Photo/Illutration Masa, an Akita Inu dog, mingles with tourists on a snow-covered trail in Mitane, Akita Prefecture. (Provided by Healthcare Design Akita)

MITANE, Akita Prefecture--“Walking with an Akita Inu dog,” a fitness program to help people enjoy nature through trail walking, is proving popular here.

It gives visitors, as well as locals, an opportunity to experience the healing effects of strolling with a dog indigenous to the northern prefecture.

The walking program received nearly double the usual number of reservations after it was introduced through a winter tourism promotional campaign jointly implemented by the prefectural government and East Japan Railway Co. (JR East).

It is provided by nonprofit organization Healthcare Design Akita.

With the support of a guide, participants are encouraged to take a 2-kilometer route in nearby mountain foothills with Masa, a playful 4-year-old male Akita Inu, for an hour.

Normally, the association accepts one group of tourists in the morning and another in the afternoon.

But because the program has proven so popular, the association is ready to accept two groups per session.

Last December, Masa boarded a sightseeing train running on the JR Gono Line to mingle with tourists.

"It is especially popular among tourists from urban areas who can't have large dogs, and foreign visitors," said Masahiro Kamata, 42, who works for the association's secretariat.

The program usually costs 3,000 yen ($19) for adults and 1,000 yen for elementary school pupils.

But it is offered at half price until Feb. 28 when the promotional campaign ends.

For inquiries, visit the official website at (https://mitane-hda.jp/).

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