Our Story
Navigating the joys and challenges of Tokyo dog life
Before adopting Amelia, I realized pretty quickly that having a dog in Tokyo was going to be very different from having a dog in Canada. Some things would be the same. After all, dog owners everywhere love their dogs. But what were the actual regulations for owning a dog here? Where they any cultural pitfalls?
Sometimes information was easy to find. Other times? Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. As much as possible, when using Japanese words I will include kanji, hiragana, romaji and a translation. Finding the correct phrases has been a fun challenge.
I started this site to share information I learned hoping to help other dog owners (particularly foreigners in Japan). Because I’m based in Kanto, most of the posts will be centered here, but as time goes on I hope to add more locations.
I also created Log Your Dog’s Life. This is the log book and journal I wish I had when I adopted Amelia. Even though she’s no longer a puppy, I still find it useful and I hope you will, too.
Lori Ono
I’m a Canadian writer, photographer and dog fan with over 20 years of experience in Japan, currently based in Tokyo. When I adopted my dog, I had so many questions and information was hard to find. As I made friends with local dog owners (thanks Amelia!) I discovered that a lot of them also weren’t sure about certain rules. It’s been interesting to talk with them and learn from them.
Amelia
Amelia is a mixed breed dog rescued from the mountains of Tokushima when she was a puppy, thanks to the amazing rescue work of Heart Tokushima. We adopted her when she was 4.5 months old.
She loves dogs, parks and snacks. People are okay once you get in her circle of trust. She’s neutral about blueberries, and chasing balls. Windy days and bananas are a hard pass.
There are a couple of interesting words that describe Amelia:
–Hogo-ken (保護犬・ほごけん) A dog that has been found or rescued. It’s often translated as “protected dog.”
–Nihon-ken (日本犬・にほんけん) Japanese dog. A local of probably mixed Japanese breeds.
–Nora inu (野良犬/のらいぬ) Stray dog
–Zasshu (雑種・ざっしゅ) Mongrel, mutt, mixed breed