As I said in this post (click here), Hollywood has remade many Japanese movies.
Well, it seems that the American actor, Richard Gere is starring in another Hollywood remake of a Japanese movie. As I mention in this post (click here), Richard Gere was in the U.S. remake of the Japanese movie titled “Shall We Dance?“…and now he’s in a remake of the Japanese movie 「ハチ公物語」 (Hachiko’s Story).
The Hollywood version is called “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story“.
The Japanese movie, 「ハチ公物語」 (Hachiko’s Story), is a true story.
One difference in the U.S. version is that the real ハチ公 (Hachiko) was an 秋田犬 (Akita-inu dog)…
But the dog is the Richard Gere movie, “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story“, is a 柴犬 (Shiba-inu dog).
They look similar…but not the same.
Have you seen either “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story” or the original 「ハチ公物語」 (Hachiko’s Story)? If not, are you planning to? If you have watched them, what was your impression?
Do you know the story of 「ハチ公」 (Hachiko)?
「ハチ公」 (Hachiko), or 「忠犬ハチ公」 (“Faithful dog Hachiko“), is a famous statue near 渋谷駅 (Shibuya train station) in Tokyo. It’s in honor of a dog named 「ハチ公」 (Hachiko) that waited at that train station everyday for his master…and after his master died, he still waited for him at the station everyday for about ten years (until the dog died)!
「ハチ公」 (Hachiko) is considered a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness to loved ones.
By the way, when Helen Keller visited Japan in the 1930’s, she was so inspired by the story of 「ハチ公」 (Hachiko) that she got an 秋田犬 (Akita-inu dog) for herself.
Tokyo Five 
I’ve watched both films_ Hachiko Monogatari and Hachi, A Dog’s Story, the English version is also good though the Japanese version looks older than the English version. But, somehow, those films show the loyalty of a dog. I like it.
LikeLike
Yeah…it’s a good movie!
LikeLike
We love Hatchiko!!!!!
LikeLike
I looked at your website. Your company is named after your two dogs … one of which is a Golden Retriever.
I had a Golden Retriever when I was a young kid. They are wonderful, loyal, friendly pets!
LikeLike
I love this story too. Dogs are so loyal, it can seem unbelievable esp if you think of how some people can be so unfaithful. we could all learn from Hatchi. I recently lost my best friend, Otie my bishon that my husband gave me yrs ago for a valentine’s gift. He had the most unique personality that I have ever encountered in a dog and he stole my heart completely. We also had a beautiful golden retriever, Sunny, many years ago when my children were young. we all loved him deeply too. Everyday when my son and daughter went off to school, Sunny would walk up to the bus stop and wait w/ them until the bus left. then later in the afternoon, he somehow knew when it was time for them to return and would go and wait for the bus to return. This was many yrs ago, you were in kindergarten or the first grade. It broke our hearts when we moved had to give him up-but we did find a really good home for him so that made it more bearable for me. I love dogs for many reasons but loyalty is one of their best traits. tks for this post, I enjoyed it!
LikeLike
Yes, our Golden Retriever, Sunny, was such a great dog!
LikeLike
Just watched Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (US version) again… cried for half the movie… my father also passed away when I was younger and also had a dog… a Chow Chow. Recently, we had to let go of our Chow and put him to sleep. I was with him till the last moment and I will never forget the gift he gave to both my parents and I.
We love you, Oreo!
LikeLike
Yeah, dogs are great.
Have you read the post I wrote about two other great dogs?
It’s at this link:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/hero-dogs/
LikeLike
Thank you for clearing the confusion of the breed for me. I knew it looked like a Shiba (smaller and cuter face) than the Akita (bigger and german shepherd looking face)
LikeLike
Many people (including me) can’t tell the difference between those two Japanese dog breeds.
LikeLike