Akitas are a very smart, quiet and obedient Japanese dog breed designated as a protected species in Japan in 1931.

Originally, Akitas were bred mainly in the Odate region of Akita Prefecture from ancient times  and were also called Odates.

One Akita dog, Hachiko, is known even outside Japan. A Japanese movie about Hachiko was made in 1987, and an American version called Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, starring Richard Gere, will be released in 2009. 

Hachiko is the nickname of an Akita dog named Hachi. Hachi would come to meet his master, a university professor, in front of Shibuya Station in Tokyo. The dog faithfully continued to come and wait day in and day out for years following the professor’s sudden death. Hachi’s determined faithfulness to his beloved master moved people so much that they began calling him Hachiko the Loyal.

Akitas are internationally known in other ways. Helen Keller received an Akita as a gift when she visited the prefecture of Akita during her trip to Japan in 1937. This dog is said to be the first Akita to emigrate to the United States.

If you would like to learn more about Akitas, the perfect place would be the exhibition hall of the Akita Dog Preservation Society headquarters in Odate City, Akita. The hall boasts a variety of Akita dog-related displays and historical materials. You can also meet live Akitas there. The society has branch offices across Japan and also in the U.S., Taiwan and Mongolia. 

Come and visit Akita, the homeland of the Akitas!

▽Akita Dog Preservation Society
http://www.akitainu-hozonkai.com/