Hachiko and Hachi: From Ōdate to Shibuya

Hachikō was born in mid-November 1923 on a farm in Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, and the 1987 film Hachikō Monogatari opens with the same litter of Akita puppies. The exact farm is not marked on this pin, which sits at Ōdate Station. Its first Hachikō statue, unveiled in 1935, was melted down during the 1945 recycling efforts. In May 1964 a new group statue was unveiled in front of the station, and on 14 November 1987 a solo statue of Hachikō standing was added a few metres away.

場所の精度: The pin marks Ōdate Station, not the farm where Hachikō was born.

訪問のヒント: The statues stand in front of Ōdate Station.

In Hachikō Monogatari the puppy arrives at Shibuya Station after a two-day train ride from Ōdate, and later "waits at Shibuya Station each day, regardless of the weather." In real life Hachikō showed up as usual the evening Ueno died and waited for his return. A second bronze statue was unveiled on 15 August 1948, and bronze paw prints mark the precise spot where he waited. The Hachikō Exit by the scramble crossing is a popular meeting spot.

訪問のヒント: Take the Hachikō Exit; the statue is beside the scramble crossing.

Hachikō died on 8 March 1935, aged 11, and was found around 6am with his body still warm, at an alley entrance near the Inari Bridge in Shibuya. The film also gives 8 March 1935 as the date of his death. Each year on that date a ceremony of remembrance is held at Shibuya Station. The pin is only a nearby point, since the exact alley is not marked.

場所の精度: The pin marks the Inari Bridge area; the alley where he was found is not precisely marked.

Hachikō's funeral was held on 12 March 1935 at Ueno's grave in Aoyama Cemetery, and he was buried alongside his two owners, Hidesaburō Ueno and Yaeko Sakano. More people visit his small grave than any other in the cemetery. Hachikō Monogatari ends here in spirit: "Upon dying, Hachi joyfully reunites with Ueno in the afterlife."

訪問のヒント: Aoyama Cemetery is a public cemetery; keep quiet and respect other visitors.

In Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Parker finds a lost dog at the railway station in Bedridge, and Hachi returns at 5:00pm each day to receive him. Bedridge is fictional: Depot Square in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, was the central filming location in 2009. A statue of Hachikō was installed in front of the station in May 2012.

場所の精度: Bedridge is invented for the film; the pin marks the real depot used for filming.

訪問のヒント: The statue stands in front of the depot on Depot Square.