RP108 Hachiko

 RP108 Hachiko

Hachiko, an Akita, was born in 1923. When he was two months old, he went to live with Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo. Hachiko and the professor lived in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. The professor commuted to his job on the train.

Hachiko would watch the professor leave the house every day. And every day at 4:00 p.m., Hachiko would greet the professor at the Shibuya train station, and they would walk home together. Life was wonderful for the young dog until May 21, 1925, when the professor didn't show up.

Professor Ueno had suffered a stroke at work. He died without ever coming back to his house. Hachiko, of course, didn't know this. He waited and waited, and then walked home alone. He came back to the station the next day. He came back the day after that. He came back at 4:00 p.m. every day until he died nine years later.

Hachiko wasn't abandoned. He was taken in by a new family, but Hachiko didn't want a new family. He escaped from the house and ran back to his old home. Eventually, Hachiko understood that the professor didn't live at the old house anymore, but nothing could stop the loyal dog from waiting for his master at the train station, day in and day out.

People began to recognize the big, golden dog at Shibuya Station. The station master put out food for him. One day, a former student of Professor Ueno's spotted him. He followed Hachiko and learned his story. This student began writing articles about Hachiko. Soon, loyal Hachiko was famous throughout Japan. Though Hachiko himself has passed on, you can still see him at Shibuya Station: a statue of him was erected there to honor his great heart.