What Azuki will Miss Most About Tokyo

On many evenings I take her to a nearby square (not exactly a park since there are very little grass. Mostly concrete) where on the upper level the same set of owners and their dogs gather every evening and let their dogs play together. Since it is a relativel safe and enclosed area, we often let our dogs off leash and the security guards, even when they walk by, tend to look the other way.

It is an incredibly diverse group of people--ranging from the old to the young, and their dogs are big, small, medium. Every evening can range from 5 to as many as 8 or 9 dogs--some are older or nautrally calmer, and tend to sniff around a bit and then sit by their owner quitely while enjoying the scenery. Others, like Azuki, are off the wall happy, run around to gather treats and pats and hugs, and chase after each other. All the while people chat and play with one another's dogs.

I don't exactly recall how or when, but somehow and sometime ago Azuki and I were inducted into this mysterious and exclusive dog club. Not every dog and owner is welcomed, mind you, because some dogs simply can't get along with others. I didn't even realize that we were part of a close-knit sub-culture (dog-loving culture) until I see new owners and dogs walk by, casting envious looks at us. Why they would choose to accept a young Asian woman who speaks broken Japanese? I think it must have been when Azuki was a puppy and went up to everyone and everything, wagging her tail and offering her puppy kisses, that they decided that we were okay to stay. The dogs readily accepted her, because she is a small, non-threatening female. We met a few dogs and a few owners first, and then, word of this little hyper poodle Azuki played with their big shiba-mix dog, or their little maltese, or their usually fat and lazy french bull dog, got out. The next thing I knew, we showed up once and people I have never met were calling out to Azuki, and when they left, saying how happy they are to have finally met her.

Over the months that we have been going regularly, both Azuki and I have gotten to know everyone well, and formed a real bond. They were genuinely concerned and sad when they heard about Azuki's leg condition, and when we didn't show up for awhile, everyone asked everyone else if anyone has seen us. When we returned after the surgery, people were genuinely happy to see her well, and once again sad that we are moving to NY.

The other day, Azuki received home-made doggie biscuitis (with human-grade ingredients so people can eat them too), and a concerned shi-tsu mom even gave azuki her dog's night light to attach to her collar, because now it's been getting dark real early and Azuki totally blends into the night. She was afraid that Azuki would get stepped on, or worse yet, get hit by a car.

While our dogs romp, people swap stories, where to go to the vet, the dog salons...they patiently talk to me een with my broken Japanese and have always made me and Azuki felt nothing but very much welcome.



People often think of Japanese people in general are polite but guarded, and not particularly easy to get to know as a foreigner. I think that is probably true due to the language barrier, but as I have gotten to know this group of people, I have found incredible kindness, openness, and acceptance from everyone.

As our time winds down in Tokyo, I often think that Azuki and I will probably miss this part of our Tokyo adventures the most. Sure, food is great here and the streets are clean and safe, but can one really claim to have experienced a different culture without getting to know the people?

The funny thing is, one of my biggest complaint about living abroad was always that as a foreigner in Tokyo, you always feel like the outsider looking in, never quite experiencing local culture or getting to know Japanese people. But thanks to my overly excitable pup, she has introduced me to a little world where we might not all speak the same human language but we can all speak dog.

Here are some photos that we took at Ebisu Prime Square. It's hard to actually capture what is going on---real life is much more fun than the pictures convey.

Below is Azuki's best friend, Shiro-chan. He is a mutt (possibly shiba-mixed?) that his owners found in a park. Actually a really great, goofy, and sweet dog. They like to chase each other and Azuki generally just like to be near him. Although he is a big goof ball, he is one of the stronger males in the group therefore he gets to determine which new males gets accepted into the pack:


Humans hug and shake hands to greet each other. Dogs sniff butts. The gray dog is the below picture belongs to a wonderful old lady, who actually speaks English very well but only speaks to me in Japanese! He is calm, even tempered, but also a strong male who doesn't tend to like new males that he has never met. He also decides if you are cool enough to be part of the pack:



You can't really see Azuki in this picture--I'll give you a hint: she's got devil eyes! Auzki's color is such that she blends right into the brownish red concrete floor at night. She is actually being held by the woman in the white scarf, who owns the white maltese--you can see her eyes shiny in the photo:


Cutie-pie Yuki-chan is a boy maltese. What amazes me most is how white dogs are kept so snowy white in Tokyo. If they were anywhere else, they usually look like your grandmother's carpet. When he and Azuki first met he chased Azuki around a whole bunch!