"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"?

The floor tiles in front of Hachiko Square have changed from brick to reddish. There was something about this area, but do you remember? (Photo: August 27, 2025)

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.

Public art piece "Children Playing on the Earth," created to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ward's establishment (photographed August 9, 2013)

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.

Temporary fencing during the dry landscape garden removal work (photographed on March 28, 2025)

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.

Public art piece "Children Playing on the Earth" and the "Garden" inside the temporary enclosure (photographed on March 28, 2025)

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.

A construction fence featuring a print of Shibuya Station from 1959. It has become a popular photo spot for foreign tourists. (Photo taken on March 28, 2025)

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.

The expanded plaza bustling with people (photographed on August 27, 2025)

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.

Left: A child having fun wearing a Minnie Mouse headband (Photo taken on August 27, 2014), Right: A child playing energetically in the snow (Photo taken on January 6, 2022)

Left: Children rejoicing at the arrival of spring with cherry blossoms in bloom (Photo: March 28, 2022). Right: Children playing while wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic (Photo: March 25, 2020)

Venue

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.