Hachi Spirit Blog

Taking home a momento of Hachiko is something very important to me. Yet, every time I returned to Shibuya Station, finding gifts was a treasure hunt. Except for some cookies, notepads and a few other times, I was left empty-handed. On a Tokyo trip just before filming Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, I discovered some small […]

Hachiko gets a New Statue Abbey Glen’s 14-acre memorial park in Lafayette, New Jersey, was selected to receive an exclusive reproduction of the life-size Hachiko and Professor Ueno statue recently unveiled at the University of Tokyo. The statue unveiling and dedication took place on October 9th. Special presenters included Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi from the Consul General […]

After 55 years since Yaeko, Professor Ueno’s wife passed away, they are joined together in Tokyo’s Aoyama cemetery. Family descendants held a ceremony on May 19 to commemorate the event of Professor Ueno’s reunification with his wife Yaeko. Ueno’s family had initially chosen another bride for him, as was the custom during that time, but they […]

Who would believe a sickly Akita puppy would be immortalized with a bronze statue? Situated adjacent Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection in the world, his dignified figure still waits — for the return of his beloved owner, Professor Ueno. To understand how unlikely this came to be, let’s start at the beginning. “On Hachi’s birthday, […]

With the warm response from our first Hachi: A Dog’s Tale screening at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, the Japan America Society generously sponsored a second event for members and their guests. On this evening, the film was screened under the stars at the dazzling InterContinental Los Angeles on the Avenue of the Stars. […]

After seeing “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” in late 2013, Sira Sudhindranath was curious to see the real-world town that portrayed “Bedridge” where the film story took place. Using Google and Bing Maps, he located the train depot at Woonsocket and other film locations. That’s how the Hachi Trail (www.facebook.com/thehachitrail) was created and today, it’s a […]