Has anyone moved their pet with them? Specifically a service dog? I know all of the quarantine stuff but my biggest concern is getting my dog from Tokyo to Hokkaido on a Japanese airline. He is a certified psychiatric service dog will they allow him in cabin? Any other troubles of getting pets over I should know about? Any regrets?
by meowzohti
3 comments
Japan only recognizes service dogs that have been trained and certified in Japan.
So your dog will be considered a run-of-the-mill pet. Which is something you will need to bear in mind for daily life as well as for travel purposes. You will *not* be able to take your dog into any establishments that aren’t specifically dog-friendly.
Psychiatric service dogs are not recognized in Japan so you will have to treat it as a pet. Japanese airports and airlines require animals to be crated at all times unless they are specifically trained as mobility assistance animals like seeing-eye dogs. You can find info for each airline on their website, but most likely your dog will be required to fly cargo on all domestic flights. This will apply to things like taxis, public transportation, and apartments as well meaning you will be very limited in where you can take them. .
In Japan only 3 types of dogs are officially recognized: guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs.
Psychiatric dogs exist but they are extremely rare and they are not recognized by this law (act on assistance dogs for physically disabled people)
Also, only dogs certified in Japan are recognized as service dogs here. Foreign issued documentation on service dogs are not accepted or valid here.
That said, your dog will be just a pet so prepare accordingly.
Whether the dog will be accepted in cabin, depends on the airline and dog, on local flights it won’t (even for assistance dogs).
Quarantine is one thing.
“Any other troubles”: well but what area and what do you know already?
Renting with a dog especially for foreigners is quite hard here, almost impossible in some areas and changes the price significantly.
Make sure you secure an apt before you come here.
Travelling on trains and buses: inside carriers only. Taxis can refuse large dogs and dogs without carriers. Almost no dog parks, dogs outside must be leashed at all times except super rural inaka areas.
Dogs are not allowed at cafes and public beaches, some remote beaches allow them but only leashed. Supposed to be leashed on mountain hikes too.
Too hot to walk in the city in summers due to temps the asphalt gets to, they burn their poor paws and get heatstroke.