No introduction needed for people conversant to Tokyo on Hachiko, the beloved pet dog of not only his owner Hidesaburo Ueno but the Tokyo city itself. So to keep it short and sweet, Hachiko, an Akita dog, touched the hearts of Japanese people across the nation due to his devotion of waiting every day for more than nine years in front of Tokyo’s Shibuya Station for his master, Hidesaburo Ueno to return from work!!! A professor at University of Tokyo, Hidesaburo Ueno had died from a cerebral hemorrhage, a fact which his pet dog was oblivious to.

Hachiko’s statue in Shibuya is a famous waiting spot and is a famous to-do thing in Tokyo. The problem is that Shibuya’s depiction is of the lonely dog awaiting his master… not his happy days when he used to daily meet his master and walk back home…

The owner, Mr. Ueno was a professor at the University of Tokyo for 20 years, in the agricultural engineering department. The university decided to erect a bronze statue of Mr. Ueno and his pet dog to commemorate 90 years of he passing away while delivering a lecture in the campus. The statue was opened for general public viewing yesterday and we take a short photo story to introduce the reunion “at long last” for Hachiko. Its spring time in Tokyo and I guess Hachiko’s spring has also arrived….

The statue is a happy reunion moment as you can see below
LOCATION OF HACHIKO’s NEW STATUE : The location is close to the university gate which is just a minute walk from the Todai-mae station on the Nanboku Line of Tokyo Metro. Google Map
Just walk through the gate and immediately on the left you will find the statue installed very close to the entrance.
Just thought to pat Hachiko, it must be such a relief for him..We can see the professor with his smile also in agreement on that
There were already a few photographers who were around and you can find company at the location where guards were somewhat looking at the activity as in “we never had these crowds here, our job just got tougher”…
The statue itself is quite detailed and you can see that from the detail expression for Hachiko
Although the statue at Shibuya is a sad emotion, the statue here, the eyes literally speak.
The name plate for Hachiko and the professor
Just look at the detail for the bag, the buckle strap has been turned slightly to give the feel of the real life leather. Detailed…
As is spring for Hachiko the neighborhood was full of flowers and we took a few snaps for the same too
We are so happy that Hachiko is going to smile after such a long wait, but honestly speaking this should have been erected at the spot where Hachiko was waiting for his master, The Shibuya Station…
The reunion statue has been quite popular but there is one more interesting angle. The Shadow!! Japanese blogs and news media are not only looking at the statue, but the night time lights which cast a shadow on the back side of the statue is attracting comments like “very real”, “made me emotional”, “I cried” from local Japanese!
I went today evening to take a look and concentrate on the shadow and not the statue it indeed gives a feel as if the pet dog has now reunited with his owner…
I had seen the statue in the day time, but the night time experience is again a bit different. It is really quiet in the campus and less number of visitors. Both the statue and the shadow taken in one shot
For reference, some snaps of the Hachiko at Shibuya …..
Hachiko at Shibiya : Hachiko wearing an election band before the national elections late last year
Hachiko we are sure, no longer needs to endure this at Shibuya, he is happy in Todai-Mae (University of Tokyo campus).
Last but not the least, if you want to see a movie on Hachiko theme, a big recommend is
Hachi : A Dog’s Tale (Amazon.com)

Hachi : A Dog’s Tale (Amazon Japan)


Location : Google Maps