Muuta, a two-year-old male Akita dog, is a featured dog at Akita Inu no Sato, a visitor center in Odate City, Akita Prefecture. What’s Muuta’s signature move? An upturned gaze with glistening eyes. Dubbed “Lovestruck Sparkling Eyes,” he has won over countless visitors.
On January 5, Muuta appeared at the facility alongside his owner, Akira Ikeda (33) from Towada, Kazuno City. Inside the exhibit room, toys like rope tugs and dumbbell-shaped chew toys were scattered around, though Akira noted that Muuta had recently lost interest in them. Instead, he was more intrigued by the lingering scents of dogs who had been in the exhibit the day before, sniffing the floor curiously.
Though a bit shy around strangers, Muuta is affectionate with the staff. When one of them entered the exhibit room and held up a treat above his head, he instantly flashed his “sparkling eyes,” his gaze catching the light, making his eyes shine even more.
Large crowds gathered outside the exhibit room on the last day of the New Year’s holiday break. Akira picked up Muuta and carried him closer to the glass, where he lifted his paws for a high-five. The crowd beamed with joy at his up-close “fan service.”
A Family Legacy of Akita Dogs
Akira’s family has raised Akita dogs for generations, adopting them from breeders in Kazuno City. “Having an Akita dog in the house was just a normal part of life growing up,” Akira recalled. Among all the dogs he has raised, he fondly remembers Mukku, the male Akita dog he had before Muuta. Mukku was extremely friendly and loved being around people.
In 2019, Akira took Mukku to the Akita Dog Preservation Society’s national exhibition in Odate City, where they even had a photo taken with Mongolian sumo legend and former Yokozuna, Asashoryu Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj. However, in January 2021, Mukku passed away due to illness.
Welcoming Muuta into the Family
The loss of Mukku hit Akira hard. “I was so devastated I couldn’t focus on work,” he admitted. But after a year, he realized he still wanted an Akita dog in his life. Since the Kazuno breeder he had worked with had retired, he reached out to a breeder in Odate City with whom he had a prior connection.
Despite being Akira’s fifth Akita dog, Muuta’s unique personality quickly becomes apparent. Akira said, “Muuta is shy and gets lonely easily. Even though I’ve raised multiple Akita dogs, their personalities are completely different.”
Akira’s younger sister (26), who named Muuta, is responsible for managing his X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts, where she regularly posts adorable photos and videos. Whether it’s Muuta diving into the snow or excitedly greeting his favorite people, his social media presence has been widely praised, with many fans commenting that his posts “bring them comfort.”
Viral Fame: The “Perfect Fit” Photo
One of Muuta’s posts that went viral was a photo taken at the roadside station Futatsui in Noshiro City. The image shows Muuta sticking his head through a dog face-in-hole photo board designed to look like an Akita dog. The “perfect fit” between Muuta’s real face and the cartoon cutout amazed viewers, racking up 77,000 likes and comments like “This is too perfect!” and “It looks so natural!”
His sister finds Muuta’s unpredictable behavior particularly charming. “Sometimes he comes running to greet me when I get home, and other times he just wags his tail lazily while lying down. Even his moodiness is adorable,” she said with a smile.
Since his exhibit debut at Akita Inu no Sato in 2023, Muuta has been getting involved in more public events. Last fall, he participated in a crime prevention campaign alongside Hakutake, another male Akita dog from Kosaka Town. Together, they helped the Kazuno Police Department distribute leaflets encouraging residents to lock their doors.
Next month, Muuta is scheduled to appear at the “Odate Amekko Fair,” a local festival in Odate City.
Behind these activities is Akira’s deep passion for Akita dogs. Akira shared, “I want more people to raise Akita dogs and for more breeders to emerge here in Akita, the birthplace of the breed. That’s why it’s important for us owners to actively share their charm with the world.”
