Since September 2018, all routes, in principle, of public transport in the Akita prefecture have been included in the transit search of Google Maps. The same process can be easily replicated in other regions. However, a comprehensive map coverage is still lacking due to inadequate understanding of the GTFS format and a dearth of research on the effects of including public transport in transit search of digital maps. With an increase in research on the effects of including public transport in the transit search of digital maps such as Google Maps, and with greater understanding of the GTFS format, it will eventually be possible to achieve complete inclusion of public transport all over Japan in digital maps by 2020.

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This is the fourth part of my series of research papers on Akita Inu published in this journal. In May 2018, Alina Zagitova, Russia’s Olympic skating champion, received an Akita puppy from Mr. Takashi Endo, President of the Akita Inu Preservation Club, at a ceremony in Moscow, which was attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This news triggered a tremendous increase in the popularity of Akita Inu. Akita’s local government and Odate city, which is the birth place of loyal dog “Hachiko,” have strengthened tourism through strategies that have led to an increase in foreign and domestic visitors along with private investments. The annual number of overseas Akita dogs registered at Hozonkai exceeded that of Japan for the first time in 2016. The number of foreign tourists to Akita has been increasing due to the popularity of Akita Inu. Odate city plans to open the long-awaited museum “Akita Dog Visitor Center” in May 2019, which will be a new sightseeing spot in Northern Akita. However, challenges and problems still exist in the region.

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Scholars often overlook the history of the Tōhoku region when researching Japanese modernization during the prewar period. However, natives from the Tōhoku region contributed significantly to multiple forms of mobility that shaped the development of modern Japan: the settlement of Hokkaidō, international migrations around the Pacific, and colonization of Greater Japan. Akita prefecture is home to a host of resources that chronicle international linkages between Japan’s northeast and the wider world in all three of these instances. Seeking to investigate these relatively untapped resources, I spent two weeks in Japan during the summer of 2018 to augment my single-authored book manuscript tentatively titled Tōhoku Unbounded. The following article outlines the archival collections, library resources, and rare materials I encountered during my visit to Akita City. Ultimately, these resources will augment my manuscript and help place Akita at the heart of an intricate web of national and international mobility that challenges stereotypes of Tōhoku provincialism.

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The 5th Inter-regional International Economic and Trade Forum was held in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Province, China on August 29, 2018. The first conference was held as a three-region conference in 2014 in the city of Akita. While the proposal for the Korean Gangwon to be the fourth member of the Forum was initially rejected by the Russian Primorye Chamber of Commerce and Industry three years ago, this was eventually approved. The Forum was promoted to a four-region conference. It is expected that the Akita Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its members will take the opportunity to promote trade and economic cooperation within the Four-Region Forum and obtain concrete results through its conferences, while simultaneously gaining and fostering mutual confidence with other regions, thereby stimulating Akita’s economy.

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