I was excited to find an upscale dog shop in Osaka, complete with doggie yukatas and wa-fu beds. This “model” is showing off his (her?) seasonal garb and a nicely covered dog bed.

An interior view of this dog bed reveals a nice little floor of tatami, so dogs will not feel left out of the whole experience of tatami beneath their feet. This is especially important as summer approaches.

I was admiring this nice stack of dog yukatas when a saleswoman came by to “help” me. She asked me what size my dog is. When I said I wasn’t sure, she began to produce different models and asked me to try to figure out which one most closely represented my dog’s size (I have cats). With the help of a friend, we finally agreed on one particular dog, and she began to dress this model in different designs. Nearby, a real live dog was being kitted out with a pink terry cloth robe from which protruded a pair of angelic wings.

I finally settled on this yukata for my “model” dog. We all agreed that the embroidered goldfish made all the difference, and that the color would do well on any dog coloring. I had been thinking of a blue happi coat, but decided against this as it might not show up so well on agains the dark coat of my (imaginary) dog. I expressed some concern that the embroidered gold-fish you see here might be outdated — after all, goldfish were a big deal last summer and whose to say they will be popular again? But the saleswoman assured me that gold-fish are expected to be hot this year and that with this yukata, I would be purchasing the newest design.

What can I say? I broke down and bought the little yukata. I couldn’t help it. No, I don’t need it and it added to my luggage, but there must be someone out there who dresses their dogs and who needs a little kimono to add to their collection.