Jonelle Patrick's Only In Japan
Every day, stuff you'd never see anywhere else.
I thought I’d reached the highest level of gacha-gacha nirvana when I discovered the Angry Cat Ghost vending machine last year, but yesterday walking through what I’d previously thought of as the ninth-circle-of-hell Shinagawa station, … Continue Reading The Angry Fox Ghost Vending Machine
Middle school boys in foxface and golden skirt-pants carrying gigantic fox heads through the streets of Tokyo? Can you think of a better way to ring in the new year? Every … Continue Reading Midnight Fox Parade
I was cutting through my favorite crazy pet store in Odaiba, when I spotted what I thought was a deli counter where pet owners who had become famished while stocking up on camouflage dog strollers … Continue Reading The Deli For Dogs
Walking home late one night, a flicker of unexpected movement caught my eye. When I looked up, there was something scampering along the phone lines above my head! A cat? A rat? No it was … Continue Reading I Saw A New Wild Animal In Tokyo!
Lately in Japan there’s been an explosion of vending machines selling little characters that perch on the side of your glass, so you never have to drink alone. But none of … Continue Reading Help, There’s A Hamster In My Drink!
Obscure seasonal references to geese and crows? So tenth century! Leaf viewing and strolling beneath the cherry blossoms? Been there, called it a cab. Let’s strap on our princess kimonos and hit the animal cafés instead! … Continue Reading Princess Kimono, Animal Style
Walking through Shinjuku station today, I discovered I had a burning need for angry cat ghosts. Fortunately, there was a bank of gacha-gacha vending machines smack in the middle of … Continue Reading The Angry Cat Ghost Vending Machine
If your squee-meter isn’t totally burnt out after Fox Village, it certainly will be, after we check out BUNNY ISLAND! Okunoshima isn’t easy to get to, but that’s why there’s an entire chunk of land off the … Continue Reading Let’s Go To Bunny Island!
OK, I admit, I did not make this lollipop. I went to the workshop taught by the artist who made it, but the thing I ended up making did not remotely, remotely, REMOTELY resemble … Continue Reading How To Make The Most Beautiful Lollipops In The World
Jaded denizen of the interwebz that I am, there’s not much that makes me leap out of my chair and scream “WANT!” but when I first saw a picture taken at Zao … Continue Reading How To Go To Zao Fox Village: Squeeee Capital Of The World
I knew I was going to love the Sasuke Inari Shrine from the moment I saw the long tunnel of red lacquer torii gates leading into the deep, dark woods. … Continue Reading The Fox Shrine To End All Fox Shrines
Last weekend, Tokyo’s Design Festa delivered a level of craziness so far beyond words that once again, I’m just going to have to show you pictures. First, from the double rainbow world of animal goods… … Continue Reading Tokyo Design Festa 2015: Seriously, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
So, today as I wandered around the Sunshine City Aquarium, I couldn’t help but overhear a few conversations between my fellow fish enthusiasts. • When not eavesdropping on Japanese peoples’ … Continue Reading What Japanese People Talk About At The Aquarium
The newest pet craze to hit Tokyo: hedgehogs. For full enjoyment of your new pet, it would be best to adopt a schedule that includes all-night video gaming, as they are primarily nocturnal and … Continue Reading Wonder If They’ll All Be Named ‘Sonic’?
Japan isn’t short on shrines that cure warts, protect your electronics from the forces of eviltude, and jumpstart your career as a manga artist, but this is the first one I’ve heard of that … Continue Reading The Dog Blessing Shrine
Okay, I know it’s summertime, and in Japan that means we all wish we could go around without fur, but how weird is it that there are whole sections in Japanese … Continue Reading Shaved Cats
Behold the latest pet craze to sweep Tokyo! Now you can have your very own jellyfish aquarium, complete with disco lights! You can pick up everything you need at (where … Continue Reading But Will They Come When You Call?
Hello there, bunnies! Wow, you are cute and friendly. Please don’t poop on me. Fortunately, lap diapers are dispensed at the door, so you can enjoy the lovely bunnies without … Continue Reading A Rabbit A Day At The Bunny Cafe
The next time you need to sneak your dog out for a stroll without the enemy suspecting, bundle it into this craftily camouflaged dog buggy and infiltrate the local park. … Continue Reading Urban Assault Stroller…For Dogs
All kinds of great non-snowmen appeared around Tokyo after the last big dump of snow – from transforming Snow Pikachus, to Snow Shrines Dedicated To Crossdressing TV Celebs – but … Continue Reading Snow Dog
Litte. Plastic. Sandwiches. With dogs in them. Wat. • Read a novel set in Tokyo…
You’ve been up since five, crafting the childrens’ Pikachu lunchboxes, but now the little darlings are blessedly off to school and it’s time to start worrying about your Shiba Inu Club … Continue Reading Bento Lunchboxes…For Dogs
I just discovered a Japanese website featuring a slightly demonic black cat, who demonstrates just how rewarding cat hat tatting can be. This foxy feline has trained his human servant … Continue Reading Wack Hats For Cats
For the ultimate mottainai (“don’t let anything go to waste”), round up all those floating clouds of cat fur in your apartment and craft some nyan-tastic gift items! Finger puppets! … Continue Reading Crafting With Cat Fur!
Pet humiliation sinks to new depths with this muzzle that will turn any self-respecting pooch into a quacker. I saw these at the giant pet emporium out in Odaiba, and unlike … Continue Reading It’s A Duck! No, It’s A Dog!
I was walking around the Decks shopping complex in Odaiba, and suddenly, MONKEY SHOW. Seriously. Right in the middle of the mall. A monkey show. Of course, trained monkeys have … Continue Reading Monkey Business
Even pooches who haven’t perfected the essential Sad Begging Face can score doggie-licious snacks at the Dog Department café! No trying to choose which knee might belong to the most … Continue Reading Doggie Diner
Ahahaha, I bet you thought tanukis were the stuff of Japanese legends – crafty tricksters with notoriously large cojones who play pranks on gullible humans – but it turns out … Continue Reading Real Live Tanuki Sighting!
Like any good bar owner, Hana waits to greet her customers at the door with a look of cheerful recognition, even if she can’t remember if you’ve been there before … Continue Reading The Bar Owned By A Dog
¥269,800? For a puppy? At first I thought I was suffering from some kind of rare double vision only affecting zeros, but nope. That little white shiba-inu pup really is … Continue Reading How much is that doggie in the…YOU’RE KIDDING!
Ahaha, I walked out of my friend’s house in Yoyogi Uehara today and thought she had somehow acquired the dog version of that horrible singing bass fish! But in fact, … Continue Reading Trophy Dog
Dog Hair Arrange magazine! Now you don’t have to pay those high salon prices for righteous bouffants or stylin’ extensions! This DIY publication teaches you everything you need to know about … Continue Reading For Those Days When Your Dog Wakes Up Looking Like A Dog’s Breakfast…
Yep, those are definitely fish corpses washed up on that island of dry cat food, but that doesn’t seem to be bothering Mr. Bigglesworth, in all his fluffy glory. Encountering … Continue Reading Kibble Of The Living Dead
Summer’s here, and if you don’t want to be propositioned by every mutt in the dog run, smart pooches say, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” with a pair of … Continue Reading Doggie Shades
This is the most famous skatedog in Yoyogi Park. (Yeah, there’s more than one!) Most of them just sort of ride, with all four feet on the board, but this … Continue Reading Skate Beagle
I didn’t think the Husky Club could outdo last month’s Husky kimono parade, but yesterday in honor of Japanese graduation season, they all turned up at the park dressed as manga … Continue Reading Manga Schoolgirl Dogs
This border collie is my favorite dog in all of Yoyogi Park. For hours, he tirelessly leaps into the air to bump that ball off his nose straight back to … Continue Reading Flying Dog
You can’t help but throw your head back and laugh in amazement when fifteen dogs parade by, dressed in Japanese formalwear. In honor of Hina Matsuri (the doll festival that happens … Continue Reading Dogs In Kimonos
As a child I had a hard time even biting the ears off chocolate bunnies at Easter, but I had an instant urge to make these little doggy dumplings. They’re … Continue Reading Doggy Dumplings
Here’s something I definitely couldn’t do in San Francisco: the cat-petting tour of Sendagi! This handy map details all the local feline fiefdoms. It’s posted outside a store specializing in all-kitty … Continue Reading Cat Map
In a country where many people live in places too small for pets, cat cafés are a booming business. For about $10 an hour, anyone (over the age of 12) … Continue Reading Gateway to Kitty Nirvana
While many dog owners here do cook meals for their pooches – dogs here enjoy lives that would be envied by many children – this nabe pot just looks like a … Continue Reading Doggy Dinner
After cavorting at the Dog Petit Resort Joker, Yoko and I took Fuki and Sala to their favorite Odaiba lunch spot: the Puppies Café. Every table comes equipped with a … Continue Reading Canine Dining At The Dog Café!
Just because you’re off for a day of enjoyment at the Oedo Onsen hot spring theme park doesn’t mean your dog has to mope around at home. Right next door is … Continue Reading The Hot Spring Resort For Dogs
