He also taught himself how to train and breed dogs. Finally, he made dog sledding tours his profession.

By the way, although Mr. Takita was an experienced dog sledder, this was his first time offering dog sledding tours. How did you go about preparing for this?

Takita explains, "Since that time, I had been gathering information on SNS about powerful people who were carving out wilderness areas in Alaska and building kennels. It was about 15 years ago, so I was still young (laughs).

Takita himself does all the work, from creating the environment to training and caring for the dogs. He went to dog sled races held in various places in Hokkaido, got acquainted with experts, and learned training methods and practices from them. I acquired knowledge almost entirely on my own.

In 2012, he opened his own business, "MASCHING WORKS. At the time, he was still working at his other job and offered tours only on Saturdays and Sundays, but in 2014 he began offering full-fledged dog sledding tours. The tours open around the middle of December each year, depending on snowfall conditions, and can be enjoyed until around March 20 (the first day of spring).

Many of the visitors are inbound, and Mr. Takita serves them with his fluent English. One of the features of "Massing Works" is that visitors themselves pilot the dogsleds. Of course, Mr. Takita will assist those who feel uneasy, but there is no need to be afraid of the sled because he gives a thorough lecture at the beginning. The course is 12 km long and takes about one hour with breaks along the way.

Our dogs are all northern breed Huskies. Purebred northern breeds have fuzzy fur and are resistant to cold, but it is rare for temperatures to stay minus 20 degrees Celsius day after day in Hokkaido, so this environment is a bit hot for northern dogs. So we have Alaskan huskies, a mix of various breeds, pull our sleds. We started with seven dogs and have now grown to 40."

The Alaskan Husky is a crossbreed of fast-running dogs such as English Pointers, greyhounds, and German Shepherd Dogs. Most of the dogs at Massing Works were bred by Mr. Takita. Due to the nature of the breed, the dogs are lively and always seem to want to run.

The dogs are not forced to run; they want to run. Dog sledding is a game that satisfies their desire and our hearts in the same way. At first, there are a few people who feel sorry for dogs. But when they see how excited the dogs are before the race starts, and how they look like they are enjoying themselves, their image changes when the race is over. When they tell me, "This is a great activity that makes both dogs and people happy," I am very happy that we do it.

We want to make activities like this happen so that people can play with their dogs in the summer, too.

Because it is also an extraordinary event, people sometimes use it as a surprise.

When a female same-sex couple came from Singapore a few years ago, it was a blizzard-like day with fierce winds. During a break in the middle of the day, he proposed to me just as my staff and I were quickly separating. After she happily accepted the engagement ring, I congratulated her! I gave him a big bouquet of flowers that I had hidden in the seat of the snowmobile, but the blizzard blew away more than half of the flowers (laughs). I have such memories."

There were also parents who secretly made reservations for their children, who had seen dog sledding in a Disney movie and longed to go. I was so happy when they told me, 'Now, it's dog sledding! I can still remember the sight of their children breaking down in tears of joy when they were told, "Now, we're going to go dog sledding! It is truly an honor that they choose Massing Works as the place to do this," said Takita.

In recent years, due to global warming, the snow has been falling later and melting earlier, which is not good for dog sledding. Feeling that things are not as they used to be, he checks the weather forecast several times a day and also takes care of the dogs' health, making daily efforts to ensure that they experience happy moments for both dogs and people.

It is also my job to frame the dog sledding scene for the users

Takita says, "Dogsledding is a winter-only activity, so in the future I hope to offer opportunities for people to play with their dogs outside of winter. One activity that we started a few years ago is bike-joring. This is an activity in which sled dogs pull mountain bikes on off-road terrain without snow, and is a popular dog sport in Europe.

Takita's challenge to "make sure that both dogs and people have a good time" continues: the 2023 dog sledding tour will start on December 22, and is already filling up. The 2023 dog sledding tour will start on December 22, and reservations are already filling up, so be sure to try this rare experience of running with your dog in a snow field.

Tokachi-related guide session" introduces people who make things and do things in Tokachi.