FEATURE: Japan going to the dogs as society ages
Kyodo / Monday January 5, 8:25 AM
... lucky dogs in Japan have enjoyed unusually lavish treatment from their owners this year in the form of sumptuous New Year's dishes mail-ordered from Mitsukoshi Ltd.
The assorted canine meals in double-tier boxes, priced at 18,000 yen, feature 29 different cuisines, ranging from traditional Japanese black beans and Western gourmet dishes of beef terrine wrapped in pastry to desserts such as strawberry mousse.
"They are not dogs anymore, they are now 'your doggy Excellency'," joked Teruo Yamamoto, sales executive at Maruni Inc., a furniture maker based in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, using Japanese terms associated with a 17th century tycoon who prohibited the killing of animals, especially dogs.... launched a range of elegant and costly wooden furniture for dogs under the brand name "only wan" last fall. For instance, a chest for a dog's wardrobe is priced at 250,000 yen