Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

The Hachiko / Helen Keller Connection

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
14 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

Japan is a special place, and when foreigners visit the country for the first time it’s a truly magical thing for them. This is not a new phenomenon, of course, and gaijin have been moved by Japan for years, for example Albert Einstein, who spent six weeks here in 1922, giving speeches on his theories and traveling to well-known shrines like Nikko and the floating Japanese torii arch of Miyajima near Hiroshima — he even fed the deer in Nara Park, just like millions of foreigners since. I can totally imaging him having trouble putting on his yukata at a traditional Japanese inn…Browsing the Internets, I happened to see that today, June 27th, is the birthday of Helen Keller, who was another well-known foreign visitor to Japan. Her first visit here was in 1937, and that’s when she encountered the story of Hachiko, the loyal Akita dog who waited at Shibuya Station every evening for his master to return home, despite the fact that man had died nine years before. She visited Akira Prefecture and was presented with an Akita dog named “Kamikaze,” which was totally un-ironic as this was before World War II and all. Ms. Keller helped spread the story of the loyalty of Hachiko and is credited with introducing the breed to the U.S. Incidentally if you like the story of Hachiko, we hope you’ll like our Japanese Soul Dog Hachiko tribute T-shirt…

Hachiko, beloved of everyone including…Helen Keller? (She organzed funding to make this statue)

Tags: gaijinhistoryTokyo

More Posts Like This

Is Japan Xenophobic
Your Friend in Japan

No, Japan Is Not Xenophobic. Here’s Why.

by Peter Payne
1 year ago

Last night I was finishing up my evening social media work when I noticed a phrase was trending on X....

Isoroku Yamamoto From Zipang
Your Friend in Japan

Why Did I Watch a Film About Isoroku Yamamoto on Pearl Harbor Day?

by Peter Payne
2 years ago

I have a minor obsession with films released in the year of my birth, 1968. The other day, I was...

Western Tourist Who Paid To Take A Photo With Samurai Armor Blog

Meet the First Weeb in History, Complete With Samurai Armor

2 years ago
Vinland Saga Season 2

Vinland Saga Ends! Why Was This Anime ‘Peak Fiction’?

2 years ago
Vinland Saga Season 2

Seven Reasons to Watch Vinland Saga!

2 years ago
How Oppai Affect Gravity Albert Einstein

What Did Albert Einstein Find When He Visited Japan?

3 years ago
Next Post
3992379567 54859a4c3d

I [Heart] Izakaya

Trending Today

Stellar Blade Cosplay
Featured

The Hottest Stellar Blade Cosplay—Just Before the PC Release

6 days ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

2 months ago
The Top 11 Anime Sex Scenes Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Happy Sex Day! Let’s Rank the 11 Most Surprising Ecchi Scenes in Anime

1 week ago
The Top 10 Jav Actresses Article
Your Friend in Japan

The Top 10 JAV Actresses to Browse During J-List’s Sale!

4 days ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

3 months ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Megami Magazine And The History Of Anime Poster Magazines
Your Friend in Japan

Anime Posters and Pantsu: How Megami Magazine Shaped 25 Years of Otaku Culture

by Peter Payne
June 16, 2025

Anime Posters and Pantsu: How Megami Magazine Shaped 25 Years of Otaku Culture

The Kanako Tateshiba 1/5.5 Figure Is a Pettanko Lover’s Dream

Legends Return in Yoroi Shin Den Samurai Troopers

Let’s Check Out The New Rikka Ono Photobook FIVE LIVE

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 7 — Peeking Through the Thin Veil

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.