How well do you know about the geography and history of Japan? Today we introduce you to one of the 47 prefectures in Japan. A prefecture is a so-called local authority, comparable to a Bundesland in Germany. This one here is about the beautiful prefecture number 5: Akita.
The Akita region
Akita offers beautiful and mountainous nature. The prefecture is on Honschu, the largest island in Japan. Here you can wonderfully spend the famous cherry blossom season in spring. You can also find an article on the subject of Hanami here.
The city of the same name Akita has about 300,000 inhabitants and offers, among other things, a harbor, a lake, castle ruins and lots of art, museums and festivals. In Senshua Park you can marvel at beautiful plants and colors at any time of the year. If that's not enough nature for you, you can go to the many villages and rural regions around the city. You can really take a deep breath there. Or you can continue to the old castle town of Kakunodate, where you can discover the architecture of the Edo period and a Samurei district.
MYCONBINI tip: If you want to try a premium rice from the Akita region, you will find the aromatic Akita Komachi rice in our range.
The Akita-Inu
You are probably not only familiar with the term Akita from the geography of Japan. The most famous dog in Japan lived in the city of Odate in Akita: Hachiko. He was born in Odate in 1923. The Akitas dog breed is named after him. Inu means dog.
The famous dog
Hachiko's story has been filmed several times. The university professor Hidesaburo Ueno moved to Tokyo with Hachiko in 1924. According to legend, the dog accompanied its owner to Shibuya train station every morning and welcomed him there with joy in the evening. After the professor suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1925, Hachiko is said to have gone to Shibuya train station every day for nine years to wait for his master.
A legend
The dog Hachiko also died in March 1935. His story and death were reported in newspapers across Japan. Hachiko is now considered a symbol of absolute loyalty. In Tokyo, a replica of the original bronze statue of the dog can be found in front of Shibuya Station. In the meantime, other images of Hachiko can also be found in Tokyo.
The city of Odate has even dedicated a museum to the Akita dog breed. By the way, by the 1930s, Akitas were almost extinct. It was through Hachiko that the breed became famous and popular.
Fun fact
The film "Hachi: A Dog’s Tail" is a 2009 film set in the USA. Richard Gere can be seen in the lead role. The dog Hachiko was embodied by three different Akitas. At the beginning of the film, Hachiko was shown as a puppy. The connoisseur sees: It is actually a Shiba-Inu, a smaller variant of the Japanese Spitz dogs.
We have lots of fun with our office dog Akira. Is she an Akita or a Shiba? What do you think?