In Japan, China and South Korea, a new trend as surprising as it is original is galvanizing the younger generation: “Pet Stones”. Disguised, dressed and pampered, these pebbles are seen by their owners as a remedy for loneliness and stress, without the constraints of an animal. Here’s how it works.
Gone are the days of walking the dog before work and expensive cat food. Too restrictive and requiring increased attention, pets are no longer considered our best friends for a certain segment of the Asian population. Too much time, too much energy. So, since the health crisis, young working people in Japan, China and South Korea have turned to pebbles, like the ones you might find at the edge of a beach, as life partners.
The principle is to buy a polished pebble, for a few coins, which owners paint, make-up, dress up and name with a doll-like nickname. These customizable pebbles find their place in the home, in a small space that can be inexpensively furnished. They can even be integrated into a family of stones. Far less restrictive than a pet, since these objects are clean and immortal, and never leave their home.
Attention and discussion
For their owners, Pet Stones are a way of keeping busy, relaxing and filling a certain emotional void. “I sometimes put my stone on my bed and pat it. Sometimes I talk to it as if I were talking to myself. […] It’s given me a sense of companionship, a presence by my side,” says Lim, 29, in an interview for The Korea Herald. “Obviously, it’s an inanimate object that can’t understand you. But it’s a bit like talking to your dog, and it’s quite relaxing, in a way,” says Lee, 30, as reported by Slate magazine.
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