Where is the Hachiko statue, and how do you find it?

The Hachiko statue is on Hachiko Square, the open plaza outside Shibuya Station on the station side of the Scramble Crossing. It is a bronze Akita dog sitting on a stone plinth, free to visit at any hour. If you arrive by JR, note that the ticket gate called Hachiko Gate moved on 26 January 2025, and from the new gate you can no longer see the statue. Head for the crossing and you will find it.

The statue honours Hachiko, the dog who kept coming to Shibuya Station for almost ten years after his owner died in 1925. His story is worth reading before you go.

How to find the Hachiko statue

Until January 2025 the JR Hachiko Gate opened straight onto the square, and you walked out of the gate to the dog. That changed on 26 January 2025. JR East closed every ticket gate facing Hachiko Square and opened a new gate, still called Hachiko Gate, on the station’s east-west free passage, nearer the Miyamasuzaka side. The new gate is about 60 m from the old one, and the stairs from there down to the Shibuchika underground mall closed at the same time. Reports say the new gate gets crowded at peak times and staff send people to the South gate or West exit instead.

So, from JR:

1. Go through the new Hachiko Gate onto the east-west passage.
2. Follow the signs for the Hachiko exit and the Scramble Crossing. Signs change as the rebuilding goes on, so if you lose them, ask for “Hachiko hiroba” (Hachiko Square).
3. Come out on the square. The statue is on the square itself, before you reach the crossing, usually with a crowd around it.

From the Tokyo Metro, Tokyu or Keio lines, follow the same signs for the Hachiko exit or the Scramble Crossing. The Shibuya Station guide covers the exits in more detail.

If you are coming from the other side of the crossing, walk towards the station and the statue is on the square in front of you.

What you will see

Look at the ears. The statue’s left ear droops, while Hachiko’s stuffed body in the National Museum of Nature and Science has both ears up.

The square is a photo spot more than a meeting place now. A January 2025 report described metal benches around the statue; we could not confirm the layout for 2026. At busy times there is a loose queue for a photo with the dog, so take yours and make room for the next person.

Two other things nearby have changed. The ceramic mural Hachiko Family, on the station front since 1990, was due to be removed for the redevelopment, according to reports from January 2025. And the Moyai statue, the stone head from Niijima island that used to stand at the west exit, was reported to have moved in November 2024 to the west plaza of Shibuya Fukuras, about 200 m away.

When the statue is fenced off

Shibuya City boards up or fences the statue on nights when big crowds are expected.

Dates	What happens
30 October, 6:00, to 1 November 2026, 17:00	Statue boarded off for Halloween (times as reported by SoraNews24)
31 October 2026, from 16:00, to early 1 November	Roads around the station closed to vehicles
31 December 2025, 6:00, to 1 January 2026, 1:00	Statue fenced off for New Year (last year’s measure)

The ward had not announced plans for New Year 2026/27 when this page was checked. Every night of the year, drinking on the street around the station is banned from 18:00 to 05:00, and since 1 June 2026 littering anywhere in the ward can cost ¥2,000 on the spot.

The statue’s history in brief

Date	Event
21 April 1934	First bronze statue by Teru Ando unveiled at Shibuya Station, with Hachiko alive to see it
8 March 1935	Hachiko dies in Shibuya, aged 11
1944	First statue melted down for the war effort (some sources say 1945)
15 August 1948	Current statue, by Teru Ando’s son Takeshi Ando, unveiled
9 March 2015	University of Tokyo statue of Hachiko and Professor Ueno unveiled
26 January 2025	JR’s Hachiko Gate moves away from the square

The station is being rebuilt, and Hachiko Square is due to be redone as part of about 20,000 m² of new station plazas by FY2034. We found no report that the statue itself will move, and no confirmation that it will not.

Visiting with a guide

Most Shibuya walking tours start or finish at the statue. The Shibuya Crossing & Hidden Streets Walking Tour begins at the Myth of Tomorrow mural inside the station, crosses the Scramble, goes through Nonbei Yokocho and the Maruyamacho backstreets, and ends at Hachiko, which saves you hunting for the square yourself.

After the statue, the crossing is a few steps away. For the view from above, see the best view of Shibuya Crossing, and for a full day around the station, things to do in Shibuya.