RetireJapan

When I lived in Japan 15 years ago I never paid attention to how dog friendly Japan was. As I'm considering my move back I'm curious if I could get some advice in this department.

I've discussed this with a realtor in Hiroshima and he said in the city it is difficult to find a manshon that will accept a dog over 10kg - and usually the owner is expected to carry their pet through common areas. Can others on this forum confirm these types of restrictions and how standard they are across Japan?

Also, I'm currently in the US and raw feeding has become somewhat common over here. What is the feeding mentality over there? Are there local pet food shops preparing raw grinds for dogs - or is kibble the only commercially available option?

Any information on fleas, ticks and vaccination requirements would also be greatly appreciated.

I had a coworker who had to bring his dog over from the US and it was a big dog. He had the exact same problem where all the supposed pet-friendly apartments actually only mean small dogs/cats and there was no way they were allowing a big dog. He ended up having to rent a house with a lawn for his dog.

Your realtor in Hiroshima is likely giving you correct information about most mansions not wanting to allow big dogs. I had a 100 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback that I brought from the US to Tokyo and it was never easy finding an apartment. I can't speak for Hiroshima, but in Tokyo I don't think I've met anyone who had their dog on a raw food diet and that is probably because the pet stores generally sell kibble. Maybe you could find something online though?

Japan has a 6 month quarantine for dogs coming from the US and you can either bring your dog with you and then leave him in a facility near the airport for 6 months or you can leave your dog with a friend back in the US during the 6 month waiting period. If you choose to have a friend keep your dog in the US while you move to Japan, you have to get special paperwork from only certain approved vets in the US that have authority from the Dept of Agriculture. My parents kept my dog for the 6 month quarantine while I moved here and they did all this legwork for me, which was a big help.

In general Japan is designed for people to have small dogs unless you live in the countryside. The vet offices in Japan don't usually have scales for big dogs and even the x-ray facilities, etc are tiny.

Good luck!

Japan is not a dog friendly country in fact. I have a dachshund which I purchase in Japan. I had to pay a 1 month additional caution and declare it to the mansion I was renting. Usually, mansions on rental basis do not accept pets. You have to check carefully. Even when mansion accept pets, it is usually small ones. When I left the apartment, I had to pay for repairs and also for removing the smell of the dog, which is fair but was quite expensive.

This has led me to finally buy my own apartment because I thought I could have more freedom. Actually, here I was also wrong. Even if basically I can have my pet in my apartment, I shall follow the rules of the mansion which could be very restrictive. Here also only small dogs are allowed and one of my neighbor who had to get the big dog from his deceased parent had to leave because he was not allowed to keep it in the mansion. Again, he was proprietor of his house!

The places you can go with your dog are very limited. Most of the people have their own car to bring their dog because rental cars do not allow to have dogs. Hotels where you can stay with your dog are even more limited or you need to pay a very high extra.

As many things in Japan you have the 2 flips of the coin: looks open and friendly but then you only have trouble.

Leash law means you can never legally let your dog run free on public land, e.g. parks and riverbanks.
Also you have to pick up the and carry it home with you (because there are no public disposal facilities).

This is one of my biggest doubts about staying in Japan long-term, funnily enough. I'd love to have a (medium/large) dog, but I'm not sure if we could lead the life I'd like, compared to in another country.

Thank you to all for your honesty in assessing the situation and for taking the time to reply.