Japan’s pet-friends: “The Japanese economy may be heading back
into recession, but one line of business is doing
very well despite the economic gloom.

Pet shop owners are
enjoying a bonanza as
the Japanese turn to
dogs and cats as an
antidote to all the
stress they are
suffering.” Dog owners travel more than an hour by train to get to a park where, for $12, they can let their dogs run free off the leash. A special housing complex — where the elevator has a warning light to tell others when a dog is on board — caters to pet owners in a country where most apartments forbid pets larger than a hamster. And, if the problems of ownership appear insurmountable, you can rent a dog for the equivalent of around $4 per outing. BBC