Anything Under The Sun: Hachiko: A Dog's Story

I was such a cry baby when dear and I watched this movie...

Who is Hachiko?

Hachikō (November 10, 1923–March 8, 1935), known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō ("faithful dog Hachikō" ('hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and 'kō,' meaning prince or duke)). Hachikō was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture,remembered for his loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.

Hachikō was the subject of the 1987 movie Hachikō-Monogatari which told the story of his life from his birth up until his death and imagined spiritual reunion with his master.

In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner's life Hachikō saw him out from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting. Hachikō was loyal and every day for the next nine years he waited sitting there amongst the town's folk.

Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he did not see his friend among the commuters at the station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

* credits to Wikipedia.