The bronze Akita in front of Shibuya Station’s main exit commemorates Hachiko, the dog who met his owner, a university professor, at the station every afternoon, and kept returning for nine years after the professor died in 1925. The first statue was melted down for the war effort; this one dates from 1948. It is now the most famous meeting point in Tokyo, with a square named after it and the Scramble Crossing right behind.
Use it as the locals do: a landmark to meet at before dinner, and a five-minute stop for the photograph. The best angle has the crossing’s screens in the background, which means standing with your back to the station and waiting for the shutter crowd to rotate.
Tips
- There is a constant queue for photos; come before 9 a.m. or late at night for a clear shot
- The old green Tokyu train carriage that stood next to the statue is gone, but the mosaic wall behind it remains
- Hachiko himself, preserved by taxidermy, is on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno