KEY POINTS:
Tokyo's Ueno park is renowned for its unusual sights but this was surely the strangest: dozens of excited schoolchildren queuing to be photographed with a celebrity who has been dead for 137 years.
If you're visiting Tokyo you shouldn't miss the park because it is full of art galleries, temples, shrines, museums and a zoo, as well as lots of street entertainers and a collection of uniquely Japanese weirdos.
But I was there specifically to see the Last Samurai. Not the Tom Cruise movie but the real last Samurai, Saigo Takamori, whose statue is in the park.
The striking statue depicts the stockily built Saigo dressed in a traditional robe, striding out with his dog on a lead, looking out over the bustling city, protected by a backdrop of trees.
But I hadn't expected the statue to be surrounded by masses of smartly uniformed schoolchildren.
First they sat in orderly rows while a teacher gave them a lecture on Saigo.
Then they took it in turns to line up in front of his statue in groups of 30-40 to have their picture taken. Amazing.
I certainly can't think of anyone in New Zealand history whose reputation would inspire modern schoolchildren to be photographed in front of their statue.
Saigo, who was born in 1827, is revered as the leader of the army which overthrew the crushing power of the shogun warlords, brought the Emperor Meiji to power and ushered in the modern era in Japan.
Later he became concerned at the loss of traditional Japanese values and, at the age of 60, led an unsuccessful rebellion against the emperor in which he lost his life.
But so popular was "the Great Saigo" that within a few years the statue commemorating him was erected in the park.
The only indication that his rebellion hadn't entirely been forgotten is that the authorities decreed he could not be shown in military uniform, which is why he is wearing civilian clothes and taking the dog for a walk.
The statue came under threat after World War II, when the Supreme Commander of the invading Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur, wanted it demolished as a symbol of Japanese nationalism.
But the people of Tokyo resisted the edict and Saigo continues to walk his dog, inspire movies, and attract admirers - including schoolchildren and tourists.
* Jim Eagles travelled to Tokyo as guest of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
