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TOKYO – Some stories never fade with time, and the tale of Hachikō, Japan’s famous Akita dog, is one of them. The last known photo of him, taken just before his death in 1935, is a poignant reminder of a unique friendship and a loyalty that transcended death itself.

In the 1920s, Hachikō lived with his owner, Professor Hidesaburō Ueno, in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. Their daily life was a simple but loving routine. Every morning, Hachikō would walk with the Professor to Shibuya Station. At 3 PM, he would return and wait patiently for the Professor to come home from work.

The bond between them was so strong that the vendors and regular commuters at the station became familiar with the sight of the Akita dog waiting for his owner. Their story might have remained just a fond memory, were it not for a fateful day.

In May 1925, Professor Ueno suddenly passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage while at Tokyo Imperial University. He never returned to Shibuya Station.

But Hachikō did not know that.

For the next nine years, through rain, wind, and snow, Hachikō would appear regularly at Shibuya Station every afternoon. He would lie in the exact same spot, his eyes fixed on the flow of people, hoping to see the familiar figure of Professor Ueno.

The dog’s sorrow and his hopeless persistence touched the heart of an entire nation. Hachikō’s story spread widely in the newspapers, transforming him from an ordinary animal into a symbol of loyalty. The people of Shibuya raised funds to erect a statue in Hachikō’s honor, placed at the very spot where he had waited for all those years.

When Hachikō passed away on March 8, 1935, he had already become a legend. Today, the statue of Hachikō at Shibuya Station is one of Tokyo’s most famous meeting spots, attracting millions of visitors each year. It is not just a memorial to a dog, but a perpetual reminder of profound love and a loyalty that never fades.

Hachikō’s story has been told in textbooks and movies, becoming a global icon that proves kindness and love can endure forever, even when everything else changes.