A new law in Japan prohibits pet shops from displaying cats and dogs after 8 p.m. The Environment Ministry Law for Animal Welfare and Management ordinance also bans pet shops from selling any animal after 8 p.m. Prior to the June 1 implementation of the law, many pet shops stayed open after midnight.

Some pet shops in the entertainment districts in big cities in Japan had stayed open until 3 a.m., displaying puppies and kittens to the businessmen and hostesses leaving nearby clubs.

According to the new law cats and dogs can be on display at pet shops from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. only.

The ordinance is partly in response to claims by animal rights’ groups that animals kept in tiny cages and under bright lighting at night are under stress and those conditions can affect the growth hormone and the health of the animals.

Cat cafés, where customers pay to mingle with cats in coffee-shop-like settings were granted a waiver from the ordinance. Cat cafés can have cats on display until 10 p.m. if the animals are over a year old and are not caged.

Violators of the law face fines of up to ¥300,000. More public hearings will be held before renewal of the ordinance in 2014.

Dog in pet shop Baby Doll, Shibuya, Tokyo

Cats displayed in a pet store in Roppongi, Tokyo

Sign in front of cat café in Tokyo

photos: cat café; open late; Baby Doll; cats Roppongi; sign in front.

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Game centers in Japan are making arcade-game-playing more comfortable for senior citizens and retirees. Almost a fourth of Japan’s population is over the age of 65, and amusement arcade operators are making changes to better accommodate the elderly.

A popular game among seniors is the "medal game" in which coins or tokens dropped into the machine may eventually push jackpot coins over the inner rim and out to the player.

Namcoland Aeon in Kyoto has access restrictions. Those age 15 and under cannot enter after 6:00 P.M. unless accompanied by an adult, and anyone age 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult in order to play a medal game in its "medal corner". The arcade’s theme is "Amusements for three generations."

Namcoland Aeon’s aisles are wider to accommodate strollers and wheelchairs, there are no steps or other barriers, there are more chairs, and the outlet is easy to access from street level.

The in-store sound system volume has been lowered to make it easier for the elderly to hear and the text size has been enlarged on signs and displays.

The Namcoland Aeon staff has been instructed to speak clearly and to make the medal games more user friendly.

Some Adores game centers offer complimentary tea and sweets to customers over age 60 before 10 a.m. Free medal game credits to customers over the age of 60 are also offered by some Adores outlets. The chain also lends out blankets, gloves for wearing while playing medal games, and, if it’s started raining while the customer is inside, umbrellas, if the customer doesn’t have one for the return home.

Some of Konami’s latest arcade games have instructions in larger type to aid readability for senior citizens. Game instructions are also clearly indicated on the machines.

Many game centers have installed massage chairs, and provide reading glasses to customers upon request.

Other retail businesses are catering to the elderly market. The Ueshima coffee shops in Tokyo offers wider aisles an lower tables than the typical Starbucks, and Keio department store provides more chairs, and larger text on signs.

photos: wheelchair; crane games; taito-station; horse racing game; massage chairs.

Japan’s national provisional safety limit for levels of radioactive cesium in food is 500 becquerels per kilogram. Let’s Japan reviewed food-test data issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare covering the period from March 1, 2011 – Dec. 21, 2011.

Highest becquerels per kilogram levels

photos: radiation measurement; cabbage protesters; checkpoint Minamisoma Fukushima; Fukushima relief effort fundraiser; tsunami destruction; produce-stand

Shoppers in Tokyo, March 25, 2011

We’ve been having some troubles here in Japan.  Maybe you’ve heard. I’ve written some articles about the earthquake and the coverage of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear reactors. You can read my reports here:

March 25, 2011
Op-Ed: Tokyo OK, foreign media’s sensational coverage shameful

March 16, 2011
US govt recommends 80 Km Fukushima evac zone; currently 30km

March 15, 2011
US agrees with reactor response ambassador in Tokyo says

March 15, 2011
Higher than normal radiation detected along Japan Pacific coast

March 14, 2011
Shielding possibly damaged by explosion at Fukushima No.2 Tuesday

March 14, 2011
Op-Ed: The earthquake aftermath in Tokyo

March 13, 2011
Rolling Blackouts Begin Monday in Tokyo

March 12, 2011
How I survived the Japanese earthquake