For Masami Sasaki (59) of Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, one of life’s greatest joys is spending time in the garden with her two Akita dogs. Chukichi (five-year-old male), calm and composed, and Hanako (five-year-old female), full of energy, wag their tails as they run through a garden dotted with blooming violas. The Sasaki family, surrounded by the beauty of nature, find moments of peaceful contentment in their shared love for their dogs and the natural world.
Masami first fell in love with Akita dogs about ten years ago. She spotted one in the parking lot while stopping at the Michi-no-Eki Sannai roadside station in Yokote. When she called out to it, the dog approached and gently licked her outstretched hand. She was instantly captivated by how this large and dignified dog could be so friendly and have such kind eyes.
Her husband, Yukichi Sasaki (73), is also a lifelong animal lover. Even before their marriage, he had raised Akita dogs and Golden Retrievers. He had long thought, “If I’m going to raise one last dog in my lifetime, it should be an Akita again.” Still, with age and physical strength in mind, he felt that raising a large dog might no longer be practical.
But Masami’s quiet yearning for an Akita dog touched Yukichi’s heart. And five years ago, he agreed to welcome one into their home again.
That’s how Chukichi and Hanako came into their lives. Laughing, Yukichi said, “Chukichi is shy, just like me.” While calm and quiet, Hanako’s playful energy often leaves him scrambling to keep up.
Hanako is full of mischief. She hides the couple’s shoes and tosses Chukichi’s blankets from the doghouse. Masami scolds her often, but somehow, Chukichi always looks the most apologetic, hanging his head with a guilty expression.
Their affection for the dogs is even reflected in their garage. The shutter is printed with a photo-based mural of the two dogs standing beneath a rainbow, created by a local business in Daisen City. Visitors often stop to take photos. “It’s become a little photo spot,” Yukichi said, smiling.
Yukichi, who works in corporate consulting, often travels across Japan. Even in his busy schedule, time with the dogs brings him healing. Gardening and DIY projects are his hobbies. The flowerbeds that bloom with seasonal color, the koi pond, and the doghouse were all built by Yukichi himself. “Spending every day surrounded by nature with my dogs brings me pure joy. This is paradise,” he said warmly.
Masami runs a training school for estheticians in both Tokyo and Osaka. On days when she’s home in Yokote, walking the dogs in the morning and evening is part of her daily routine. She laughs as she recalls when Chukichi and Hanako suddenly lunged toward ducks in a rice field, pulling her into an irrigation ditch because she refused to let go of the leash. “It hurt, but it’s one of those memories I’ll always treasure.”
Because they travel often, the couple takes turns caring for the dogs. They alternate shifts so that each spends about a third of the month in charge, with the remaining third spent together. “Even when work is tough, knowing they’re waiting for us helps us push through,” said Yukichi.
Masami added, “I don’t need to travel far away. Just being at home with Chukichi and Hanako makes me truly happy. Seeing the flowers in the garden while spending time with them fills my heart. My greatest wish is to keep living like this, just as we are.”
