On most weekends, the plaza surrounding the famous Hachiko dog statue outside Shibuya Station is thronged with people. However, the popular Tokyo rendezvous point last Saturday hosted an emergency tent where people in bright blue T-shirts tried to raise awareness ahead of June 20 — the 18th annual observance of World Refugee Day.

In addition to the refugee tent, the Hachiko statue was adorned with a bright blue sash — the color of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — to draw public attention to refugee issues.

Initiated by the Tokyo office of the U.N. agency, the one-day awareness-raising campaign, supported by Shibuya Ward and local companies, marked a departure from the UNHCR's usual custom of holding World Refugee Day symposiums for the past five years. The change was brought about by the Tokyo representative's strong desire to engage new audiences.