Restaurant The Applehouse, and Tsukiji lim-classo, are cage free

In response to an inquiry from Animal Rights Center Japan, Restaurant The Applehouse in Morioka,  Iwate, responded that all the eggs they use are already cage free and that they would support the cage-free declaration.

The owner says,

We do not slaughter the cage-free chickens, but take care of them until death. Usually they get killed in about 2 years, but my chickens live 5 or 6 years, so I think they are happy.  Today’s livestock farming in Japan packs them tightly, so the animals are prone to illness; that’s why I think antibiotics and hormones must be used.  I think it is better for animals to have less stress with the feed and the way of rearing being natural.

This restaurant uses pork from grazing pigs at Hasegawa Nature Farm, and used to use milk from grazing cows (not currently due to COVID-19).  They also try to use natural water and salt.

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In response to an inquiry from Animal Rights Center Japan, Tsukiji lim-classo in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, responded that all the eggs they use are already cage free and that they would support the cage-free declaration.

This is a delivery supermarket that focuses on naturally grown vegetables, and all the eggs they handle are cage free.

There aren’t many supermarkets that handle only cage-free eggs, so this will lead Japan’s supermarkets to switch to cage free in the future.

Both businesses kindly agreed to declare cage free.

What is cage rearing?

In cage rearing, which is the common rearing method for eggs in Japan, chickens are placed in cages and are overcrowded in order to prioritize productivity.

As a result, chickens are susceptible to illness due to lack of exercise, and drugs are used to prevent the spread of illness.

In Japan, over 90% of the farms use battery cage rearing.

It’s misleading to say that that’s healthy, and it’s definitely not natural.

Caged chickens

On the other hand, there do exist a few cage-free egg farms, which allow chickens to roam.

Cage-free rearing  (not where the featured restaurant and shop source their eggs from, another cage-free farm.)

Cage rearing is being abolished all over the world, but Japan’s animal welfare is currently far behind.

A simple thing we can do to reduce the number of hens who continue getting exploited in their cages and go through life immobilized is for the consumers to stop buying cage-reared eggs and eliminate your egg consumption.

People who become aware of the actual situations and make humane and ethical choices today are what will lead to a sustainable future.

Click here for a list of other cage-free companies and shops