KYODO NEWS - Jun 27, 2017 - 14:21 | Lifestyle, All

A dog "stationmaster" has been drawing many visitors to a small station in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido known for having the earliest last train in the country.

Lala, a shiba about 10 years old, "commutes" to the JR Shin-Totsukawa Station every Saturday and Sunday as part of a morning walk she takes with her owner Kazumasa Takahashi, 55.

Clad in a stationmaster uniform and a hat given as a gift by Takahashi's friends, Lala has gained online popularity through photo-sharing app Instagram.

Located at the end of the Sassho Line, which is facing partial abolition, the station only has a single train service, which arrives at 9:28 a.m. and departs 12 minutes later.

"We hope we can help the station to continue to exist with the increase of visitors," said Takahashi.