Living in the Heart of Akita Dog Country: A Convenient, Irori-Equipped Two-Story Folk House
This property is a folk house located in the heart of Odate City, Akita Prefecture, the famous hometown of the Akita dog. Situated within walking distance of the Akita Dog Museum and City Hall, it occupies a corner in the city's premier downtown shopping district. The building is a two-story wooden structure built shortly after WWII, making it over 75 years old. Although currently vacant, regular maintenance has been performed, resulting in an interior that does not feel like a typical neglected akiya.
According to the agent's notes, the property features electricity, public water supply, and public sewer systems. The building structure is wood with galvanized steel sheet roofing. The land is zoned as Commercial District with a building coverage ratio of 80% and a floor area ratio of 400%. The site is flat and faces a paved public road approximately 4.3 meters wide to the north. A notable feature is the inclusion of a traditional irori (sunken hearth). The property also includes a separate storage shed: a two-story wooden structure with galvanized steel sheet roofing, with a total floor area of 29.75 square meters.
The surrounding environment allows for a car-free lifestyle. JR and highway bus connections provide easy access to Aomori and Morioka. Odate Noshiro Airport, about a 25-minute drive away, offers three daily flights to Tokyo, providing convenient access for a regional city. Daily necessities are close by, with a FamilyMart convenience store approximately 550m away and a supermarket about 1.7km away.
The area serves as a tourism base for the Shirakami Mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Lake Towada. Odate City is also the birthplace of Hachiko, the loyal dog immortalized at Shibuya Station, which explains the many Akita dog-related facilities throughout the city. An interesting local fact is that the famous statue of Hachiko in Shibuya was sculpted by Takeshi Ando, the son of the sculptor who created the original Akita dog statue in Odate Station. The closest major landmark is the Akita Dog Museum, a dedicated facility celebrating the history and preservation of Japan's iconic breed.
