Hachi-Ko (1987 Seijiro Koyama)

A true story, written for the screen by Kineto Shindo, about a dog who visited the railway station every day at the same time to greet his master, and continued to do so for many years after the latter had died. The story became a huge symbol of family loyalty to the Japanese and this was a big box office success there.

Tatsua Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa

I rather like the approach of this one: the father doesn't want the dog at all, his wife definitely doesn't want another one, the daughter says she'll look after it then promptly gets pregnant and married... It's a little less sentimental than the (better) Richard Gere version and is unhappily saddled with dreadful, totally un-Japanese 80s music that I can only assume was there to try and give it some appeal to Westerners.

Begins with a wonderful shot of dancing snow flurries but that's the best shot of the picture, apart from in this charming scene:

 

We also like the food vendor.

Hachi was in fact alive to see the first bronze statue erected in his honour outside Shibuya Station in 1935.