Rent-a-friend in Japan – Doggie Cafes

In Japan, now back firmly in recession, the economic situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse in recent months. But the Japanese still like to use their money to have fun, as it turns out.

Those doggies are more relaxed in this Dog Cafe than the human customers.

While ago I wrote about cute “Cat Cafes” in Tokyo in “Rent-a-friend in Japan – Cat Cafes in Tokyo“. If felines do not appeal, other establishments will rent you a rabbit, a ferret or even a beetle.

There are more than 150 companies in Tokyo which are licensed to hire out animals of various kinds and although beetles may be cheap, dogs are much more popular.

In Dog Cafes clients can meet different types of dogs and play with them.

First you pay a deposit and a hire fee. Then you are issued with a leash, some tissues and a plastic bag and given some advice on how to handle your new friend.

Kaori is a pretty waitress who regularly spends her Sunday afternoons with a Labrador. They go for a walk in the park if the weather is fine, or if it is wet they just snuggle up in front of the TV in her apartment.

Some people rent the dogs for longer periods and take them for walks or to the park.

“When I look into his eyes, I think he’s my dog,” Kaori told me. “But when I take him back to the shop, he runs away from me and starts wagging his tail when he sees the next customer. That’s when I know he’s only a rental dog.”