The cherry-tree-lined paths of Japan’s first public cemetery are used by locals as shortcuts through the neighbourhood and as a place for picnics during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season. Accessible either from Roppongi or Aoyama, it’s a peaceful place for a stroll and the elaborate stone-carved tombs are rather impressive.
Buried here is chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公) 'faithful dog Hachikō', who famously returned each evening to wait for his master, Professor Ueno, at Shibuya Station for nearly 10 years after Ueno's death, until the dog's own death. The dog was buried alongside his master. You can pick up a map of the cemetery in English at the office, located near the Aoyama-dōri entrance, which will also direct you to the 'foreigners' graveyard' where many early visitors to Japan, in the 19th century, are buried.
