So, for now I’ll just have to share with you my love for Japanese dogs via the internets. Yes there will be some puppies. Hopefully in the future I can grace you with real life puppy videos after I retire and become a Shikoku Inu breeder / tea farmer.

The Japanese Dog Breeds Map

Native Japanese dogs are “Spitz” type dogs, meaning they tend to have thick fur, pointed ears, and muzzles. Their tails are also curled like a little spring. In Japan, many of the native dog breeds are named after the area in which they came from. For example, the Hokkaido-inu is from Hokkaido. The Shikoku-inu is from Shikoku. The Shiba-inu (perhaps Japan’s most well known dog thanks to the Shiba-inu cam) isn’t really from anywhere in particular, but it’s still very cute.

This little map should give you a little bit of an idea of where these dogs came from. Let’s look at them a little more closely.

Native Japanese Dog Breeds

Japanese dog breeds are some of the most ancient in the world. If you want an “old world” dog, most of the native Japanese dog breeds will do the trick. Have you noticed how many of them look pretty wolfy? That’s a pretty good sign in terms of how old the breed is, I’m guessing.

Shiba-Inu

Almost certainly the most well known Japanese dog.  You may know of this type of dog from the Shiba-inu puppy cam that took the world by storm.

They’re a medium sized dog, have a thick double coat, and has pointed ears with a curly tail (it’s a spitz, after all). They’re one of the  oldest dog breeds, so they tend to be harder to control and don’t do great with children and other dogs without good training. Also, they’re fairly independent and are also known to enjoy running away.

Still, they’re particularly nice dogs and keep themselves nice and clean. I wouldn’t mind having a Shiba-inu if Shikoku-inus and Akita-inus didn’t exist.

Akita-Inu

There are several different types of Akita-Inu, including a fairly distinct looking American Akita breed. It has the traits of the Spitz breed, but is one of the larger Spitz dogs. They actually almost went extinct during WWII when soldiers would kill them for their warm coats. An interesting book on this subject is “Dog Man.” It’s about the guy who brought the Akita back from near-extinction. Also, this was the dog in “Hachiko: A Dog’s Tale” starring Japan’s favorite actor of all time, Richard Gere.

The Akita is a combination of dignity, courage, alertness, and devotion. It is however fairly territorial and may not be good with strangers. That being said, it’s also known for “having an affinity for children, just as retrievers have an affinity with sticks and balls,” so, uh, I guess just make sure you don’t toss your child across a field when an Akita is around.

Just like a Shiba, they’re also very clean even licking themselves and cleaning their face after eating, making them my ideal dog.

Hokkaido Ken

Photo by Yukun615

This is a medium sized dog, kind of like a Shiba-inu. It is known for loving its owner, bravery, and its thick coat (it is from Hokkaido after all). Most unusually, it is able to fight the Hokkaido Brown Bear by attacking the bear’s back, holding on to the bear’s neck until the bear runs off. It’s also a good hunter so… not a great farm dog if you want your chickens to stay alive.

Oh, and if you’re wondering where you may have seen this dog before, maybe it’s from reading about these Softbank commercials?

Kai-Ken

Photo by Yamabouzu

The Kai-ken is an interesting breed. It’s a medium sized dog  with a harsh feeling coat. It’s known for its tiger-stripe fur. They’re definitely very wild looking. They’re intelligent, agile, alert, and brave. They’re hunters and guard dogs, and do well with their owners but are reserved around strangers without good training.

Shikoku Inu

Photo by Elektra96

A little bigger than a Shiba, more wolfy, and from the Shikoku area of Japan. The thing that differentiates this breed from Shiba-inus is that they’re a lot less aloof and a lot more alert to what’s going on. That’s pretty much the reason why I like these dogs the most, though they’re harder to come by. They’re loyal, cautious, brave, and are known to chase wild boars for fun. They’re good for more active people since they need to run a lot, so don’t get one and let it sit around in your apartment all day long.

Kishu Inu

The Kishu-inu is usually white, has a thick coat, and is a one person / family kind of dog (aka they’re super loyal). They’re good hunters and like to chase prey, but will usually do fine with other dogs if socialized properly. Because of all these things, you’ll want to be an active owner if you own one of these dogs. They need to runnnn.

“Imported Into Japan” Breeds

There are a number of breeds that are considered “Japanese” but were obviously imported. You can tell because they’re as not awesome anymore.

Japanese Chin

Ugh, here’s where my dogism shines through. This dumb looking dog is small, has long hair, and is supposedly pretty calm despite being a tiny dog. They were originally brought over from China though Japan created their own distinct version of the breed. Noble houses would keep this breed as a companion / house pet, as it had no actual useful function beyond this. Seriously, though. What a derp-fest that face is.

Japanese Spitz

The Japanese Spitz is a fluffy small to medium sized Spitz breed dog that was developed in the 1920s by mixing various spitz dogs together. They’re active, loyal, and fairly smart. They’re good with children, too. One thing that makes them stand out is their longevity. These dogs live 10-16 years, making them one of the longest living dog breeds.

Japanese Terrier

The Japanese Terrier is a small dog that’s “lively and cheerful” in character… aka, it’s probably yappy and annoying. They were brought over via Dutch merchant ships in Nagasaki. They became popular lap dogs in their time, though now they’re a fairly rare breed in Japan.

Tosa Inu

Some would call this a Japanese breed, though it’s a bit in between. It’s a mix between the Shikoku-inu and European dog breeds (such as the Old English Bulldog, Mastif, St. Bernard, German Pointer, Great Dane, and Bull Terrier. So, there’s many different kinds and they don’t look like Native Japanese dogs, though they are half. This breed is somewhat known to be a “dangerous dog,” though I’m sure with proper raising it’s just as nice as every other dog everyone’s afraid of. It was also raised to be in dog fights back in the day, so, well, yeah, that.

Sakhalin Husky

Not sure if this is really a Japanese dog or not, but it is related to the Akita inu. They were used in the ill-fated 1958 Japanese Antarctic research expedition. The dogs were left behind due to the researchers thinking a relief team would come to save them, but no relief team ever came. These dogs are very rare in Japan right now, probably because they were all left in Antarctica.

Getting A Japanese Dog

No matter what the breed it’s definitely harder than easier to get one outside of Japan. The Shiba-inu is probably the most  common outside of Japan, but everything else is somewhat rare. Akitas and Shikoku-inus aren’t impossible to find, but then you run into the Kai-ken and Hokkaido Inu, which are really really tough to find. If you look around you’ll find breeders for a lot of these dogs, but just be prepared to travel a few hours to get to them unless you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky you won’t find any breeders at all. Some of these dogs are Japan-only because they’re “national treasures.”

Importing a Japanese dog from Japan has its own challenges as well. You’ll have your work cut out for you in terms of finding a breeder first of all willing to export their dog overseas, let alone to someone who’s not Japanese. They’re Japanese dogs so many Japanese breeders want to keep them in Japan. The dogs are so rare already.

No matter what you do be prepared to pay up the nose. The most common type of Japanese dog, the Shiba, is probably the cheapest. Still, that will run you ~$1000+. It basically goes up from there. Shikoku-inus will run you a couple thousand. And, if you’re planning to import from Japan be prepared to pay an extra $1000+ to get them shipped. Even if you do it yourself via the airline it’s a few hundred dollars, and there are many hoops around this you’ll have to jump through.

So, basically it’s really hard to import. It’s also hard to find many of these breeds in your own country. It’s not impossible, but if you want a Japanese dog be prepared to spend a lot of money and run into a lot of obstacles.

Any of you have native Japanese breed dogs? I’m guessing it’ll be Shibas and Akitas all around, but would be really interested to hear if anyone has any of the other types of dogs out there. Please don’t tell me you have a Japanese Chin, though. Please, for the love of all that is good and holy please…

P.S. Did you notice the “inu” and “ken” thing after each dog’s name? They’re both readings of the kanji for dog: 犬. The kun’yomi reading is いぬ (inu), and the on’yomi reading is けん (ken). Sometimes they can be switched and that’s okay, so you’ll see DOG+ken and DOG+inu a lot. Just know that if you see either it probably has to do with dogs, not Ken dolls.

Bonus Wallpapers!

1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200

This article is all about Shikoku (四国: Four Countries/Prefectures), the smallest of the four main islands of Japan.  If you want to get off the beaten track, this should definitely be one of your top priorities.  Most Japanese people associate this place as the ultimate inaka (田舎: rural) destination.  In the Tokyo area, it is highly unlikely that you will ever experience total silence or darkness, but Shikoku is one place in Japan you’ll find it.  In order for you to get the full experience in Shikoku, I’ll be covering the best local foods, dialects, festivals, and finally some AMAZING adventures you can take.

Shikoku’s Food

Repeat after me:

“I LOVE RAMEN I LOVE RAMEN I LOVE RAMEN I LOVE RAMEN I LOVE RAMEN I LOVE RAMEN!!!”

While you’re in Shikoku, you’re going to be crying tears of joy for having tasted this intense bowl of flavor and weeping big wet tears of sorrow when you get back to the states and find out that you probably wont find it ANYWHERE.  It truly is the heroin of Japanese cuisine.  If you don’t know anything about Japanese ramen, much less ramen in Shikoku, you’re probably thinking “Psh!  If I’m going to go have adventures, why would I want to fuel up with Top Ramen?!”  The answer is, because it is absolutely nothing like anything you will ever find in a Costco.  Here is why:

For those of you who are on top of your TextFugu lessons, you’ll notice on the back of this bowl is written:

“徳島ラーメンが一番 (Tokushima ramenga ichiban)” meaning “TOKUSHIMA RAMEN IS THE BEST!!!”

Tokushima ramen is the pride and joy of Tokushima prefecture in Shikoku.  One of the ramen shops in Tokushima City actually opened a museum in 1999 dedicated to the awesomeness that is Tokushima ramen.  The things that make this ramen so magical are the soup, made from a pork and soy sauce base that is thicker than most other types, the thicker noodles, and a raw egg on top to add to that thick delicious texture and flavor.  You may need a nap after eating this baby rather than jumping right into adventuring!

While ramen should be your primary source of sustenance while in Shikoku, the Udon there is arguably preferred among locals.  Sanuki-udon, found in Kagawa Prefecture, is the most famous for the texture and shape of the noodles and also was supposedly the first region in Japan to adopt the dish from China.

Shikoku Dialects

Japanese = a language mostly limited to the islands of Japan.  Tokushima-ben = a Japanese dialect limited to one prefecture in Shikoku, the rural island in Japan.  You + Tokushima-ben = not being understood by hardly ANYONE ON EARTH.

If you’ve been studying Japanese already, chances are you are probably learning the Tokyo dialect.  Going to Shikoku is about as different as going from New York City to Birmingham, Alabama.  The real famous alternative dialect in Japan is of course Kansai-ben, found in Osaka and Kyoto, and Tokushima-ben is really not that different since it’s only a super long bridge away.  If you get to talking to some local people though, there will absolutely be times when you’re like 『徳島弁が全く分からないからゆっくり話してください。』 Meaning “I really don’t understand Tokushima-ben so please speak slowly.”  Here’s a sample conversation you might encounter:

A.  えっとぶりだ！(ettoburida!)　＝　久しぶりだ！(hisashiburida!)     “It’s been a while!”

A.  うちんくにいぬる？(uchinkuni inuru?)　＝　私の家に帰る？(watashino ieni modoru?)   “Do you want to go back to my house?”

B.  おまはんくそんなごついかえ…(omahannku sonnagotsuikae…)　＝　あなたの家はそんなにすごいでしょうか。”I wonder if your house is really that amazing…”

A.  こんまいけどきー！ (konnmaikedokii)　＝　小さいけど来てください！(chiisaikedo kitekudasai!) “It’s small but please come!”

As you can see, Tokushima-ben can get pretty ridiculous, but this is what you can expect if you head down to Shikoku.

Shikoku Festivals

The Awa-odori (阿波踊り:dance of Awa) is the place to be if you want to get your traditional Japanese groove on.  They’ve been partying like it’s 1999 every summer since 1585!  They may have about a 400 year head start, but that does not mean that you should not go party with them.  This harvest festival, a part of obon celebration (kind of like memorial day weekend), prides itself on two very important historical activities: drinking too much and dancing in silly clothes.  The basic moves of the dance are put your hands above your head, palms facing inward, and step forward to the beat moving left hand forward with the right foot and the opposite.  The dance is traditionally done in tightly bound kimonos and big straw hats in the sweltering heat so it the steps in the dance are very tiny.  No one goes very far very quickly, but it’s definitely not about the destination in this case.  The Awa-odori is truly a dance invented by the drunk, so if you go there and you can’t quite get the moves right, have a few more sips of sake, put your hands in the air, walk around a little, and you’ll fit right in! Here’s a video to motivate you to grab your dancing shoes:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW6kbdjlEE']

The main event in Tokushima City runs from August 12th to 15th and is the largest dance festival in Japan with around 1.3 million viewers, but people are dancing all over the island that time of year so there are plenty of chances for you to practice!  Remember the wise words of the Awa-odori song: 『 踊る阿呆に見る阿呆、同じ阿呆なら踊らな損々』(odoru ahoni miru aho, onaji ahonara odorana sonson) “It’s a fool who dances and a fool who watches.  So if we’re both fools, you might as well have fun dancing!”

Shikoku Adventure

One of the most hardcore things you can do while in Japan is to walk the 88 temples of Shikoku.  Legend has it that Kobo Daishi, a famous Buddhist monk and scholar, was the first to visit all of these temples.  They say his spirit will accompany you if you chose to accept this pilgrimage.  If you really do choose to walk the entire route at once, it will take you around 5 to 7 weeks.  Visiting beautiful old rural temples, befriending the ghost of a famous monk, and taking a really long trek through mountains in the rain and heat, while people will even stop sometimes to give you gifts of encouragement!  What more could you ask for?  Locals are usually a little more sensible and visit the 88 temples over the course of a few years via car, so if you too want to get the enriching spiritual experience without the agonizing blisters on your feet, see about renting a car or moped, or getting friends who will take you.  If you want to do it, though, this is how you’d go about it.

If you’re looking to REALLY get off the beaten track, the Iya Valley (祖谷渓谷), also in Tokushima prefecture, is one of the three hidden regions (三大秘境) in Japan.  It is so remote that defeated warriors retreated to the region to hide out.  You can still visit several vine bridges that were originally set up to ensnare pursuing enemies!  If you are in to outdoor adventuring, Iya valley is home to great hiking and there is world class rafting in the nearby Oboke valley (大歩危).

These are just a couple of adventure ideas, but Shikoku is full of places off the beaten track.  You just need to get out there and explore!  If you get tired of roughing it, stop into Matsuyama, Ehime to relax at the famous Dougo Onsen, the oldest hot spring bathhouse in Japan!

Transportation In Shikoku:

From personal experience, Shikoku is not an easy place to travel in as far as finding public transportation.  Unlike on Honshu, you probably won’t be able to get to EVERYTHING you want to see via train.  That’s part of the fun though!  They’ve definitely got enough rail to get you to the major cities, and there are public busses in a lot of towns, but better yet, go make friends to have adventures with!

いろいろな地域を探検してみてください！(iroirona chiikiwo tanken shitemite kudasai) “GO EXPLORE!”