I’m making “reading cards” for high school students.
This is one of them.
Could you enjoy reading?
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Chuken Hachiko, the Japanese dog famous for his unshakable loyalty to his master. Hachiko was an Akita dog, a breed that has recently gained great popularity overseas for its intelligence and faithful nature.
“Akita
dogs are amazingly popular in foreign nations these days,” said Kenro Nagoshi,
a specially appointed professor at Akita International University who
specializes in Russia and media studies.
Japanese revere Hachiko as the faithful dog - the dog who waited outside Shibuya Station for her master's return every day for the rest of her life after her master died at work one day, never to return. It's sad, sure. But Westerners see Hachiko more as the STUPID dog who lacked the intelligence to learn that her master was not returning. Perseverance is a great virtue in Japanese culture, which explains why Hachiko is still so loved. But for Western foreigners the general rule is that repeating something with the expectation of a different result is a sign of mental illness. So Hachiko was either stupid or insane, and not very admirable. The view one adopts towards Hachiko is a lesson in culture and cultural values, I think. The Akita is a wonderful breed of dog, though.
ReplyDelete