she missed having a pet so much I hoped it would help. It didn’t, they have very strict rules at the cat cafes, no picking up the cats, no interaction with the cats unless they come up to you. This means patrons grab kitty toys and try to lure them over. Unfortunately, the cats, being cats, are often aloof. There are tons of people trooping through each day and they don’t know you so it is understandable that they don’t really want to sit on your lap. They aren’t dogs after all! More Fascinating Things Pertaining to Dogs and Cats in Japan
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Leave a Reply.Author: Kia DeCouNot all who wander are lost, well, maybe sometimes we are and that's OK. What we discover along the way is the whole point. Archives
August 2019
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