Hachiko Waits is a children’s book written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Tokyo native Machiyo Kodaira, and published in the fall of 2004. Newman is an American author from Brooklyn whose various works for children and young adults have won several awards. The book, which explores themes of The Reciprocation of Loyalty, Love and Grief as Unifying Forces, and The Creation of Cultural Legacy, is based on the true story of Hachiko, a famous Akita in Japan who waited at Shibuya Station for nine years after his owner’s death. A statue of Hachiko stands outside Shibuya station, and every year on the anniversary of Hachiko’s death, people gather around the statue to commemorate the dog’s legacy. Several other children’s books telling versions of Hachiko’s story have been published over the years, and a couple of films about Hachiko have been produced as well. Most notably, the movie Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, a reimagination of Hachiko’s story for American audiences, was released in 2009.

This guide refers to the Scholastic, Inc. paperback reprint published in 2008.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of death and animal death.

Plot Summary

Hachiko Waits takes place in 1920s Tokyo, Japan. The novel opens with Professor Eizaburo Ueno waking up in his house to greet his new Akita puppy, Hachi. The Professor teaches agricultural science at Tokyo Imperial University, and it is the first day of the new semester. Hachi and the Professor go through their regular morning routine of eating breakfast and practicing Hachi’s training. Hachi is stubborn and strong-willed, but he is a very bright dog. He learns commands easily, but he refuses to bark when the Professor commands “speak.” 

The Professor must leave for work, so he tells Hachi that he will return at three o’clock that afternoon and leaves the house. Hachi follows the Professor out the door, refusing to stay inside. The Professor relents and lets Hachi accompany him to the train station. At Shibuya Station, the station master, Mr. Yoshikawa, offers to look after Hachi while the Professor is at work. After the Professor boards his train, however, Hachi runs off, and Mr. Yoshikawa can’t find him.

Hachi disappears for the day, but to the surprise of both Professor Ueno and Mr. Yoshikawa, he reappears at Shibuya Station exactly five minutes before the Professor’s train arrives. The Professor realizes that Hachi is very clever, and from that day on he lets Hachi come with him to the station every morning, knowing that Hachi will walk home and then return to the station to greet the Professor exactly on time. The Professor rides the same train as a young boy named Yasuo, who takes an interest in Hachi when they meet on the station platform. The Professor and Hachi get to know Yasuo over time.

One day, the Professor stops in the street on the way to the station to explain to Hachi that it is a special holiday in Japan. It is Boys’ Day, a celebration of the courage and determination of all the boys in Japan. People observe the holiday by flying flags in the shape of carp, which are fish known for swimming upstream—a testament to their strength and bravery. As the Professor’s train departs that day, Hachi barks for the first time ever. That afternoon, Hachi comes to Shibuya Station as usual, but the Professor doesn’t get off the train. Hachi waits for hours. The next day, Hachi waits at the station again, but there is still no sign of the Professor. 

Yasuo and his mother become worried, so they inquire about what happened. Mr. Yoshikawa reports that Professor Ueno died suddenly while he was at work the day before. Mr. Yoshikawa, Yasuo, and Yasuo’s mother are all distraught. They wonder what will become of Hachi, and Yasuo and his mother decide to bring the dog home with them. They must forcibly drag Hachi away from the train platform, where he has remained for hours, vigilantly watching for any sign of his master.

Yasuo and his parents try to feed and walk Hachi after arriving at their house, but Hachi quickly escapes, and they can’t find him again. The following day, however, Hachi appears at Shibuya Station at exactly five minutes to three o’clock. Yasuo and Mr. Yoshikawa realize that Hachi is determined to wait at the station every afternoon. Yasuo pledges to look after Hachi and protect him for the rest of the dog’s life. For years, Hachi repeats the same routine of waiting at the platform every afternoon while Yasuo dutifully protects and cares for Hachi. Regular passengers at the station come to recognize Hachi, and eventually a journalist publishes a news article about Hachi’s undying commitment to his master. In the headline, the journalist dubs the dog “Hachiko,” adding a suffix connoting honor. Yasuo and Mr. Yoshikawa decide that the name is fitting.

Hachiko becomes increasingly well-known in Tokyo, and people begin to donate money to Mr. Yoshikawa for Hachiko’s care. Yasuo and Mr. Yoshikawa can afford nicer food for Hachiko, and they build him a shelter a sleep in. Every single day for years, Hachiko returns to the station platform at the same time, hoping to greet the Professor. One day, when Yasuo is 16 years old and Hachiko is 11, Hachiko barks for the second time in his life and then collapses to the floor and dies. Yasuo and Mr. Yoshikawa grieve together, and Mr. Yoshikawa suggests to Yasuo that Hachiko and the Professor are finally reunited. This idea raises Yasuo’s spirits.

News of Hachiko’s death begins to spread throughout the public. Yasuo has the idea of immortalizing Hachiko’s spirit by creating a statue of him, and people from all over donate money to Mr. Yoshikawa to fund the statue. An artist is commissioned, and a year later, the statue is revealed at an unveiling ceremony.

Four years later, Hachiko’s statue at Shibuya Station has become a famous meeting point in Tokyo. One day, by coincidence, Yasuo meets a woman by Hachiko’s statue. Her name is Miyaki. Yasuo and Miyaki end up falling in love, and they eventually become engaged. Mr. Yoshikawa suggests that Yasuo and Miyaki’s meeting was somehow a gift from Hachiko, a way of rewarding Yasuo for the years he spent taking care of Hachiko.