Akita inu at the Odate Station.

The Akita Inu (inu is Japanese for dog) is a large breed of dog native from the mountainous northern regions of the Honshu island in Japan, particularly in the Akita prefecture. It was considered as the national dog of Japan and officially declared as a National Monument in 1931 together with other six breeds of dogs including the Shikoku (Japanese Wolfdog), Kai Inu (Tiger Dog) and Kishu Ken. The breed has been widely known because of the most popular Akita Inu, the loyal Hachiko who has his own monument in Tokyo.

Akita dogs statue in front of the Akita Inu Museum.

The Akita dog is considered sacred and a lucky charm for Japanese. Miniature statues of this dog are often given to parents of newborn babies and sick people for good and improved health.

Akita Inu Museum

The Akita breed has been used as police and military dogs, guard dogs, sled dogs and hunting dogs. They are able to hunt bears and deers.

A taxidermied Akita inu inside the museum.

During my North Tohoku trip, I went to Akita prefecture and stayed in Odate for a night. On the next day, I visited the Akita Dog Museum which is just near to the train station. It was built in 1967 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Akita Dog Preservation Society.

A diorama of Akita inu with an old Japanese couple.

The entrance fee to the museum is just 100 yen. The ground floor housed the society offices while the second floor is the conference room. The museum on the third floor is just small and contains photos, documents, small statues and everything about the Akita Inu. I just spent 20 minutes inside the museum.

Akita inu figurines inside the museum.

The Akita Inu Museum is not as popular as the Shibuya statue of Hachiko. This might be due to the remote location of the museum at the quiet city of Odate. So if just in case you happened to visit this city, make sure you’ll see the Akita Inu Museum.

Photos of Akita inu in Japan.