Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
Akita dogs Umeko and Hakutake have been assisting their owner run a cozy liquor shop in one of the most beautiful towns in Japan.
Two Akita dogs have gone viral on social media.
The viral video shows two dogs seemingly working as cashiers in Liquor Shop Takahashi, located in the beautiful town of Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. They are two-year-old Umeko and one-year-old Hakutake, working as adorable "shop assistants" to the store owner Nobue Takahashi.
The two white furry dogs often lie down by the cash register in the cozy liquor store. Umeko and Hakutake live in the nature-rich town of Kosaka in northern Akita Prefecture, famous for its snowy weather and the Akita breed of dogs.
Takahashi welcomed Umeko in September 2020 and began bringing the dog to her liquor shop. Umeko soon started to move its paws around on the cash register, as if to imitate her owner. When Takahashi posted a video of Umeko in February 2021 to liven up the store's Twitter page, it instantly went viral.
The comments came flooding in: "What a cute shop attendant!" "[The dog] almost seems like a person!“
The video now has over 1.4 million views. The other dog, Hakutake, shows no interest in the cash register but warmly greets customers across the counter.
The shop's Twitter account was initially set up to promote products. But it is now filled with photos and videos of the two dogs. Fans from all over Japan have been visiting the store.
With high hopes for Umeko and Hakutake, Takahashi says, "I would like to do whatever I can to help revitalize the region."
秋田県小坂町にある酒屋「リカーショップたかはし」で、レジ打ちをするような秋田犬のしぐさが交流サイト（ＳＮＳ）で話題となっている。２歳の梅子は１歳の白岳と一緒に、店主、高橋延枝さん（５８）の下で〝店員〟として活躍している。
高橋さんは令和２年９月、梅子を迎えた。店にも一緒に通うと、梅子はやがて高橋さんの姿をまねたのか、レジに手を当てて動かすしぐさを見せた。店のツイッターに３年２月、様子を動画で投稿すると、「かわいい店員さん」「人間が入っているみたい」と話題を呼んだ。これまでに１４０万回以上再生されている。白岳もレジには興味を示さないが、人懐っこい性格でカウンターに身を乗り出して客を迎える。
商品の宣伝のために開設したツイッターは今、２頭の写真や動画の投稿ばかりだ。店には全国各地からファンが駆けつけてくれている。高橋さんは「地域おこしにも、いくらでも協力したい」と話し、さらなる活躍を願う。