Japan Akita dog facility goes viral amid inbound tourism surge
Designated as a natural monument in 1931, the Akita is Japan's only large dog breed and was originally bred for hunting. PHOTO: AFP
A facility for Akita dogs in north-eastern Japan has gone viral for its videos and photos of the fluffy breed on social media, drawing fans from abroad amid a boom in inbound tourism.
Since its social media posts gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic, the facility in Odate, Akita Prefecture, has amassed over 230,000 followers across X, Instagram and YouTube.
The Akita Inu Hall, which features a museum showcasing the breed's history and natural habitat, was opened in 1978 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Akita Inu Preservation Society's founding. Three Akita dogs take turns greeting visitors each day.
Designated as a natural monument in 1931, the Akita is Japan's only large dog breed and was originally bred for hunting.
The museum also features an exhibit on Hachiko, the loyal Akita known for waiting for his deceased owner for years near Tokyo's Shibuya Station.
Odate, Hachiko's hometown, is proud of its connection to the dog. Visitors can access exhibit information in English and Chinese via QR codes.
In 2018, the facility drew more than 20,000 visitors after the preservation group gifted an Akita puppy to Russian Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova, who named the dog 'Masaru'. However, visitor numbers fell to the thousands during the pandemic.
It returned to the spotlight after it began posting daily videos and photos on social media, including an image of a staff member carrying a giant four-month-old Akita that drew 38,000 reposts.
The number of visitors climbed to about 32,000 last year, helped by a rise in foreign tourists, particularly from Taiwan, following the launch of charter flights between the island and Akita in 2023. KYODO NEWS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
8 hours ago
- Business Times
Thailand's Minor International leans on Europe to weather country's tourism slump
[BANGKOK] Thailand's flagging tourism sector, weighed down by a sharp drop in Chinese tourist arrivals, is hurting local hotel operators but the country's hospitality giant Minor International (Mint) is finding some shelter in its European footprint. Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive of Minor Hotels (Minor) and group CEO of Mint, said that there has been a rise in luxury travel from other parts of Asia and Europe. 'A growing trend we are observing is regional travel – Asia for Asia and Europe for Europe,' he told The Business Times. 'This trend plays to Minor's strengths as our portfolio is concentrated in Europe and Asia, and we can benefit from travellers sticking within their region,' he added. Bangkok-based Mint, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), was started by American entrepreneur William Heinecke. Minor Hotels is the hospitality arm of Mint, which is also involved in food and retail businesses. In 2018, Mint acquired a 94.1 per cent stake in Minor Hotels Europe and Americas (MHEA), then known as NH Hotel Group – a Spanish chain and Europe's sixth-largest hotel operator – for 2.3 billion euros (S$3.4 billion), beating out Hyatt Hotels in the process. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The buyout more than doubled Minor's global portfolio and significantly diversified its regional exposure. The group retained the NH brand name to leverage its strong market recognition across Europe and the Americas. The acquisition saw Mint's long-term debt surge from 50 billion baht in 2017 to 127 billion baht in 2018, peaking at 132 billion baht during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, before easing to 93 billion baht in 2024. But debt aside, the deal diversified the group's risk beyond Thailand and the Asia-Pacific region. 'The diversification allows Mint to mitigate regional risks and capitalise on cross-market opportunities,' said Kalvalee Thongsomaung, an equity research analyst at Bualuang Securities. She noted that the group has introduced its Anantara brand in Europe, NH Hotels in parts of Asia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Avani in the UAE. The group has focused on an asset-light strategy in the post-Covid period, concentrating on growing its hotel management contracts and fewer wholly owned hotels. Of its 562 properties, 193 are under management contracts using Minor's various brand names including Anantara, Avanti, Elewana Collection, NH, Oaks and Tivoli. 'The company's shift towards an asset-light model and a focus on deleveraging – aiming to reduce its net interest-bearing debt to equity ratio to 0.75x by year-end – further bolster its investment appeal,' said Kalvalee. Mint reported a core profit of 50 million baht (S$2 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared with a loss of 352 million baht in the same quarter last year, but down from a 2.9 billion baht profit in the fourth quarter of 2024. This also marked the group's first Q1 core profit since acquiring MHEA. 'Of the three major hotel stocks – Mint, Centel (Central Plaza Hotel) and The Erawan Group – we like Minor the most because 70 per cent of (its) revenue is coming from Europe,' said Naphat Chantaraserekul, the head of research at CLSA/Thailand. Europe accounted for 56 per cent of Mint's revenue in Q1 2025, but this is expected to go up in the next two quarters during the region's high season. Mint's stock has yet to mirror analysts' confidence, falling about 13 per cent year to date. While this reflects broader concerns over Thailand's tourism recovery, political uncertainty, and global headwinds, the counter has still outperformed the tourism sector and the broader SET index. Room for hope in Thai operations Thailand, where Minor began with the purchase of Royal Garden Resort Pattaya in 1978, still plays a crucial role in the group's revenue picture. 'Our hotels in Thailand delivered a strong 10 per cent revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, outperforming other regions,' said Rajakarier. Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive of Minor Hotels and group CEO of Minor. PHOTO: MINOR HOTELS Thailand currently accounts for 7 per cent of Minor's portfolio of 562 properties. Thailand accounted for 13 per cent of Minor Hotels' total system sales in Q1 2025, the company indicated in a statement. Minor's hotels in southern Thailand enjoyed a boost from the third season of The White Lotus, a US-made series featuring the frolics and follies of very wealthy people on their vacations that was mainly filmed at four properties operated by Minor. 'The White Lotus has been a game changer for our properties in Koh Samui and Phuket, driving a significant increase in bookings and room rates,' said Rajakarier. 'We expect the impact to grow as more international travellers, particularly from the US, plan trips in the coming months.' That is rare optimism amid Thailand's flagging tourism sector, which is now expected to attract just 34 million to 35 million visitors, down from the initial government target of 38 million. Between January and May, this year, Thailand attracted 14.4 million foreign tourists, a drop of 2.7 per cent year-on-year, mainly dragged down by a 33 per cent decline in Chinese tourists. KResearch has forecast that tourist arrivals will reach 34.5 million this year, down from 35.5 million in 2024, and well below the 40 million peak in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chinese market, which accounted for 6.7 million arrivals last year, has been adversely affected by security concerns after a popular Chinese actor was kidnapped and taken to a scam centre in neighbouring Myanmar in early 2025. Analysts noted that Chinese guests account for less than 5 per cent of Minor's guests in Asian locations, and 2 per cent in NH hotels in Europe. Wellness destination Another trend that Minor and other luxury hotels stands to benefit from is a growing interest in 'experience' travel, and away from shopping. 'What we are seeing in Thailand is consistent with global trends, where spending is shifting from material to experience-based luxury. Guests are increasingly seeking wellness, fine dining and unique experiences rather than shopping,' Rajakarier said. It might help that wellness was one of the main themes in The White Lotus. 'The show amplified Thailand's appeal, especially as a wellness destination. We continue to see more guests choose Thailand as a wellness destination,' he added.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Japan Akita dog facility goes viral amid inbound tourism surge
Designated as a natural monument in 1931, the Akita is Japan's only large dog breed and was originally bred for hunting. PHOTO: AFP A facility for Akita dogs in north-eastern Japan has gone viral for its videos and photos of the fluffy breed on social media, drawing fans from abroad amid a boom in inbound tourism. Since its social media posts gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic, the facility in Odate, Akita Prefecture, has amassed over 230,000 followers across X, Instagram and YouTube. The Akita Inu Hall, which features a museum showcasing the breed's history and natural habitat, was opened in 1978 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Akita Inu Preservation Society's founding. Three Akita dogs take turns greeting visitors each day. Designated as a natural monument in 1931, the Akita is Japan's only large dog breed and was originally bred for hunting. The museum also features an exhibit on Hachiko, the loyal Akita known for waiting for his deceased owner for years near Tokyo's Shibuya Station. Odate, Hachiko's hometown, is proud of its connection to the dog. Visitors can access exhibit information in English and Chinese via QR codes. In 2018, the facility drew more than 20,000 visitors after the preservation group gifted an Akita puppy to Russian Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova, who named the dog 'Masaru'. However, visitor numbers fell to the thousands during the pandemic. It returned to the spotlight after it began posting daily videos and photos on social media, including an image of a staff member carrying a giant four-month-old Akita that drew 38,000 reposts. The number of visitors climbed to about 32,000 last year, helped by a rise in foreign tourists, particularly from Taiwan, following the launch of charter flights between the island and Akita in 2023. KYODO NEWS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Theatre review: Singapore, Michigan a confident debut about adulting and privilege
Singapore, Michigan cast (from left) Zane Haney, Shrey Bhargava and Ching Shu Yi give real depth to their trio of characters on a road trip in search of the titular American town. PHOTO: PANGDEMONIUM Singapore, Michigan Pangdemonium Lasalle College of the Arts – Singapore Airlines Theatre June 28, 8pm A Singaporean couple and their American classmate drive through a Michigan winter in pursuit of a silly quirk of history – an American ghost town called, perplexingly, Singapore. Over a blustery weekend, the trio realise that the rest of their lives will not so much be a frivolous jaunt, but a series of calculated choices. Playwright Ong Chong An's first professional script is an elegant snow globe of a road trip story. It is a finely crafted drama of young adulthood, as the trio, encased in a dingy motel, trade ghost stories, bad takeaway Chinese food and secrets. Ong's talky script draws out the heightened emotional state that young adults on the cusp of graduation often feel, when every decision appears life-altering. Carol's (Ching Shu Yi) parents own an oil corporation but she wants to work for a non-profit, which annoys her pragmatic boyfriend Manish (Shrey Bhargava), who is tied to a hefty scholarship bond. Jesse (Zane Haney), an English major who comes from money, sides with Carol, but antagonises Manish, who in turn rubs Jesse the wrong way when he calls America a Third World country. Like three volatile elements dropped into a confined space, the trio's biographies and traits play off one another well. Class, gender, nationality and race come to inflect a slow-burn argument about responsibility and desire, choice and circumstance. Under Timothy Koh's direction, the three characters are furnished with a complexity that allows them to be a goofy trio when together, then markedly different in their respective pairs when one steps out into the snow for air or, well, better Wi-Fi. The actors give each of their not-quite-adult characters real depth – Janus-faced Jesse, micro-managing Manish and Carol, adrift between two worlds. Fortunately, the destination of Singapore, Michigan, is kept to a lean five-minute exposition early on – so the ghost town does not become too overt an allegory for the play's themes. That restraint allows Singapore, Michigan, to be the blank canvas on which the characters project their disappointments and hopes. Set designer Eucien Chia's set is as lovely to marvel at as a beautiful winter diorama. The drivable open-topped car prop is the mesmerising centrepiece of the opening winter drive scene and the alabaster forest landscape subtly suggested through what looks like a hand-painted curtain background. In the motel, a brilliant white blizzard at the window is rendered convincingly by light designer James Tan. It is a well-paced story until the play's final act, which is bogged down by an inelegant excess of plot twists and abrupt revelations that try to tie up its complex threads too tightly. Its final act builds up too quickly and risks melodrama in an otherwise assuredly realistic direction. Although equatorial heat is endemic to Singapore arts, winter has not been completely absent, and Ong's 'Singaporean students abroad' play has echoes of writer Carissa Foo's university road trip novel What We Learned From Driving In Winter (2022). It joins the likes of film-maker Anthony Chen's The Breaking Ice (2023) and writer Daryl Qilin Yam's Shantih Shantih Shantih (2021) in Singaporean depictions of winter. More than a coming-of-age story, the play is also about growing up with the burden and allure of privilege, comfort and templates. Writ large, it interrogates a Singaporean brand of exceptionalism – heightened perhaps when one is young and abroad, beneficiary of an imperfect system, and certainly played up in the age of a more insular America. Singapore, Michigan is a confident debut with substantial complexity. The snow falls differently each time you give the globe a little shake. Book It/Singapore, Michigan Where: Lasalle College of the Arts – Singapore Airlines Theatre, 1 McNally Street When: Till July 11; Tuesdays to Fridays, 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 3 and 8pm Admission: From $35 Info: Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
