「The statue of “loyal dog Hachiko,” a popular rendezvous spot on the north side of JR Shibuya Station since 1934, was reported missing shortly after dawn, when a newpaper delivery truck driver spotted the bare pedestal and notified policemen at the nearby “koban.”」
えええっ? あの渋谷の‘ハチ公’がいなくなる?!
「Five men in khaki work duds, wearing hats, safety glasses and gauze masks, set up traffic cones and ‘Men Working’signs, and then raised several blue vinyl work sheets around the statue. It took them about 10 minutes to get it off the pedestal. 」
「As news of the theft spread, a large crowd gathered, with several teenage girls appearing close to tears. “Can't somebody do something? This is really vexing,” sobbed Saitama teenager.... 」
「Theft of the icon has spurred an international outcry. Shibuya Ward's Sister City, the Sixth Arrondissement of Paris, France, expressed its “profound sympathy” and promptly offered to cast a new replacement for “le toutou fidele,” provided Shibuya agrees to accept a poodle.」
“The pagoda is one of Horyu-ji's oldest buildings and the oldest one of its kind in Japan. The pagoda style was brought from China, which in turn had been developed from the Buddhist stupa in ancient India. ” (DK JAPANより)