Agnes Tandler 
Dogs pulling a sled. (©Agnes Tandler)
"It's not as easy as it looks," the young woman says as she gives fresh food to Spikes and Dash. The two huskies are hungry. They are canine athletes and have just competed in the 39th Japanese dogsled championship in Wakkanai, Japan's northernmost city.
It is the biggest national event for working dogs and their mushers, who can show off their dogs and skills near the shores of Lake Onuma.
Speed Over Endurance
This is not the Iditarod, Alaska's famous 1,500-kilometer long-distance dog sled race that takes more than a week to finish. Here, in Wakkanai, the track is just 1 kilometer, favoring velocity over endurance and fun over grit.
On a normal day, bird watchers come to the spot to observe wild geese and swans. But today, dogs are sprinting around the snowy plain. This year 130 dogs and 60 teams are participating in the tournament.
Although the event is held annually, warm weather and a lack of snow led to the cancellation in 2024. Not this year — with sub-zero temperatures and strong, icy winds blowing from Siberia, it is hard not to envy all the Huskies and Malamutes for their thick fur coat.
A Serious Sport
Monet certainly looks comfortable in the cold. The Samoyed dog has spent 17 hours on the ferry from Tokyo to Hokkaido and then another 6 hours inside a car driving up to Wakkanai. Named after the French impressionist painter Claude Monet, the three-year-old is relaxing in the snow next to the sled.
"The summer in Tokyo is too hot for Monet," his musher explains. To escape the heat and also to practice, Monet goes to Nikko in the mountains north of the capital.
Dog sledding is a serious commitment. Racing sleds are small, ultralight, and can cost between $1,500–$3,000 USD. They come with footboards, handlebars, and a brake system. The metal hooks into the snow and slows down the dogs or even stops them.
Steering is done through a combination of braking, voice commands, and lines that are fastened to the dogs' harnesses. It takes experience, training, and then more training. In summer, dogs practice with wheeled sleds or other all-terrain vehicles. Like high-performance athletes, sled dogs need special food, care, hydration, and exercise.
Born to Run
Not all dogs lend themselves to the task. In fact, only some can run hundreds of kilometers in cold weather and keep focused on pulling the sled across packed ice and snow. Sled dogs are a breed of their own and even share similar genetics.
Dogsled racing in Japan only started in the 1980s. It was thanks to the legendary explorer and adventurer Naomi Uemura that sled dogs gained popularity. The Japanese mountaineer made history as the first person to reach the North Pole solo, the first person to raft the Amazon River solo, and the first person to make a solo winter summit on Mount Denali.
For his North Pole expedition, Uemura used 17 huskies to pull his sled through the frozen Arctic. He later gifted sled dogs to Hokkaido and a trend was started.
Dog Dash
Not all races at the Wakkanai championship involve sledding. The "dog dash" is open to all furry friends. Dogs and owners have to run a distance of 50 meters to the finish line. It is a lot more difficult than expected. The majority of canines get seriously distracted by the cheering crowd. Some refuse to move at all, others just roll in the snow or take off in the wrong direction.
Not Hannah, the Akita dog from Rumoi with a rare grey brindle-colored fur. The three-year-old is handling the challenge with confidence. "She is not very dog-like," explains Hannah's owner as the dog dashes towards the goal.
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Author: Agnes Tandler
