On the second week of every February, a two-day event called the Inukko Festival takes place in Yuzawa City in the most southeastern part of Akita. In Japanese, “Inu” means dog  but some of the locals of Akita refer to Akita dogs as Inukko. The unwavering love these people have for the Akita is apparent in the festival that has been held for over 400 years dating back to the beginning of the Edo period (the early 1600s).

Festival events includes taiko drum performances, dog parades and contests, the sale of Shinko crafts, fireworks, and samplings of local foods such as kiritanpo, charcoal grilled rice sticks on a cedar pole. At night, 100 hand-packed Inu-kko snow statues and snow shrines are lit up by candlelight. If you’re a fan of taiko drums, you’ll like the video clip below:

Yuzawa, also known for its hot spring resorts, welcomes dog lovers who wish to pray for their dogs’ health and safety. In fact, one of the main events of the festival is the Shinto ritual of praying for pet dogs (Aiken-Kigansai, in Japanese). In an atmosphere of solemnity, a Shinto priest stands before the snow shrine to recite a Shinto prayer for dogs, and to exorcise evil spirits of these pets. After reciting the Shinto prayer, dogs and owners visit the shrines.

Learn more about the festival at this site from which the photo comes.