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Tokyo’s animal-friendly entertainment and shopping malls

By on February 27, 2017

Every year for a week, my family hosts a special house guest — a Welsh corgi named La Vie when my friend Rie goes on vacation.

La Vie is great in cars and so day trips are something the entire family looks forward to. Recently, we took her to the waterfront at entertainment plaza Urban Docks Lalaport Toyosu. La Vie is a mature lady and physical excitement is not at the top of her priority list.

The truth is, the long walk around Lalaport was probably enough exercise for her without doing the dog run. But she is an amiable sort, so she went along with our plans just to please us. At Lalaport Toyosu, there is a Dog Run, an enclosed grass area where canines can run around leash-free. The enclosure may not be large enough for big dogs, but on her stubby haunches, La Vie fulfilled the kids’ dream and retrieved the ball every time they threw it for her. Officially, only two human companions are allowed in with each dog, but since it was a weekday and not crowded, we all got in.

To reward her hard workout, we took La Vie to Ilio, a decadent doggie department store – think Barney’s of New York meets Dean and DeLuca. The fashion is exquisite, imported and pricey. Since La Vie looks elegant enough with her white and beige coat, we splurged only on snacks. Lined up in dispensers similar to Sweet Factory, it was hard to get the kids not to sample La Vie’s treats. All the food here is low-calorie and most is organic. There is an upscale salon for trims. Overnight stays and dog sitting by the hour are also available.

To shop at some part of Lalaport, pets must be constrained in an enclosed cart, which can be rented onsite.

On nice days, many restaurants at Lalaport Toyosu offer outside tables welcoming pets, but only at Le Deux Bleu are they welcomed inside. The food is reasonably priced, tasty pasta, pizza and entrees. The atmosphere is elegant and the view of the sunset spectacular. Meals for dogs, low-calorie chicken or beef dishes, can be ordered.

Urban Docks Lalaport Toyosu is  a 10-min walk from Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Line. (03) 3536-8326.
www.toyosu.lalaport.jp/english/index.shtml

Casual Canine Fun
Another great entertainment area to bring dogs to is Venus Fort Family in Odaiba. Pets are allowed to walk through this section of the shopping mall on leashes. Everyone with a furry friend heads to Pet City. Besides pet supplies and live animals for sale, Pet City also has a trimming service and pet sitting by the hour. But unlike other pet stores, they have Studio Wan Wan Alice that specializes in pet portraits. Besides Pet City, there is Pet Paradise (see YouTube clip below).  For an outdoor romp, the Venus Fort also has a sandy enclosure adjacent to the mall. Rental of the entire space can be reserved in advance.

Venus Fort Family is a  5-min walk from Tokyo Teleport Sta. on the Rinkai Line.       (03) 3599-1749.
www.venusfort.co.jp/multi/index_e.html 

About Heather Brownell