Shimane-Asahi Training Center

In October 2008, JGDA's fourth facility, the Shimane Asahi Training Center, opened in Asahi-cho, Hamada, Shimane Prefecture. Shimane Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan and is located 800 km west of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Shimane Prefecture has a population of approximately 660,000 and a relatively low population density. Shimane Prefecture is surrounded by mountains and the sea, and is characterised by beautiful natural scenery.
Shimane Asahi Training Center is the only guide dog training centre in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.
The training center has a training ward and a residential ward. The training ward contains a kennel, office, and a multi-purpose hall for class and dog training.

The kennel is equipped with underfloor heating for the dogs, as it is very cold and snowy in the winter. Outside the kennel is a fenced grass area where the dogs can run freely.
The residential ward has a canteen, a duty room, and rooms for clients during class training. There is also a large Japanese-style tatami mat room for couples (tandem walkers) with a guide dog.

A distinctive initiative at the Shimane Asahi Training Center is the Shimane Asahi Guide Dog Puppy Project. Inmates are responsible for raising puppies in the adjacent Shimane Asahi Social Rehabilitation Promotion Center.
In this project, potential guide dog puppies are raised in cooperation with weekend puppy walkers, inmates, and JGDA staff. It is hoped that the inmates will experience the joy of being trusted, useful, and successful, thereby promoting their reintegration into society.

Through its programmes, the JGDA will improve the welfare of the vision-impaired, expand the emotional connections between people, and contribute to a better and more culturally rich society.