At the entrance of Akita Inu Kaikan, located in Sannomaru, Odate City, Akita Prefecture, a panel of an Akita dog greets people upon their arrival. In the middle of the panel where an Akita dog’s face should be, is a temperature screening scanner, which measures the body temperature of visitors. When a person stands in front of the scanner, their face completes the image of the Akita dog. A humorous display of a person peeking out from a face-fitting Akita dog panel is projected on the monitor. Many visitors love it, saying, ” It feels like we all turned into an Akita dog.”
The panel was installed last September, replacing the original temperature screening scanner on the hall’s first floor. There are two types of images used, a red-haired Akita dog and a Tora (brindle) Akita dog, and they are switched from time to time.
The Akita Dog Preservation Society owns the building. According to one of their staff members, some visitors think the Akita dog version of the temperature scanner is cute and even take pictures of it. But some people don’t notice the difference inside the camera, perhaps because they are used to seeing the Akita dog and related goods inside the hall.
The staff member also said, “I hope this panel will help people enjoy the process of temperature measurement since it has become part of our daily lives.”
