Hachikō is a dog that probably needs no introduction. A symbol of loyalty and neverending love, Hachikō went on to become a cultural phenomenon, an icon not only in his native Japan but to the whole wide world as well.

The golden-brown, pure-bred Akita was born back in the late fall of 1923 on a farm in Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, Japan.

A year later, Hachikō was adopted by a professor, Hidesaburō Ueno, who took him in to live in Shibuya, Tokyo. Hidesaburō Ueno was a professor in the agriculture department at Tokyo Imperial University.

The man would take the train to his work only to be greeted by his loyal dog on his way back. At the end of each day, the smart dog would leave the house to wait for his owner at Shibuya Station.

Then, sadly, on May 21, 1925, Hidesaburō Ueno did not return. He had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while giving a lecture and died without ever returning to the train station where Hachikō waited for him.