Japan’s Most Loyal Dog: Hachiko
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On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Tokyo, the city of Shibuya, where you can refrain from going out. Photographed around Shibuya station. Prime Minister Abe declared a state of emergency nationwide in April and was urged not to go out unnecessarily.
March 8 is the anniversary of Japan’s most famous dog, Hachiko. The Akita dog waited for his owner to come back for a whole decade until he sadly passed away. He is known to be the most loyal dog in Japan, or to some, in the whole world. There’s also a movie about him that was reuploaded on Netflix.
Hachiko was a 1923-born Japanese Akita dog whose owner was Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, an educator who taught at the University of Tokyo. Ueno adopted Hachiko when he was a puppy in 1924.
Every day, when Ueno left for work, Hachiko would follow him every time. Hachiko then started his daily routine and would go with Ueno, walk him to the train station and wait for Ueno and then greet him with joy when he returned.
Many are familiar with Hachiko because they live in Japan or have heard about him through other canals of media. Many have seen the movie that tells the story of how the professor and his dog became friend. “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” by Lasse Hallström, made in 2009.
Dogs are broadly viewed as the best buddy creature and treatment choice for psychological wellness conditions like despondency and uneasiness. It makes sense that a dog would hold on until he couldn’t any longer for somebody he cherished and really focused on.
Hachiko last saw his best friend board the train on May 21, 1925. Sadly, Professor Ueno suffered a stroke while working, passed away, and never came back.
Hachiko walked and waited at the train station every day for ten years when he realized that his owner had not arrived. Bella Hernadez, a first-time viewer, said, “It was such a heartbreaking and beautiful story. I love animals and it’s so horrible when something like this happens.” Even though he was by himself, other people would come by, to pet him, feed him, and just be kind to him.
Andrea Chinchilla, a student of Charter College, who already has seen and heard of this story said, “I was dejected by this story and all I kept thinking about was my dog. I would never want to lose my dog because he is my best friend and I would be so depressed.” Hachiko, at 13 years old, tragically passed away on March 8, 1935, due to cancer and worms.
People from all over the world still remember Hachiko and his story even after he passed away, Tokyo decided to construct a memorial where Hachiko always waited. On April 21, 1934, a bronze statue was erected in his honor, and then it was rebuilt in 1948. His statue is still there today in Shibuya, Tokyo, As stated in, Trail of Hachiko.
Ashley Chinchilla is a senior at Golden Valley high school and is part of the new journalism class. She was born in Sylmar, Los Angeles, California, and raised in Santa Clarita. She is excited to write stories about Culture, Entertainment, Arts, and Local community issues since there are interesting topics to write about and to alert everyone of what is happening in the world and it's very easy to catch visuals of these stories that can get a lot of viewers.
She loves to paint, read, and do photography, she also loves Halloween. She was also a part of a Christmas cooking competition for College of the Canyons in 2018.
Being a student journalist matters to her by being a part of something at school and getting to learn how to write, edit, and publish. She's learning about journalism and being more social, and it has been an exciting experience. She plans to go to the College of the Canyons and study Psychology, and get a Phd.