Imagine walking to the same place every day, to meet your best friend. Imagine watching hundreds of people pass by every morning and every afternoon. Imagine waiting, and waiting, and waiting. For ten years. This is what Hachiko did. Hachiko was a real dog who lived in Tokyo, a dog who faithfully waited for his owner at the Shibuya train station long after his owner could not come to meet him. He became famous for his loyalty and was adored by scores of people who passed through the station every day. This is Hachiko’s story through the eyes of Kentaro, a young boy whose life is changed forever by his friendship with this very special dog. Simply told, and illustrated with Yan Nascimbene’s lush watercolors, the legend of Hachiko will touch your heart and inspire you as it has inspired thousands all over the world.
This true story of a dog that faithfully waited for his owner at a Tokyo train station is now the basis for an upcoming feature film starring Richard Gere. Full color.
Extensive reading is essential for improving fluency and there is a real need in the ELT classroom for contemporary, low-level reading material for younger learners. The reader is based on the true story of Hachiko, the dog who kept a vigil for his owner at a train station in Tokyo for many years after his owner's death.
fall in love with wildlife again. Whether you live in the middle of a city, the outskirts of a suburban neighborhood, or the backwoods of a small town, you are surrounded by an array of wild wonder! This self-guided journal, focused on exploring the incredible and awe-inspiring animals of this world, near and far, will help you connect (or reconnect) to the remarkable wildlife around the globe and in your own backyard.
In 1924, Professor Ueno Eizaburo of Tokyo Imperial University adopted an Akita puppy he named Hachiko. Each evening Hachiko greeted Ueno on his return to Shibuya Station. In May 1925 Ueno died while giving a lecture. Every day for over nine years the Akita waited at Shibuya Station, eventually becoming nationally and even internationally famous for his purported loyalty. A year before his death in 1935, the city of Tokyo erected a statue of Hachiko outside the station. The story of Hachiko reveals much about the place of dogs in Japan's cultural imagination. In the groundbreaking Empire of Dogs, Aaron Herald Skabelund examines the history and cultural significance of dogs in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Japan, beginning with the arrival of Western dog breeds and new modes of dog keeping, which spread throughout the world with Western imperialism. He highlights how dogs joined with humans to create the modern imperial world and how, in turn, imperialism shaped dogs' bodies and their relationship with humans through its impact on dog-breeding and dog-keeping practices that pervade much of the world today. In a book that is both enlightening and entertaining, Skabelund focuses on actual and metaphorical dogs in a variety of contexts: the rhetorical pairing of the Western "colonial dog" with native canines; subsequent campaigns against indigenous canines in the imperial realm; the creation, maintenance, and in some cases restoration of Japanese dog breeds, including the Shiba Inu; the mobilization of military dogs, both real and fictional; and the emergence of Japan as a "pet superpower" in the second half of the twentieth century. Through this provocative account, Skabelund demonstrates how animals generally and canines specifically have contributed to the creation of our shared history, and how certain dogs have subtly influenced how that history is told. Generously illustrated with both color and black-and-white images, Empire of Dogs shows that human-canine relations often expose how people—especially those with power and wealth—use animals to define, regulate, and enforce political and social boundaries between themselves and other humans, especially in imperial contexts.
Hachi-Ko, the samurai dog of Japan, became a celebrity in Tokyo during the turbulent 1930s. He was honored by a statue and a special celebration with thousands of guestsaeven while he was living as a wild street dog in a drainpipe. Once the cherished pet of Professor Eizaburo Ueno, Hachi-Ko won fame among young and old for his undying loyalty to the memory of his master. He returned like clockwork to meet the commuter train at Shibuya Train Station at the same time every day for seven years, despite battles with delinquents, dogcatchers, and vicious strays who threatened him and his friends. Faithful to his death, Hachi-Ko is famous even today as the Akita samurai dog of Japan. Shizuko O. Koster, author of the award-winning non-fiction story aThe Day Mother Sold the Family Swords, a ventures back to her motheras generation to tell the whole story of Tokyoas four-legged hero: Hachi-Ko.
In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life, Hachiko saw him off 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 didn't return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting. Hachiko was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. After time, Hachiko 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, Hachiko waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day, he didn't see his friend among the commuters at the station. Hachiko became a permanent fixture at the train station, which eventually attracted the attention of commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and Professor Ueno together. Realizing that Hachiko waited in vigil for his dead master, their hearts were touched. They brought Hachiko treats and food to nourish him during his wait. This continued for 10 years, with Hachiko appearing precisely when the train was due at the station. Hachiko: The Story of the Royal Dogs of Japan and One Faithful Akita is Hachiko’s story, as well as an informative look at dog culture in Japan and the history and tradition of the Akita-ken, one of the most ancient, beloved, and faithful dog breeds.
Reliability, devotion and faithfulness: endearing qualities shared between people and their canine companions. Shep is the true story of a dog that became an inspiration to people around the world. Following the death of his owner in 1936, Shep watched as his body was placed on a train and shipped east. For more than five years, through rain and snow, Shep met every incoming train with hopes that he would see the man who had cared for him. Even today, people visit Fort Benton, Montana, to stand at the grave of a dog whose actions remind us of the true meaning of loyalty and heart.Sneed B. Collard III is the author of more than 45 books for young people including The Prairie Builders, The Forest in the Clouds, Butterfly Count and B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet. Sneed lives in Missoula, Montana. Joanna Yardley has illustrated a number of award-winning children's books. This is her third book with Sleeping Bear Press. She is the illustrator of B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet and P is for Peace Garden: A North Dakota Alphabet. Jo lives in Missoula, Montana along with her husband and son.
Morie Sawataishi lives a life that is radically unconventional by any standard but almost absurd in blatantly conformist Japan. Journalist Martha Sherrill provides a profound look at what it takes to be an individualist in a culture where rebels are rare.
