Twenty-one furry friends travelled on a special Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to the resort of Karuizawa with their owners. For the first time, the dogs could stretch their paws and roam freely.
On Saturday, 21 furry passengers boarded a sleek shinkansen high-speed train for a special ride to the resort town of Karuizawa with their owners. The chartered train took pets and their masters from Tokyo’s Ueno Station to Karuizawa City in Nagano Prefecture, where the dogs could enjoy special services like nail clipping, ear cleaning and other treatments, Japan Today reported.
On Japan's bullet trains, pets must normally be kept inside a carrier for the duration of the journey and their total weight including the cage must not exceed 10kg. This time, a whole pet-friendly carriage with all the seats covered in plastic was dedicated to the dogs, allowing them to roam freely.
The Saturday tour, a pilot project organised by railway company JR East, is a smart move considering the huge business surrounding the pet industry in Japan – it is forecasted to reach 1.7 trillion yen/$13.2 billion in 2022, according to Statistica. About 20 million cats and dogs are kept as pets in Japan and customers are asking for easier ways to travel with their furry friends.
At #Ueno station in #Tokyo, Japan, 21 #furry passengers boarded the shinkansen #train for a one-hour ride with their owners. This is a #pilot project, featuring a whole carriage dedicated to #pooches. #dog #pets #Japan #project #passengers #BulletTrain pic.twitter.com/xjIrdKyRPo
— Facts Tell (@thefactstell) May 23, 2022
