"What was here before?" You might suddenly find yourself wondering this question while walking around town. You can't remember the buildings or monuments that once stood there. A city's memories are strongly linked to "physical traces" such as buildings, and when these disappear, memories become harder to recall and eventually fade into oblivion. This clearly shows how our memories are supported by social frameworks.

So, what is the thing in the following photo that "existed until recently but has now disappeared"?

ハチ公前広場の地面タイルがレンガ調から赤みを帯びたものへ変わっている。この部分に何かがあったのだが、覚えているだろうか？（撮影：２０２５年 ８月２７日）

Many people would not be able to answer right away. The correct answer is the "garden" and the public art piece "Children Playing on the Earth." The disappearance of the Hachiko statue would surely cause a big uproar, but surprisingly few people noticed that the statues of the six children had also disappeared.

区政70周年を記念し作られたパブリックアート《地球の上で遊ぶこどもたち》（撮影：2013年8月9日） 

This commemorative statue was created in 2002 (Heisei 14) to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Shibuya Ward's establishment, when October 1st was designated "Shibuya Day as a Peaceful and International City." The artist is unknown, but the statue conveys the atmosphere of six children shouting and moving energetically on a hemisphere of the globe, jumping, head-sliding, and slamming back-to-back.

枯山水撤去工事仮囲いの風景（撮影：2025年3月28日）

As part of the Shibuya Station block land readjustment project, a temporary fence was erected behind the Hachiko statue from March 27, 2025, and work began on removing the dry landscape garden and the bronze statues of children.

仮囲いの中のパブリックアート《地球の上で遊ぶこどもたち》と「庭園」（撮影：2025年3月28日）

During the construction, a temporary fence was erected with a printed photo of Shibuya Station from 1959 (Showa 34), and it became a popular photo spot with the statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog, and the Shibuya of the Showa era in the background.

昭和34年当時の渋谷駅をプリントした工事仮囲い。外国人観光客の人気フォトスポットとなっていた（撮影：2025年3月28日）

However, when the removal was completed around July and the temporary fence was removed, hardly anyone noticed that there had been public art there. Urban memory is such a vague thing. With large-scale redevelopment, the scenery around Shibuya Station is changing every day. In the process, many landscapes and events are likely to have slipped from our memories without us even realizing it. By the way, rest assured that Children Playing on the Earth is currently being kept by Shibuya Ward. It is possible that it will be reinstalled somewhere one day.

多くの人々でにぎわう拡張した広場（撮影：2025年8月27日）

With the rise in inbound tourism, the area around Shibuya Scramble Crossing is now constantly packed with people. The plaza that was expanded after the statue was removed has already been reborn as a new space where many people gather. While it may be sad to see memories of the past being lost, the rapidity with which Shibuya is constantly changing is also part of its charm.

As a "town recorder," I would like to record here the smiling faces of the six children who undoubtedly existed there. Finally, I would like to conclude by showing some photos of them playing happily together.

左＝ミニーのカチューシャを着けてはしゃぐ子ども（撮影：2014年8月27日）、右＝雪の中で元気に遊ぶ子ども（撮影：2022年1月6日）

左＝桜咲く春の訪れを喜ぶ子ども（撮影：2022年3月28日）、右＝コロナ禍にマスクを着用して遊ぶ子ども（撮影：2020年3月25日）

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Interviews and writing

Editorial Department: Takashi Fujii

Shibuya registrar. In addition to Shibuya of Culture information, seasonal news and topics, it will spell write that feel every day.