Photo/Illutration Canines are seen at a dog-themed event on the grounds of the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse complex, in the city’s Naka Ward, on March 15. (Naoko Kobayashi)

YOKOHAMA--This port city has gone to the dogs, but city officials see that in a positive light. 

Yokohama is the leader of all 20 ordinance-designated major cities of Japan not just in the human population size but also in the number of registered pet dogs.

City statistics show that Yokohama has 173,827 registered pet canines, “enough to make up a single city of its own,” in the words of one official.

Rome, Seattle and other cities outside Japan are famous for being dog-friendly.

“But we have no rivals elsewhere in Japan, which means we are in a genuine blue ocean market,” a Yokohama official said. 

The city authorities are planning to attract dog lovers to Yokohama by advertising the city as being “dog-friendly.”

The efforts will include featuring a lifestyle of “being with a dog in Yokohama” on the city’s immigration promotion website and by collaborating with dog-themed events offered by the private sector.

“Becoming the choice of dog lovers will help improve Yokohama’s brand value,” the city official said.

MARKET FAIR FOR DOGS

In promoting itself as dog-friendly, the authorities are working to capitalize on existing public haunts that are popular as a dog walking area or as a dog playground, including in the city’s Minato Mirai 21 waterfront district.

On a weekday in mid-March, an event space on the grounds of the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse complex, a major tourism, shopping and entertainment spot in the city’s Naka Ward, was seen crowded with visitors with dogs.

The visitors and their canine companions were there for “Akarenga de Wan Sanpo” (Red Brick dog walk), a market fair themed on dogs, where about 100 shops set up their booths.

“Dog-themed events attract many visitors,” a Red Brick Warehouse official said.

The Wan Sanpo venue becomes so crowded on weekends that visitors can seldom walk from one booth to another, the official added.

A seaside trail, which stretches about 5 kilometers from the Minato Mirai district to Yamashita Park, is a favorite haunt of dog lovers who come to walk their pets.

“Minato Mirai and its surrounding areas are convenient for walking dogs, as there are few stairs and the roads are clean,” said Shinichi Yamamoto, a 58-year-old resident of Yokohama’s Kanazawa Ward, who was visiting the area with his Shiba Inu canine.

Yamamoto said he believes the area has another draw.

“Many shops and restaurants in the area allow you to come in with your dog,” he said. “I think the area here is friendly to people who are with their dogs.”

SHIN-YOKOHAMA OFFERS TOP DOG PARK

Yokohama has another favorite gathering spot of dog lovers: the Shin-Yokohama Park dog run, which opened in the city’s Kohoku Ward in 2012. The establishment is so popular with visitors that a waiting line forms outside the parking lot on weekends.

The 3,000-square-meter dog park bills itself as “one of the biggest available in Yokohama.” The natural turf that grows on its grounds is maintained by the groundskeepers of Nissan Stadium, which is located next door.

“This dog run here is so vast and has a good turf,” said Shinichi Okamoto, a 47-year-old resident of Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, who said he comes to the establishment with his Siberian husky about once a week. “Even a big dog can play here without causing anxiety on the part of the keeper.”

Dog run officials said their establishment is also well-received for its user registration system and the way it assigns separate areas for bigger and smaller dogs.

“The user numbers have grown from pre-pandemic levels,” one of the officials said.

Dogs from outside Yokohama’s borders accounted for 40 percent of the 54,556 canine users that visited the dog run in fiscal 2022, the official added.

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