The Amazing And True Story Of Hachiko The Dog

Have you ever heard of Hachiko the dog? No? Neither had I until a few months ago, but if you ever go to Japan then odds are you will hear about him.

Hachiko is a national hero to the Japanese! A dog so famous there have been several movies made about him. He has his own statue next to Shibuya Train Station in Tokyo, where every day hundreds of people have their photograph taken with him.

Even Hollywood has made a movie about Hachiko!

So why is the Hachiko story so famous you may wonder?

Well I am happy you asked, because here I will give you the amazing, real and very sad story about Hachiko the dog.

Once Upon A Time There Was A Dog Named Hachiko

Eizaburo Ueno, professor in agriculture science at Tokyo University, had long wanted a pure bred Japanese Akita dog. He had looked for the perfect Akita puppy for a long time, until one of this students encouraged him to adopt Hachiko, from the Odate city in Akita prefecture.

Hachiko, or Hachi which became his nickname, and his new owner soon became best friends, and Eizaburo loved his dog above all and treated him as his son. The two of them were inseparable.

As Hachiko grew older, he started to see his owner off to work in the morning at the Shibuya Train Station, in central Tokyo, and went to pick him up at the station in the afternoon when he returned from work.

On May 21, 1925, only two years after Hachiko was born, Hachiko was as usually sitting by the exit at Shibuya train station waiting for his dear Eizaburo. But his owner never showed up…..

It turned out that Eizaburo had suffered from a cerebral haemorrhage and died suddenly and unexpectedly while at work.

Hachiko moved in with a former gardener of the Ueno family, but throughout the rest of his ten year long life he kept going to the Shibuya Train Station every morning and afternoon precisely when the train was due to enter the station, waiting in vain for the return of his beloved owner which sadly never came back.

A major Japanese newspaper reporter picked up the story of Hachiko in 1932 and published it, which led to Hachiko becoming a celebrity all over Japan.

People started calling him “Chuken-Hachiko”, which means “Hachiko – the faithful dog”.

The story of the dog that never gave up gained a lot of attention also in national media, inspiring many people from all over the world to visit Hachiko at Shibuya Train Station to offer him treats.

Hachiko Dog Statue

In 1934 a statue of Hachiko was unveiled at a grand ceremony in front of Shibuya train station with Hachiko himself present as the main guest.

Hachiko passed away peacefully and alone on the street near Shibuya train station on March 8, 1935, 12 years old.

Hachiko is now on display at the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.

Today the Hachiko bronze statue is a popular attraction outside of Shibuya train station, especially among young Japanese.