WATCH: Elderly man takes his giant African tortoise for a walk every day
The Japanese man certainly raises eyebrows when he goes for
a walk with his beloved pet – who has become a fond figure within the community.
It’s been proven that taking your pet for daily walks has massive benefits for both your health and the health of your pet, and Japanese man Hisao Mitani does exactly that. However, while most people take their dogs on a walk, Hisao takes his giant African tortoise for walks around his neighbourhood every day – and became a social media phenomenon in the process.
Hisao Mitani admits that he and his wife welcomed Bon-chan into their life more than two decades ago, after his wife “fell in love” with the animal at their local pet shop. He says that back then, the tortoise was small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, but Bon-chan has since grown spectacularly.
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Now, Hisao and Bon-chan have become a staple on the streets of Tokyo, where the man takes his beloved pets for daily walks.
@sugoimart im only living for the kabuto on his head tbh 🐢 #fyp #foryoupage #africantortoise #japanthings #animals #japanlife #tsukishima #japan #sugoimart
♬ original sound - sugoimart
Bon-chan first gained popularity a few years ago when images of the duo walking the streets of Tokyo went viral. But thanks to recent videos shared on TikTok, the world is once-again obsessed with Hisao and his relationship with his tortoise.
Shared by the SugioMart account, the video details that the tortoise began to grow rapidly when he hit the age of 10. Today, at the age of 25, he weighs approximately 70 kilos.
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In an interview with the AFP back in 2016, Hisao admits that he never thought his tortoise would grow to be so big when he and his wife purchased him from the pet store and admits that he loves spending time with his pet on ‘long walks’ which, he says, are just five-minute walks that take incredibly long because of the tortoise’s slow pace and the attention the animal gets from people in the street.
A popular stop for Hisao and Bon-chan is outside the town’s funeral home owned by Hisao, where the duo greet all those who enter. “Some people may say it’s absurd to keep such a big tortoise at the entrance of a funeral service. But even in their time of sadness, people smile when they see him, so I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have him,” the man explains.
Hisao and Bon-chan’s popularity continues to rise as travellers come to visit the duo to create TikTok videos of their own.
Image courtesy: TikTok