Unit11-Part2-Reading

Hachiko, a loyal dog.

Just outside Tokyo's Shibuya station,

there was a bronze statue of a dog named Hachiko.

Hachiko was born on a farm in 1923.

A year later, a professor adopted him and took him to his home in Tokyo.

The dog and the professor soon became best friends.

The dog adored his new owner.

Every morning, when the professor went to work at the University of Tokyo,

Hachiko accompanied him to the station.

In the afternoons, Hachiko always sat in front of the station

and waited for his owner's return from work.

This routine went on for a year, until one day, in May, 1925.

The professor did not return that day.

He had a brain illness and died when he was at work.

Over the next ten years, Hachiko kept on going to the station every afternoon.

He waited for his owner, watching all the arriving trains.

In those years, the professor's relatives fed Hachiko every day and looked after him.

Hachiko soon gained a lot of attention from the newspapers.

Many people came to see Hachiko, took his pictures, and gave him treats.

Then, on 8th March, 1935, Hachiko himself passed away.

Someone found his dead body on a street near the station.

They kept Hachiko's fur, but burned the rest of his body,

and buried his ashes next to his owner's tomb in the cemetery.

They also built a monument there.

A year before that, the people of Shibuya build a statue of the dog in front of the station.

Now, there is also a statue of Hachiko in his hometown

and another one in front of the Akira Dog Museum.

And each year, on 8th April, a ceremony takes place at Shibuya station

to remember Hachiko's loyalty to his owner.

Many visitors attend it.

They also go to the National Science Museum to see Hachiko's stuffed fur.

The dog's story slowly spread across the world and in 2009, Hollywood made a film about it.

Richard Gere played the role of the professor in the film.