Taro and Jiro Day

What Is Taro and Jiro Day?

Every January 14th is "Taro and Jiro Day" (タロとジロの日, Taro to Jiro no Hi) in Japan. On January 14, 1959, members of Japan's second Antarctic expedition team arrived at Showa Station (昭和基地) and discovered that two of the fifteen sled dogs left behind when the first expedition was forced to evacuate the previous year — Taro (タロ) and Jiro (ジロ) — had survived alone on the Antarctic ice for approximately one year. The discovery of the surviving dogs made headlines across Japan and touched the nation's heart, becoming one of the most beloved animal stories in Japanese history.

The Story of Taro and Jiro

In 1958, Japan's first Antarctic research expedition had to be evacuated urgently due to severe weather conditions. The fifteen sled dogs — all Karafuto (Sakhalin Husky) dogs — were left chained at Showa Station, as there was no room on the rescue aircraft. It was assumed they would perish quickly. When the second expedition arrived at Showa Station on January 14, 1959, they expected to find no dogs alive. Instead, they found Taro and Jiro — alive, healthy, and wagging their tails. What happened to the other thirteen dogs remains unknown; some had broken free of their chains.

A National Story of Survival

The survival of Taro and Jiro against impossible odds — an Antarctic winter, no food supply, extreme cold — captured Japan's imagination immediately. The dogs became national celebrities; their story was broadcast on television, serialized in newspapers, and told in schools. The story touched themes deeply resonant in Japanese culture: loyalty, endurance, the bond between humans and animals, and survival against overwhelming odds. Japan's post-WWII society, itself recovering from catastrophic adversity, saw in the dogs' survival a powerful allegory for resilience.

Cultural Legacy

The story of Taro and Jiro has been adapted into books, films, and television dramas multiple times. The 1983 Japanese film "Nankyoku Monogatari" (南極物語, "Antarctica") was a massive box office success in Japan. The Hollywood remake "Eight Below" (2006) brought the story to international audiences. Taxidermied remains of Jiro (who died in Antarctica) are displayed at Hokkaido University, while Taro returned to Japan and died at Sapporo's Hokkaido University in 1970.

Fun Facts

• Karafuto dogs: The Karafuto Ken (樺太犬), the breed of Taro and Jiro, is a Japanese sled dog breed from the former Karafuto (Sakhalin) territory, related to but distinct from other Japanese Spitz-type breeds. The breed's hardiness was demonstrated by the dogs' Antarctic survival.
• Showa Station today: Japan's Showa Station in Antarctica continues to operate as Japan's primary Antarctic research base, staffed year-round by scientific teams conducting research on climate, atmosphere, and geophysics.