Hachikō

Everything here sounds like a summer afternoon stretched out in time: no rush, just the wind, the sun, and an endless chorus that stretches on like a road along the beach. The repeated “Doko ni ikō Hachikō” works like a mantra, like that very word that seems to mean nothing, but for some reason immediately makes you want to smile and nod your head in time.

Instead of drama, there is lightness; instead of heartbreak, there is a promise to “stay put.” The music flows as if everything around is noisy and argumentative, but here is a small island of calm: a quiet conversation, kind jokes, the feeling that the vacation has just begun and there is still plenty of time ahead. And even if it sounds too simple, sometimes happiness really can be found in a single rhythm and a couple of stubbornly repeated words.