According to Danwei, the Beijing City Government Food Safety Office reportedly is sending out notices putting restrictions on the serving, transport and sale of dog meat during the Olympics.
The main thrust of the notice is that all meat transported into Beijing during the Olympics will be thoroughly checked, and that the 112 […]

Found at a pet shop the other day, sparkling wine for pooches.

The woman in the store confided in me that they do not sell much of the stuff.

An Osaka man has been arrested for a string of convenience store hold-ups that netted some 587,000 yen, which he used to feed his two dogs, five cats, five turtles, two snakes, and tropical fish.
Dubbed “The Dogman,” Takaharu Kawata would rob convenience stores at knifepoint while wearing an oversized black-and-white dog mask.
Mr Kawata, who is […]

Japundit noted that the number of dogs in Japan now exceeds the number of children under 10. During my last visit to Japan, I really noticed how many fewer children are out and about; they aren’t there like they used to be. At the same time, during Golden Weekend, I kept seeing dogs shepherded […]

Diane Rehm interviewed (audio) Martha Sherrill the author of Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain.  Sherrill spent some time in Japan and found out about the story of the Akita, its near extinction, and its preservation by Morie Sawataishi around WWII.  If you’re a dog lover, you’re sure to enjoy the interview and the […]

I don’t know if this product is for cat lovers or cat haters. . . A Hello Kitty outfit for your puss.

Price: 18,000 yen
Via Rinkya

Check out this mouse pad for cat lovers.

The pads are arranged to resemble a cat’s paw, but they look to me like they would just get in the way.
Price: 1,800 yen
Via A Rinkya Blog

Straight from the Security and Safety Trade Expo in Tokyo is this emergency outfit for dogs. Designed to be either for a dog or cat, the coat includes pockets that contain emergency goods and food.
Why food? You would think that there would be plenty of fresh meat lying around for the enterprising dog or cat […]

As everyone knows, we are quick here on JAPUNDIT to feature stories that highlight the Japanese love affair with their pampered pets. But here is one product from the U.S. that I have yet to see here. . . PetsCell

PetsCell is a GPS-enabled cellphone designed exclusively for dogs and provides two-way communication between you and […]

Got bugs? If not, no problem, since Bandai’s newest high-tech toy is a robotic cockroach. “This little thing has six legs, a touch sensor that tells it to change directions when it hits a wall, a micro monitor that makes it vibrate like a cell phone, and a mic sensor that lets it scuttle away […]

With declining births and increasing pet ownership, Japan may literally be going to the dogs.
A recent news report revealed that the population of dogs in Japan (13.1 million) now is greater than the number of children 10 years old and younger.

Aren’t those precious expressions priceless? In this photo from the Mainichi, we have, on the left, Mariko Amano, “a sports and health advisor”, and on the right, Ram, a 3-month-old French bulldog.
Mariko runs “an oxygen salon”, Air Press, in Tokyo, which claims to “slow down human aging”, so it was a natural step […]

It’s true that the Japanese are some of the biggest pet pamperers in the world. There are lots of examples, including dog popsicles, Pet Sweat, doggie foot Jacuzzis, various high-tech gadgets, stress test patches, aromatherapy and acupuncture for the elderly, and of course the Japan Dog Yoga Association. So it’s hardly surprising (but still is) […]

They have everything else that used to be reserved for human beings only, so why not popsicles too? Tokyomango says: “It’s hot as hell in Tokyo right now. Don’t you think your doggie deserves a popsicle, too? Here are some cool ice treats made especially for dogs. It’s produced by the same company that make […]

Filed under “animal abuse” Gizmodo regretfully reports on the availability of a new Hello Kitty cat humiliation kit:
Oh… oh my. Japan, a country that never fails to blow my mind, has just seen the release of, according to Google’s hilariously inept machine translation, the “Hello Kitty transformation set.” It’s basically a hat, bib, collar and […]

Apparently capitalizing on the longevity of Pocari Sweat, now Pet Sweat is available for those crazy enough to buy water for their dogs, according to Tokyo Times. In the good old days, dogs used to drink out of toilets and mud puddles and were perfectly healthy–now not even ordinary tap water is good enough for […]

Here is the perfect product for those days when the family pooch comes home dog tired after a hard day romping in the yard – a doggie foot Jacuzzi!

Ashi Kirei Kirei includes the Jacuzzi itself, along with a towel and mat in either pink or blue.
Get it Amazon Japan.
Price: 5,800 yen
Fido will love you […]

Coming to a theater near you. . . Tamagotchi - The movie!?!

My good friend Tokyo Dan from the What’s Happening In Tokyo podcast writes in to tell us about BowWow.jp, a company that specializes in providing services for Tokyo pooches.

In addition to dog walking services (1,800 to 2,200 yen, depending on size), BowWow.jp also has vehicles that are equipped with dog baths that they will dispatch […]

Pet ownership is on a steady rise worldwide. In Japan, more households had pets than kids in 2006, and a slew of new products geared toward canines has come on the scene to meet this trend. Wired presents a bizarre roundup of some of the coolest tech for dogs from companies in Japan and the […]