In a smart and expensive neighbourhood of Tokyo, Toshiko Horikoshi relaxes by playing her grand piano. She's a successful eye surgeon, with a private clinic, a stylish apartment, a Porsche and two pet pooches: Tinkerbell, a chihuahua, and Ginger, a poodle. "Japanese dog owners think a dog is like a child," says Horikoshi. "I have no children, so I really love my two dogs."
Many Japanese women like Horikoshi prefer pets to parenthood. Startlingly, in a country panicking over its plummeting birthrate, there are now many more pets than children. While the birthrate has been falling dramatically and the average age of Japan's population has been steadily climbing, Japan has become a pet superpower. Official estimates put the pet population at 22 million or more, but there are only 16.6 million children under 15.
Tinkerbell and Ginger have their own room and a wardrobe full of designer clothes. They have jumpers, dresses, coats and fancy dress outfits, neatly hung on jewelled hangers; hats, sunglasses and even tiny shoes. Horikoshi says she shops for her dogs most weekends and they get new clothes each season.
In Japan designer labels such as Chanel, Dior, Hermès and Gucci offer luxury dog products. This canine couture doesn't come cheap. A poodle pullover can cost $250 (around £160) or more. In many parts of Tokyo, it is easier to buy clothes for dogs than for children. Boutiques sell everything from frilly frocks to designer jeans, from nappies to organic nibbles, and smart "doggie bags" and buggies or pushchairs to transport them in.
Japan has arguably the world's most pampered pooches. Tiny lapdogs such as miniature dachshunds, poodles and chihuahuas are particularly popular because most people in Tokyo – one of the most densely populated cities in the world – live in small apartments. And there's a growing market in services and treats for pets.
The pet industry is estimated to be worth more than ¥1tn a year (around £8.2bn) and has expanded into gourmet dog food stores, hot spring resorts, yoga classes and restaurants where dogs sit on chairs to eat organic meals.
In his one-room flat in a Tokyo suburb, Jiro Akiba feeds treats to his dog Kotaro, a miniature dachshund, weighing only 3.4kg. His name means "first-born son". "He's like a first baby for us, so that's why we decided to call him Kotaro," says Akiba. "It's good to have a dog if you don't have a baby, because it is quite fun to take care of him like a baby."
Akiba, a cameraman, would have liked children, but his partner (a freelance editor) wants to keep working. "In Japanese society, it's really hard for women to have a baby and keep a job … so my girlfriend decided against having a baby, and that's why we have a dog instead." Akiba says he thinks this makes economic sense, given the cost of living in Tokyo, high taxes and static salaries following two decades of recession.
Despite the economic stagnation, people seem happy to spend any spare money on photo sessions, massages and treats for their four-legged "babies". The average fertility rate is now 1.39 children per woman – well below the number needed to keep the population stable. Japan has, in effect, a self-imposed one-child policy. Government projections show if current trends continue, today's population of 128 million will fall to 43 million over the next century.
"The most important reason for Japan's declining birthrate is less sex," says Dr Kunio Kitamara, director of Japan's Family Planning Research Centre. His annual surveys indicate that the nation's libido has been lagging in the last decade. The birthrate has declined, but fewer contraceptives are being used and there are fewer abortions and lower rate of sexually transmitted diseases. "Why?" asks Dr Kitamara: "Less sex!"
His research shows that almost half of married couples have sex less than one a month, and "young people dislike sexual intercourse". His latest data from 2010 showed that 32% of young men dislike sex because "they are afraid of failure and rejection by women." Sixty percent of women in their mid- to late 20s are single, and 70% of unmarried women don't have a boyfriend. In Japan marriage is still more or less a prerequisite for having children – only 2% of children are born outside wedlock.
One young man we spoke to had dressed his dog up in a white hoodie and jeans, shoes and sunglasses because, he said, he wanted his dog to look "cute, cool and tough". His proud owner said he hoped his dog's look might attract young women, but so far he hadn't met anyone to share his life with. "I wish I could meet someone like that," he said.
Economic stagnation has hit young men particularly hard. More than 10 million people aged between 20 and 34 still live with their parents. They can't afford to get married and start a family, but for the odd luxury or treats for their dogs, they can – and do – splash out.
Smart buggies and designer doggie bags are essential for any self-respecting dog like Kotaro. "My dog really hates to go out with his feet," says Akiba. "Kotaro doesn't like walking at all."
For dogs in urgent need of exercise after a lifetime being pushed or carried around, there are spas and onsens (hot springs), which look identical to the ones for humans. For $100 (£65) a session, an attendant in a wetsuit will give Kotaro one-to-one swimming lessons, relaxing bubble baths, body massages using aromatherapy oils, deep-pore cleansing and mud packs, and even flossing or manicure services. Many dogs are "regulars" who come at least once a week – running up annual bills of $5,000 (£3,200) or more.
In Tokyo, it is easier for Horikoshi to find a canine daycare centre for Tinkerbell and Ginger than it would be to find a nursery place for a child. If Akiba and his partner decide to go on holiday, they can pay $100 a night to leave Kotaro in a dog hotel.
When the unthinkable happens, there are even temples where dead dogs are laid to rest with full Buddhist rites: a deluxe funeral and cremation ceremony can cost $8,000 (£5,000) or more. "I find these days people grieve more for their pets than for parents or grandparents," says a monk at a 1,000-year-old temple in a Tokyo suburb. "It is because pets are just like their child, so it is like losing a child."
Japan's population fell by a record number last year and in the wake of the earthquake and nuclear disasters, the National Institute of Population Research is expecting there to be a further decline in births this year, says deputy director Ryuichi Kaneko. "We realised that we are living in dangerous times," he says. "Many young people are even more hesitant to have children now."
Akiba says that although the government has tried to encourage young couples to have babies, many of the incentives, such as child benefit, are too inconsistent and subject to frequent political change. Japan's population has the longest life expectancy in the world, which – coupled with the falling birth rate – means a pensions timebomb looms. "We all – companies, the government, people young and old - need to think seriously about this problem," says Kaneko, "or Japan will have a very hard time."
One thing is certain: everything Japan has tried so far – introducing maternity leave, increasing child beneft, providing nursery places – has failed to arrest its demographic decline. Fresh thinking will be needed to persuade more Japanese people that in the long-term, man's best friend can be no substitute for man himself.
• It's a Dog's Life is on BBC World Service on Saturday 9 June at 12.05pm BST.
Comments
8 June 2012 12:19PM
This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang but a "KAWAIIIIIIIII!"
8 June 2012 12:23PM
As cute and strange as this is, the Japanese government clearly needs to promote gender equality and sex education, if Japan is to not end up with lots of old people and dogs and not much else.
8 June 2012 12:38PM
Adorable!
8 June 2012 12:42PM
The worst thing about the trend for tiny dogs here is the 24 hour pet shops that thrive on the trade. Dogs, cats and sometimes even monkeys kept in tiny cages under fluorescent lights for 24 hours a day. It's depressing and disturbing to see how popular they are. There are meant to be laws coming in to crack down on these places but as many of the shops are linked to organised crime not much will come of it.
8 June 2012 12:47PM
Japan really is heading into a disaster. As smashycassie says, promoting gender equality and more flexible working will be crucial, as at the moment women are having to choose between a career and a family-and choosing a career.
Increasing the birth rate isn't the only answer though-Japan has extremely rigid immigration controls and because of this there is already a shortage of people in various careers, and this will only get worse. It would also be more beneficial for the world enviromentally, as instead of creating more humans to feed, it's a redistribution. Loosening immigration controls would therefore be a good answer to a number of their problems, particuarly in the short term, though I think given the rather xenophobic nature of many Japanese this wouldn't be a particuarly popular approach.
8 June 2012 12:47PM
PEOPLE = SHIT
8 June 2012 12:48PM
Japan has gender equality, the problem seems to be more disillusionment between the sexes. Many people in Japan prefer to adopt a more solitary life. Many males are substituting sex for porn and relationships for video games and many females are becoming more interested in their careers. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing but it is going to lead to a pension-crisis
8 June 2012 12:50PM
Unless you are a dog. Then it is degrading and un-natural.
8 June 2012 12:52PM
I doubt dogs ever feel degraded, they do defecate in public after all
8 June 2012 12:54PM
Fascinating. I think people forget that Japan is quite old-fashioned in terms of equal opportunities, and they are now reaping the consequences. The Pill wasn't even legal until 1999, and I think the cameraman sums it up pretty well, if women can't keep working, if they aren't very child-focused they will pick career over kids.
8 June 2012 1:02PM
Japan is heading in the right direction. A population of 43 million might just about be sustainable and self sufficient in agriculture and energy without stressing the environment. This, no 50km traffic jams, more living space, bigger apartments, maybe even gardens and allotments. A reduction in population is something to embrace not to be afraid of. Of course GDP would reduce but not necessarily GDP per capita, that and how the GDP is distributed is more important.
If the rest of the world followed and we were to see over a 50% reduction in population in the next century that could only be good for the planet and humanity.
Of course, a 100% reduction in the human population would be of the greatest benefit to the planet but I suppose we have to compromise somewhere.
I always felt sorry for these "dogs" and their pathetic owners who feel it is necessary to dress them up. Very sad. The Japanese societal attitudes to sex, gender and reproduction are completely unfathomable to the Western mind. It is not worth trying to understand or comment on it. It is just the way they do things.
8 June 2012 1:08PM
I think one of the main factors is that these days there are very few secure jobs for young people.
In the last years there are now more and more agency jobs and limited time contracts and less permanent jobs and so young people never feel secure and wages are low. Also housing is expensive in big cities and so to have a house or flat suitable for a family you need to earn very good salary. Also, almost all education (although public) requires fees from parents and even normal national public high school will change maybe 2,000 dollars a year, so all these things are factors also so the cost of raising a family are very high.
It is worrying but I we will overcome it I am sure, society changes and attitudes change . . . . in 5 years it could be different . . . .
8 June 2012 1:11PM
GDP per capita may not fall in nominal terms but would eventually fall in comparative real terms as technological progress would decrease. There would be less people so less ingenuity and therefore less technological advancement.
The other issue is that of pensions, how do you support the next 100 years worth of old people with a vastly decreasing work-force? Leaving them to fend for themselves or live of pensions comparable to that of low-income countries just seems inhumane.
8 June 2012 1:31PM
I think you posted that on autopilot.
How will that help if men don't want to speak to them, never mind sleep with them? I think you are overlooking something here, particularly as the rise of the 'herbivore' is already widely linked to the impacts of the 1985 Equal Employment Opportunity Law. I'm not advocating 'gender inequality' and I realise there is something about this that is deeply threatening to certain worldviews I also share to the point it seems preferable to ignore it, its simply that 'flexible working' and 'promoting gender equality' will quite possibly just lead to even more single women who would have the theoretical opportunity to work flexibly if they could find a partner who would actually get involved in making them pregnant.
Which I think would be fine because I'm more in favour of gender equality than I am ever increasing the population of the planet but that wouldn't solve the problem at hand.
But from all the all the angry 'man-up' pieces already and the educational inequalities and pay inequalities for those under 30 we have now, I think Japan might be giving us a glimpse of our own futures here so it is worth taking seriously.
8 June 2012 1:35PM
Agreed - this is an issue without an answer but one which requires a very radical rethink in terms of social roles, expectations, financial incentives, sexism in the workplace and society and yes immigration.
I remember a fairly reserved Japanese gentleman turning bright red and calling me "stupid" (grave insult in Japan) when I dared to speak of the need for more open immigration in order to address the declining birth rate. Many Japanese would rather the nation cease to exist than to loose the relatively uniform, ethnically homogenous society in which they live from what I could gather. Xenophobia and racism do run rampant.
In many senses, I don't know how different Japan really is from a country like Italy, also with a high youth unemployment rate,racism/xenophobia, sense of cultural superiority, low and falling birth rate, rampant sexism in the workplace and a very materialistic "me-centered' culture for those who can afford it (second homes by the sea etc etc).
Japan may be a "quirkier" (culturally/racially different and so more difficult to understand) example of this same phenomenon. Let's not do the obvious and simply relegate this to how weird the Japanese are.
8 June 2012 1:38PM
I think the UK could do with a birthrate drop, especially the 8 kid families from council estates, couldn't really imagine that happening in Japan. Less humans anywhere is a good thing at a time like this.
8 June 2012 1:38PM
Poor pooches.
I love my dogs completely and totally. I am also childless (not through choice) and however much I adore my 'kids' I realize that they are not a substitute. More importantly the welfare of them both comes first above all else and I'm not sure dressing them up, painting claws, pushing them round in buggies etc etc would register very high in any measure of well being to them. Exercise, security, exercise, mental stimulation, exercise and lots of attention (of the tummy rubbing type) would.
It doesn't matter what size a dog is, it is still a dog.
Still, at least they don't appear to be demonizing an entire breed of dog unjustly.
(I don't have Staffies, I am just watching from the sidelines these gorgeous dogs being made scapegoats).
8 June 2012 1:39PM
In what sense does Japan have gender equality? Japanese women are most often relegated to the service sector or secretarial/administrative roles within companies and sexism runs rampant in the workplace (expectations, performance of gender roles, a very low glass ceiling, dress codes, salary etc). I have many female Japanese friends who have or are trying to move to Australia in order to be able to pursue a career and or support themselves. I would say the average Japanese workplace is quite hostile to women and there's very little space for movement. Can you provide stats to counter this?
8 June 2012 1:41PM
RonnieWould
"The worst thing about the trend for tiny dogs here is the 24 hour pet shops that thrive on the trade. Dogs, cats and sometimes even monkeys kept in tiny cages under fluorescent lights for 24 hours a day. It's depressing and disturbing to see how popular they are. There are meant to be laws coming in to crack down on these places but as many of the shops are linked to organised crime not much will come of it."
Indeed.
8 June 2012 1:41PM
Its not the cost of childcare putting people off. I`ve two friends based in Tokyo who both spend less than 25% as much on full-time care as I do in the UK.
8 June 2012 1:42PM
Well ... economic recession is said to be linked to sexual repression, but certainly not to such extent that erotic drive is objectified.
8 June 2012 1:43PM
I like dogs.
8 June 2012 1:43PM
If any story summed up perfectly the utter mess humanity is in, this is it.
Our natural instincts are enslaved by a nebulous and fictitious economy, created by humanity but now out of control and dominating every aspect of our lives to the extent we are completely insane to any outside observer. A true Frankenstein's monster. Our actions make little sense and seem to be entirely counter-productive to our very survival of a species, all because of the economy.
Inflation, stagnant wages, high government debt and this kind of insanity - coming soon to the UK!
Bollocks, now I'm depressed. Off to enter the matrix once again (a la South Park) by going to the pub.......
8 June 2012 1:46PM
I think it's easy to dismiss this doggy dress up trend as yet another example of the weird Japanese and their over the top love of Kawai etc. and so to feel superior. I would think (and I'm not an expert by any means but no doubt someone with expertise on this will find themselves here as they always do) that this trend comes from the fact that aesthetics are a central part of Japenese culture and always have been to a degree that westerners can't really relate to. Perhaps?
Also, I (unfortunately) live in Toronto, Canada at the moment, and I can assure you that despite lots of immigration and a fairly stable economy people spend TONS of money on their dogs here - dress them in designer clothes (I've seen burberry quite a lot), take them to dog spas like the one described in this article, dress them in Halloween costumes, feed them gourmet freshly baked treats and organic foods. It's not that different and really it's not so easy to rationalize this in a society where there are kids everywhere and people don't seem to be as isolated as they are in Japan (on the surface that is).
8 June 2012 1:46PM
Inb4 "I've lived in Japan for 15 years and this article is typical western blah blah blah not like reality of Japan at all blah blah blah"
8 June 2012 1:58PM
reluctanttorontonian
8 June 2012 1:46PM
Response to mollyminx, 8 June 2012 1:38PM
I don't feel superior to Japanese people but I do feel anger/dismay towards people who put their own needs from the pet before those of the pet.
Plenty of people I know here who do it.
8 June 2012 2:01PM
It'll be chickens next!
8 June 2012 2:05PM
The whole concept of pets is wrong, degrading and sad.
8 June 2012 2:07PM
This is a symptom of Japan post-housing bubble - coming soon to a neighbourhood near you!
8 June 2012 2:13PM
I've lived here for 16 years and it's dead right!
8 June 2012 2:14PM
If you live in Japan you must be vacuum packed. Even basics like the two types of formal career tracks for women appear to have passed you by - the stuck at coffee fetching, admin and enforced retirement at marriage type and the progression type where you are warned that if you get a kid you will be fired. Woman who object to these firings by taking it to court are spectacularly unsuccessful at getting their objections upheld, they then get on a blacklist which makes them permanently unemployable. Keeps the objections in check and women in their place. The drop in birthrate is a result of women keeping quiet and knuckling down to work in an effort to gain some sort of control over their lives.
8 June 2012 2:17PM
The whole dogs thing aside - maybe people feel that getting married and having kids in the traditional matter just isn't for them? I'm not Japanese (and I'm not big on dogs) but can't say I've any desire to be a husband and/or father. Seems like a bit of a mug's game in a lot of ways, to me.
Each to their own and all that, though.
8 June 2012 2:19PM
I left Japan in 2011 after a decade of living there.
One of the main reasons for moving on was that my wife, who is Japanese, and I had just started a family. Economics being what they are we knew my wife would have to work but the options for working mothers are very limited.
For my wife the choices were between a very poorly paid part-time job, with part time often adding up to 40 hours per week, or a moderately paid full time job, typically working ten hour days. With me working full time as well it didn't seem a great basis for family life so we decided to move to a more family friendly country.
I can't say we are better off financially after moving but we get to spend a lot of time with our daughter so consider ourselves better off emotionally. Because I am not Japanese this option was open to us but it isn't to most people who live there. Even before most Japanese contemplate having a family working people in their twenties and early thirties are often so tired and busy from work that they struggle to form functioning relationships before getting married. People can argue as above that a fall in the population may be of benefit but in the current culture it is also coming at a cost.
8 June 2012 2:21PM
Woof...!
8 June 2012 2:25PM
Dogs it seems are along with fucking Porsche roadsters are the ultimate status symbol and tick all the right status symbol boxes. In cities with limited apartment space anyway.
They are..
Expensive to buy.
Expensive to maintain (relatively I mean a kid will eventually pay you back all that shit nappy changing and school running by making a heartfelt speech at your funeral. Kotorokun Won`t)
They look pretty cool and people will comment on that. (I saw a husky the other day and it was cool Honest)
Your able to show them to your vapid friends.
Your able to bore the shit out of random people you meet with stories about your super expensive one of kind chocolate fucking poodle
They also if there small make you look taller (which is a bonus)
8 June 2012 2:31PM
Now people care more about their pets then other people. What is astonishing me is that in 3 hours flight from london you will se people dying from lack of food and here every year millions of tons ends up in land fill.
This is wrong...
8 June 2012 2:39PM
Nope, just going by other articles I have read on this topic. But then I also very much doubt you can provide stats that support what you have just said either. Well, at least stats that aren't very ambiguous such as the stats that are usually used to show gender inequality.
8 June 2012 2:45PM
I just don't believe the economy can decrease the libido. Poverty probably increases the libido, what with making your own entertainment and all. So, there must be another reason.
The whole story is very strange to me but I'm sure their minds would boggle at our Saturday night, town centre antics.
8 June 2012 2:50PM
Sounds like a great life for a dog like me. Although I'm pretty advanced and have learned to type, I think learning Japanese may be a stretch too far. Then there's the radiation issue. I wouldn't want my poops to glow in the dark. Guess I'll just have to 'ruff ruff' it over here in the UK. Licks to all.
8 June 2012 2:51PM
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8 June 2012 3:00PM
This article seems a strange mix of 'aren't the Japanese odd' and an attempt at a serious look at the demographic timebomb going off there (and in other advanced Asian nations). I'm not sure if a conclusion that the Japanese have just gone off sex is really a proper answer to a complex question.
I've no doubt childless Japanese do over-adore their dogs, but I've seen the same phenomenon in New York and London. A good (single) friend of mine in London treats her two chihuahua's in the same over-the-top way. I don't think its anything to do with cultural or social issues, she just adores her two rather stupid little dogs.
The more serious issue is the non-replacement rate of population growth in Japan. This isn't a uniquely Japanese issue - Taiwan and South Korea and Singapore are in the same boat (as are a range of European countries) and the evidence is that (notwithstanding the one-child policy), urban middle class China is going the same way. The core reason in Asian countries seems to be a combination of rigid working patterns and a lack of support for working mothers. Quite simply, it is too expensive for a couple to have a child until they are very well established in their careers, and then ofen its too late - and it is too expensive for most to live on one income. The solution is pretty simple - adequate legislation on maternity/paternity leave and active government child care. But this seems to be something that is politically impossible to implement in Asian countries for reasons that seem to be cultural and political (now that would be a worthwhile article for the Guardian to publish, but I guess that would mean hard work for some journalist).
The particular problem for Japan is that while in theory a dropping population should not just be manageable in an advanced nation, but actively desirable, the big issue is the debt load. If the working population reduces, the per capita debt goes up, even if the net debt stays stable. The predictable result is a reinforcing spiral into economic oblivion. This issue is less of a problem in other countries with a very low population growth (such as Taiwan or Germany), but is still something that must be faced.
8 June 2012 3:00PM
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8 June 2012 3:37PM
Nice one!
8 June 2012 3:49PM
Seriously, Japan, please stop now with the kawaii. You're scaring me.
8 June 2012 3:52PM
I don't have any stats on gender inequality in Japan, but I do have lots of Japanese expat friends (most of them women) who all moved to London because of the rampant sexism in Japan. I'm sure Japan has all the correct equality laws, but if you have sexist culture in the workplace then that really isn't enough.
Although I'm not sure if more equality will really address the problem of population decline, as quite a few European countries are facing the same issue. Declining population means declining economic output and declining political power on the world stage. No country wants that. Immigration is probably the only real solution available. But then that comes with its own problems.
8 June 2012 4:00PM
today's population of 128 million will fall to 43 million over the next century
---------------
Is that really a bad thing though?
The UK has a ration of 1.9 with 2,1 needed to reproduce the population but immigration is increasing the population, destroying the progress of population control.
8 June 2012 4:06PM
Too all those people who commented "adorable", "cute" or anything along those lines: this is animal cruelty, nothing else. Few things make me as furious as stupid egomaniacs, who can't or won't bother with real company, and instead go and get some of those annoying little lap dogs and treat them like children. Well here's a newsflash: they are not children, they don't have human needs, they have DOG needs. Denying them any chance of their natural behavior. And what a surprise when the dog turns out totally neurotic and screeches and bites at everything that comes its way. These people do not love their animals, because if they did, they wouldn't treat them like a Barbie doll and instead accept and try to get to know the dog's own personality. Furthermore I believe that this article is not appropriate to start a discussion about whether people should have more children, or whether gender equality is hindering or encouraging people to have children, because frankly, these people are very gravely disturbed anyway and I wouldn't want them to have children in the first place. Imagine the horror, ignorance neurosis in its purest form, passed on from generation to generation... Oh wait, sounds familiar already...
8 June 2012 4:07PM
ignorance and neurosis, that should have been...
8 June 2012 4:08PM
For context, a quick google tells me that the UK has fewer children under 15 and about the same number of pets.
8 June 2012 4:09PM
Good grief . . .
Yet another "isn't Japan just so damn crazy and weird?" story.
Yes, there are some shops that sell dog clothing, but they're hardly on every corner.