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Everyday Life in Japan — New!

• Land and People
• Language
• Holidays
• Food
• Money

Society

• Ubiquitous Umbrellas
• Snow Bind
• Am I a "henna gaijin"?
• Why couples live apart
• Commemorating the Dead
• Japan and America: The Group vs. the Individual

Culture

• Kabuki: Period Drama? It's Drama, Period!
• Pink Lady interview!

Japan's Favorite "Dog in Waiting"

Shibuya is known today as a popular gathering point for Tokyo’s young people. But long before loose socks and sandals with three-inch soles, before Tower Records and Studio Alta, Shibuya had another claim to fame: Hachiko.

The year was 1925. Every morning, Professor Eizaburo Ueno walked to Shibuya Station, accompanied by his loyal dog, Hachi, nicknamed Hachi-ko. Hachiko didn’t accompany his master to his teaching job at the Imperial University (now known as Tokyo University), but when Professor Ueno returned every day at 3 p.m., the dog was always at the station waiting for him.

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The Big Guy Speaks

An interview with one of the most successful foreign sumo wrestlers, Akebono.

(Interviewed in August 1999)

Read my column on Japan on Suite 101!