Barbara Holthus
@barbtokyo.bsky.social
Sociologist, working currently on the sociology of pets in Japan. But animal welfare overall is an important topic for me. My other research is on families, gender, well-being and happiness, social movements, and mega events (such as Tokyo 2020 and Expo25)
In der neusten Folge „Tokyo“ der ZDF-Reihe „Weltstädte“ spricht DIJ-Soziologin @barbtokyo.bsky.social über Einsamkeit junger Menschen in der japanischen Metropole. 📺 www.zdf.de/video/dokus/... (1/2)
Weltstädte - mit Leon Windscheid: Tokyo | Terra X Doku
Tokyo ist eine der jüngsten Weltmetropolen. Die Stadt besticht durch ihre Ruhe, Präzision und Sauberkeit. Woher kommt der Sinn für das Gemeinwohl?
zdf.de
Despite the instant fame that Shohei Ohtani's dog, Dekopin, has brought to the Kooikerhondje in Japan, the breed has managed to escape the usual fate of viral Japanese pet trends. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08...
Japan plans to probe popular animal cafes, where visitors can interact with anything from cats to capybaras, following concerns about hygiene and the creatures' welfare, authorities have said.
Japan to survey animal cafes over hygiene and welfare concerns
The nation has hundreds of the cafes where campaigners say animals are sometimes kept in cramped spaces.
ebx.sh
Despite the instant fame that Shohei Ohtani's dog, Dekopin, has brought to the Kooikerhondje in Japan, the breed has managed to escape the usual fate of viral Japanese pet trends. 👉 ebx.sh/pzhuNL
Following Tuesday's powerful earthquake that shook Kumamoto, private shelters, volunteer organizations, and online communities are racing against time to locate runaway animals frightened by the tremors. 👉 ebx.sh/c0h26u
Twenty-five cats trapped inside a Japan shopping mall that was gutted in an explosion following a major earthquake have been rescued, the operator has said, triggering relief on social media.
Twenty-five cats rescued from Japan mall damaged by earthquake and explosion
Momo, Kohaku, Tango, Shandy and the others were on the ground floor of Aeon Mall in Kumamoto Prefecture when the deadly 7.1 magnitude quake hit on Tuesday.
ebx.sh
Japan’s pet industry is booming -- DIJ sociologist @barbtokyo.bsky.social explains why: “A pet can also replace a partner. After a divorce, people sometimes get pets. After someone gets widowed, they get a pet.” @genmansfield.bsky.social @aljazeera.com ▶️ www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026...
A new kind of preschool in China is offering games, nibbles, treadmills and music for puppies, clawing out a fast-growing niche in a booming industry as youthful owners spend more on pets.
China’s pet owners splurge on preschools to pamper puppies
As declining birth rates alter lifestyles, pets are increasingly treated as members of the family.
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Thank you for joining Wednesday's session of the Contemporary Tokyo Seminar Series at the DIJ and for a lively discussion of "Tokyo – how can this possibly turn out well?" with Franz Waldenberger & @barbtokyo.bsky.social We have uploaded photos on our website ▶️ www.dijtokyo.org/event/tokyo-...
Research finds that Tokyo lost tree canopy equivalent to 256 Tokyo Domes in just 9 years. While summers grow hotter, street trees keep disappearing. While cities such as New York, Sydney, Paris, or Shanghai expand tree cover in response to climate change Tokyo continues to lose green infrastructure.
Dank an die Deutsche Botschaft in Tokyo für die Einladung zum Austausch mit den Kulturreferenten in Ost- und Südasien, weiteren deutschen Kulturmittlern in Tokyo und der Abteilungsleiterin Kultur & Kommunikation @diplo.de, Christina Beinhoff (im Foto neben DIJ-Vizedirektorin @barbtokyo.bsky.social)
DLF Kultur Weltzeit-Feature "Japan - Frauen kämpfen gegen Klischees" von Felix Lill mit DIJ-Alumnus Vincent Lesch und DIJ-Soziologin @barbtokyo.bsky.social im Gespräch mit Katrin Materna: "Männer heiraten immer noch gerne sozial nach unten in Japan." www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/japans-fraue...
“People in Japan just happen to be socialized different ... they learn early on that you don’t want to inconvenience others”: DIJ's @barbtokyo.bsky.social explains why Japanese soccer fans regularly clean up the stadium after a game @apnews.com @swade2020.bsky.social ▶️ apnews.com/article/japa...
A full 60.8% of those who've experienced loneliness say they have "almost no one" to eat with. Source: buff.ly/VlpV9RX
孤独感「ある」37％、25年 誰かと食事の頻度、関連も調査 | NEWSjp
内閣府は14日、孤独・孤立に関する2025年の実態調査の結果を公表した。孤独感が「しばしば・常にある...
news.jp
Indonesia will loan two Komodo dragons to Shizuoka Prefecture, where it is hoped the endangered reptiles will be able to breed, and will receive some red pandas and giraffes in return, an official has said.
Indonesia to loan endangered Komodo dragons to Japan for breeding program
A male and a female will be sent to a zoo in Shizuoka Prefecture, which will send several animals in return to Indonesia including red pandas and giraffes.
ebx.sh
Japan is set to expand its child-rearing aid from April. by raising insurance payments for all households, including allowing any child to enroll in nursery facilities regardless of whether or not their parents work.
Japan to broaden nursery access through expanded child aid program
The program will be funded by a child-rearing support fund, with fees collected on top of public medical insurance premiums from all households.
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📖 NEW book chapter “Disaster Preparedness and Response for Companion Animals in Japan” by DIJ's @barbtokyo.bsky.social In: The Palgrave Handbook of Human-Animal Interactions @springernature.com, eds. H. Wu, @drkylebreen.bsky.social @drsarahdeyoung.bsky.social ▶️ link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
日文研(主催)ドイツ日本研究所(共催）シンポジウム「動物愛護運動研究の現在」 📅2月14日 13:30-17:10 🖥️オンライン視聴可能 🎤 伊勢田 哲治「「いただきますの倫理」の由来と日本的動物愛護」 W. Puck Brecher: Livestock Care Within and Beyond Japanese “Society” 春藤 献一「動物愛護」という言葉が使われ続けてきたのはなぜか @barbtokyo.bsky.social 人とペットの社会学：幸福、孤独、Multispecies Families www.nichibun.ac.jp/ja/events/ot...
Having a dog at home likely helps alter adolescent children's microbiome to make them happier and have better social skills, a study by a Japanese research team showed. 👉 ebx.sh/wS1TPB
Global plastic pollution will hit 280 million metric tons per year by 2040, or a dump truck’s worth every second.
The world’s plastic glut is set to get much worse by 2040, study finds
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A big thank you to the DWIH Tokyo for bringing together scientists, businesses & policy makers to discuss innovations, research, knowledge in society, future policies & action plans at the 'Sustainable Consumption & Production' symposium, incl. DIJ's @barbtokyo.bsky.social & Sebastian Polak-Rottmann
Great to catch up with #DIJAlum Jasmin Rückert, Harald Conrad, Ralf Windhab, Sonja Ganseforth, @hajent.bsky.social, Florian Grosser, Frank Rövekamp, Steve Entrich as well as Ina Hein at the #VSJF conference @jstudiesvienna.bsky.social. More Alumni meetings scheduled for 2026! @barbtokyo.bsky.social
Haustierfriseure, Igelcafés, Tieraltersheime: „In Japan ist die Anthropomorphisierung von Haustieren extrem“, sagt DIJ-Soziologin @barbtokyo.bsky.social im Gespräch mit Janosch Schobin @soziopolis.bsky.social Volltext ➡️ www.soziopolis.de/in-japan-ist...
Onsite only lecture in Vienna by DIJ's @barbtokyo.bsky.social "Pets in Contemporary Japan: Between Commodification, Family Membership, and Animal Welfare Challenges" 🏚️ University of Vienna @jstudiesvienna.bsky.social 📅 19 Nov 2025, 18–20h CET ▶️ www.viennaanimalstudies.com/event-detail...
You can enjoy the Osaka Kansai #Expo2025 even after it will close its doors on Monday: watch our presentation at the German Pavilion and learn about our institute and our research projects in the fields of Sustainability and Digital Transformation @barbtokyo.bsky.social 🎬 youtu.be/NVbOsSdP51s
Vielen Dank an die interdisziplinäre Studiengruppe @lmumuenchen.bsky.social, geleitet von Aki Narutomi, für den Besuch am DIJ. Wir haben uns gefreut, unser Institut vorstellen zu können & über den spannenden Austausch zum demographischem Wandel, Nachhaltigkeit, Höflichkeit uvm @barbtokyo.bsky.social
NEW on our YouTube channel 📽️ @barbtokyo.bsky.social "Stumbling upon furry friends in Aso: Transitioning to studying Japan’s urban-rural divide" youtu.be/HAq8dszJSKk 📽️ S. Polak-Rottmann "From well-being to spaces of resilience in the Aso region" youtu.be/ZQaSla0KnUQ Thanks @jstudiesvienna.bsky.social
How are sustainable consumption, health & animal welfare connected and what are recent trends in meat consumption in Japan, Germany & globally? Find out in "Meat consumption and sustainability" @barbtokyo.bsky.social on our Sustainability in Japan and Beyond blog sustainability.hypotheses.org/1037
What does #sustainability research look like in practice? The #DIJToyko 's @barbtokyo.bsky.social explains the Institute's decision to go vegetarian and explores the connections between sustainable consumption, health & animal welfare in Japan & Germany. sustainability.hypot... via @dijtokyo.org
Meat consumption and sustainability: the case of Japan
Author: Barbara Holthus Putting sustainability research into action Since October 2022, the German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo (DIJ) has been focusing on the study of sustainability in Japan. Researchers examine issues of diversity...
sustainability.hypotheses.org
Preview DIJ research #Japanologentag 📅 Fri, 11.30 am - 1 pm, Sociology section @celiaspoden.bsky.social 🎤 Barbara Holthus @barbtokyo.bsky.social www.dijtokyo.org/people/barba... ➡️ "Pets, Demographic Change, and Loneliness" www.dijtokyo.org/project/the-...
