On a relatively quiet residential street near Shimabara Castle in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, stands a normal-looking concrete wall that has in recent times proven to be a uniquely popular tourist attraction. People passing by may notice a strange sight; three adorably curious shiba inu dogs that stick their head out of three square holes in the wall, much to the delight of locals and travellers alike.

The three shiba inus poking their heads out of the wall in Shimabara, Japan. Image by Miguel Yeh

Thanks to social media, the three pooches have become world famous, and now attract visitors from all over with their distinctive behaviour. The owner of the property reportedly first cut some holes in the wall to provide airflow to the garden but added more upon noticing the inquisitive nature of his dogs. Now, the three animals come to the holes whenever they're called, and roam the property to see what is going on in the outside world.

On a recent visit, specifically to see the three friendly guard dogs, blogger and YouTuber Migeul Yeh from Taiwan captured images and video of them. “The dogs are very cute and nice. They were curious about anything, so when they heard any sound they put their heads through the tiny holes,” Miguel told Lonely Planet Travel News.

The dogs are curious and friendly and like to see what passers-by are doing. Image by Miguel Yeh

Above the holes is a sign with three cartoon dogs and a message requesting visitors to refrain from feeding the dogs. “The owner of the shiba inus was also very kind, I spent about one hour taking a video of his dogs, and he was just hiding behind the wall. I think maybe he was afraid of disturbing me. Afterwards, he asked me where I am from, and was very impressed that I came from Taiwan just for the dogs,” Miguel said.

The dogs can be visited here.