Hachikō Statue, Shibuya Station, Tokyo, Japan
For nine years, Hachikō waited for the train every day, only to leave alone. Commuters and station employees would feed him treats and keep him company, and an old student of the professor retraced the dog’s genealogy, declaring Hachikō as one of only 30 purebred Akitas remaining. He became quite the celebrity over the years, inspiring books, films, art and poetry, and was present at the unveiling of his own bronze statue, a version of which still remains at Shibuya Station as a popular meeting spot.
When Hachikō died of a combination of cancer and worms in the streets of Shibuya in 1935, his remains were stuffed and mounted, and can now be visited at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
Epic Japan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
Own or work here?
