Hachiko would leave the house to greet his master, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued the daily routine until one day when Ueno did not return. The professor died while giving a lecture without ever returning to the train station in which Hachiko waited. Each day, for nearly 10 years, Hachiko awaited Ueno's return, appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.
I love how the Japanese have continued to honor this dog. After his death, Hachiko's cremains were buried beside his beloved master. In 1934, a bronze statue of Hachiko was erected at Shibuya Station. Another statue stands in Hachiko's hometown, in front of another Station. In 2004, a new statue of Hachiko was erected in front of the Akita Dog Museum in Odate, Japan. Each year on March 8, a solemn ceremony is held in Hachiko's honored at the Shibuya station. In 1994, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting in Japan was able to lift a recording of Hachiko barking from an old record that had been broken into several pieces. A huge advertising campaign ensued and in 1994, 59 years after his death, millions of radio listeners tuned in to hear Hachiko bark. Hachiko's voice is captured on several tracks in the 2009 Richard Gere movie: "Hachi: A Dog's Tale." (Richard Gere's last good movie)
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