My first encounter with an Akita dog - Summer Mutsu Thousand Mile Journey [10].

Many years ago, I watched a movie called "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale" and was moved by the touching story of the male owner and the Akita dog Hachiko. This is a true story. Hachiko was born in Odate City in 1923 and is a purebred white Akita dog. This summer I came to the hometown of Hachiko - Odate, and had my first intimate contact with Akita dogs. Akita dogs seem to be cute, but they are actually very smart. He can understand what I want to express, I can touch him, hug him, and the feeling of intimacy arises spontaneously. There are actually many stories about loyal dogs. They are displayed in various forms in various countries. There are Bobby in Edinburgh, Pachy in Belgium, and "Xiaohua" who saved 49 villagers in the Wenchuan earthquake in China. These stories tell us that dogs are the most loyal friends of mankind, and their love for humans far exceeds our love for them. At noon, we ate authentic "farm dishes" - grilled rice stick hot pot set meal, which is a local specialty of Akita Prefecture. Grilled rice sticks are made by crushing rice and rolling it on a wooden stick, and then roasting it on charcoal. Akita has a pure water source, and the Akita Komachi rice grown with high-quality water sources is very famous. This kind of Komachi rice tastes good and has excellent stickiness. The rice sticks made are put into the chicken soup stewed with Akita native chicken. It is the famous Akita grilled rice stick hot pot. I like original food. Making the most delicious food with the simplest ingredients is my favorite. Although the taste is light, it is endless. Every bite is mixed with a strong local flavor, which is the most generous gift that nature gives us humans!