Nearly 90 years after his death, “faithful dog Hachikō”, a golden-brown Akita, is admired in Japanese popular culture as an example of loyalty and diligence. He is remembered by local and international fans at a small, quirky shrine at the foot of his owner’s grave in Aoyama Cemetery, in central Tokyo. Hachikō accompanied his owner Dr. Ueno to Shibuya train station each morning when he went to work at Tokyo Imperial University. Each evening Hachikō returned to the station to meet Dr. Ueno and return home with him. On May 21, 1925, Dr. Ueno did not arrive, Hachikō went home alone. The next evening, and every evening for the next nine years, Hachikō returned to Shibuya Station looking for his best friend. In March 1935, Hachikō was found dead on a street in Shibuya, he was eleven years old. Hachikō’s ashes are buried beneath a stela on the right corner of Dr. Ueno’s grave. Just inside the bamboo fence in the corner of the grave site stands a miniature shrine for Hachikō. The shrine is in the Japanese style with a sloping moss-covered roof. As at any grave site in Japan, there is a vase for flowers and a place to burn incense. A tiny Hachikō guards the shrine. Visitors leave dog toys and food for Hachikō’s spirit. Hachikō’s international appeal is evidenced by the coins and bills left by admirers from around the world.
Hachikō’s Grave is located Area 6, plot 12, Aoyama Cemetery, Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo. GPS 35.66796, 139.72279. The spot can be found by searching Google Maps for ‘Grave of Hachiko’. Aoyama Cemetery is s 10-minute walk from Aoyama-Itchome Station on the Ginza, Oedo, and Hanzomon Lines, or Nohizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line.
Do you know how the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno is related to one of Tokyo’s most famous landmarks? If you mentioned the dog, Hachiko, you’d be 100% correct! Hachiko’s famous statue might be in Shibuya, his grave in Aoyama Cemetery next to his master, but he was actually stuffed and mounted and placed on display at the museum. You can still see him there today. And of course, the museum is not only about Hachiko, there is a lot there to see!
You can view his organs and his stuffed body. Yes, really!
The initial autopsy report stated that Hachiko’s internal organs were infested with parasitical disease. He apparently also had a few yakitori (chicken) skewers in his stomach. His organs were stored in specimen bottles and a re-examination in 2010 concluded that Hachiko actually died of cancer. In case you’re keen to do a little visual examination of your own, you can view his organs at the archive museum of The University of Tokyo's Faculty of Agriculture, just near the new jolly statue in Ueno Park.
If you prefer something slightly less gruesome but still a little bizarre, you can see a taxidermied Hachiko – displayed as 'Akita-inu (Hachi)' and featuring his original fur – at the National Museum of
Nature and Science.
The preserved body of Hachikō -- Japan's most famous dog -- is on display on the second floor of the museum's Japan Gallery wing. An Akita dog born in 1923, Hachikō is remembered for his deep loyalty to his owner. While his owner was alive, Hachikō would greet him at the end of each day at Shibuya station when he returned home from work. The man died in 1925, but Hachikō kept his daily routine, faithfully waiting for his owner every evening at the station for 10 years until he died in 1935. Hachikō's permanent presence at Shibuya station attracted widespread attention, and his legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty.
On display next to Hachikō is the preserved body of Jirō, one of two Sakhalin Huskies famous for surviving a year in Antarctica after being abandoned during a failed scientific expedition to the South Pole. In February 1958, a Japanese survey team stationed in Antarctica left their base after extreme weather conditions prevented a replacement team from reaching the site. Thinking they would return soon, the team left 15 Sakhalin Huskies chained up at the unmanned base. However, due to fuel shortages, nobody was able to return for nearly a year. When the next survey team returned to the base in January 1959, they found that two of the dogs, Tarō and Jirō, had miraculously survived the ordeal.
Alongside two of Japan's most celebrated canines is the preserved body of an anonymous Kai Ken (a.k.a. "Tora Inu" or "Tiger Dog"). The Kai Ken is a rare breed of dog considered to be the most ancient and purest dog breed in Japan. Developed centuries ago in the isolated district of Kai (Yamanashi prefecture), the breed was used for hunting boar and deer. The Kai Ken breed was designated a national treasure in 1934.
National Museum of Nature and Science, Ueno Park 7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8718
Japan Gallery 2F, Japanese People and Nature Exhibit
10 minute walk form Ueno Station (Park Exit ) on the Joban, Ginza, Hibya, and Yamanote lines
GPS: 35.7163, 139.77652
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