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Acknowledge your animal side with these super cute, traditional wooden name plates.

When you finally buy a home in Japan, you get the unique opportunity to hang a name plate at the front of your house. You might be wondering why you need one, but this is because houses in the same area all have the same address, and the only way to distinguish between houses is by the names attached to them. In Japanese, they are called hyousatsu, and these name plates are a tiny little chance to put some individuality on your property. A lot of people have recently been using modern materials to fit in with the modern look of houses, but now you can buck that trend and go with some traditional wood and put a cute little dog on it as well!

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Thanks to the company Horebore, you can decorate your name plate with an adorable little puppy. More and more families are getting pets, so you can use your name plate to let everyone know you have a dog as well!

▼ These name plates would go perfectly with a set of cat- or dog-themed stamps.

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If you aren’t a dog person, you can also get them featuring cats instead. Whichever you choose, Inumon or Nekomon, they’ve got just the right name plate for your family!

▼ There are plenty of pictures to choose from, but only five writing styles.

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▼ The four types of wood from left to right: sakura, Japanese elm, Japanese cypress, Japanese yew

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Each name plate is 30 millimeters thick and they are carved out by a skilled veteran who wields a laser to achieve the precise and beautiful designs. One name plate will cost you 5,500 yen (US$52), but that’s basically a bargain when you consider you don’t have to warn the mailman that you’ve got a dog on the property.

Source: Irorio (1, 2)
Images: Rakuten (1, 2)