Japanese people are the most stylish people in the world. Period.
It’s a country ubiquitous with great fashion and quality clothing. This eye for great taste is the reason why Japanese people look so effortlessly cool and chic. However, dressing up and looking good doesn’t just stop at the people. I want to now turn your head to man’s best friend: the dog.
All over Japan, the streets have become a popular catwalk for pet pooches. Though instead of being understated and chic, in typical minimalist Japanese style, pooch fashion is akin to Harajuku style: there’s nothing understated about it. This subculture of fashion is all about standing out and getting noticed.
Before my visit to Asia’s most eccentric country, the only pups that I’d seen dressed in clothing belonged to ‘It girls’ or American celebrities. You know the ones, Paris Hilton and her gang.
This all changed in Japan. Most of the owners of pampered pooches were just regular people of all ages, usually wearing rather understated clothing. It’s a common occurence to see an old Japanese man shuffling along with three teeny weeny pooches all dressed up in fluffy pink onesies.
And the best dressed pooch award goes to....
When it came to dialling it up a notch, nothing came close to the Pomeranians I spotted at the Golden Temple in Kyoto.
Even a woman and her husband pushing a pram along with two little pups peeking out from a baby push chair didn’t really raise any eyebrows. I mean, what does a dog have to do around here to get some attention?! I guess it’s just a normal sight in Japan, but you never see this in the UK. Push-chairs are for human babies, not doggies.
Just look at the shades, and the polka-dot waistcoat matching with the push-chair is a whole vibe…
Oh yes, the beautiful Golden Temple in Kyoto caught my eye too.
Whilst in Hiroshima I came this adorable miniature poodle. If you look closely you’ll notice the stripy top also has on it a smiley face with a tongue sticking out – just like the pooch!
When I’m abroad, I usually tell people I’m from Manchester because everyone knows the football team. However, I didn’t know their popularity extended to clothing merchandise for dogs!
I guess when you have a team that superstars like Beckham and Ronaldo have once called home, it should be no surprise!
8 Responses
This is just the best.
My dog Penny is an English Bull Terrier and she gets this really adorable ashamed look when my mum tries to put her in anything, even her little rubber rain booties. She would not make it in Japan!
Haha I love the ‘ashamed’ look! I can’t believe Penny has a pair of rubber rain booties, you have to show me a picture!!!
Aww! I love pooches and oh so cute especially the two adorable pups in the pram with sunglasses. I just wanna hug them and take them home.
Alas, my husband doesn’t like dogs although at one time we had 7 over the years, as a child, as well as 1 cat, fish, chickens and a tortoise who died in the attic because we had forgotten it was there!
How can you forget about a tortoise in the attic?!! And what was it doing in the attic?!! So many questions Victoria!!
We thought the hibernation action would work better where it’s quiet and dark. We put it in a snug box…. And how many times have you been up your attic young lady! 🙂 It was in the 80’s and nobody knew any better.
To be honest, a tortoise isn’t a very good pet…!
yeah, it’s like it is… 🙂
I had no idea that even dogs get crazy make-overs in Japan. That’s really insane in an amazing kind of way. But do the Japanese people always carry a camera? I ask that because of the first photo you took in Osaka 🙂
Not always but a large percentage! And what I noticed, because they are a photo-taking obsessed nation it means solo travellers have no problem asking passer-bys to take their photos. I guess that’s easy in most countries, right? However, the difference is that the Japanese can actually take good photos, from all that practise! Hah!