Blog Post #3 (3/3)

Another interesting part of Tokyo culture that mixes traditional and modern is Hachiko, the dog statue in Shibuya.

The statue has a well known story in Japanese culture. It is the story of a dog that waited for it's owner, even after the owner died. It's a sad and heartwarming tale of loyalty. Now, the Hachiko statue is a very well known meeting place. People meet up with friends at the Hachiko statue and then go shopping in the Shibuya shopping district. While we were there we almost always noticed a lot of young people at the Hachiko statue.

The shopping experience in Tokyo could also be hectic in some places. For instance, in the mall 109 Shibuya, girls in every store would yell for people to shop in their stores. Some girls even had pompoms and loud speakers. It was a very hectic environment.

Another pastime of young Japanese girls is to take "purikura" or "print club" pictures. These are photo booths that girls go in with their friends and take pictures that they can decorate themselves on the screen. These pictures then print out as stickers which they can put anywhere including their cell phones (or keitai) or books specifically made to put these stickers. Some purikura booths are even more advanced then others and some even come with costumes that girls can change into for their pictures.