The creative graphics are moving people to tears in Tokyo.

One of the things that might surprise people on a trip to Japan is the amount of art that tends to pop up on streets around the country. And it’s not necessarily graffiti street art left behind by people like Banksy, because here it comes in the form of Buddhist traffic cones and bowing kimono-clad characters on traffic barriers.

In fact, construction sites are well known for using cute images to create a good impression and apologise for the inconvenience placed on people due to the disruptions they cause, and one fine example currently on display can be seen in downtown Tokyo’s Shibuya district.

The barricade surrounding this particular construction site tells the story of a day in the life of Shibuya, and twitter user @imabari_yuka was so touched by it she decided to film it and share it on Twitter.

“I walked along the street as usual, and cried at the pictures on this Shibuya construction barricade” 

The two-minute clip shows the entire series of pictures that runs along the temporary walls at a couple of construction sites, starting with the title “A Day in the Life Shibuya” and finishing up at the iconic Hachiko statue outside Shibuya Station. In between, there’s the story of a girl and her dog, who set out on a walk around the station.

However, the dog goes missing, and as the girl speaks to passersby in her quest to find him, we see that the dog had run off after a pretty canine, who ended up turning her back on him for another admirer. The girl’s pup then sheds a tear before setting out around Shibuya to search for his beloved human.

We then cut back to the girl, who interacts with a number of different people in order to find her pooch, including sportspeople in wheelchairs, a same-sex couple holding hands, and a sight-impaired woman, whom the girl guides through the streets so she can reunite with her gentleman friend.

Shortly after her good deed, the girl bumps into the same-sex couple again, who tell her that they’ve seen her dog, which sends her sprinting across the scramble crossing, bringing us to their happy, tear-jerking reunion next to the Hachiko statue.

▼ Hachiko, who looked for his deceased owner at Shibuya Station every day for over nine years, turns his head to watch the two reunite.

After the video was shared online, Twitter users came out with more information about the picture story, which was illustrated by Japanese artist Ryo Kaneyasu.

The story was first created for the Dive Diversity Summit Shibuya in 2017, and appears as a cute animation on YouTube.

While the artwork and video are beautifully made, there’s something extra special about the fact that the story has been used to decorate construction site barricades in the city. Commenters on Twitter said they were moved to tears by the Shibuya story, with many hoping that the temporary walls might be able to be displayed in the area after construction has been completed.

While there’s no news yet on what will happen to the barricades, Shibuya’s massive redevelopment project is scheduled to continue until 2027, so there’s still plenty of time to head down to the area to say hello to Hachiko and view the touching street art in person.

Source: My Game News Flash
Images: Twitter/@imabari_yuka
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