Note: The video above was loosely based on the script below.
I’ve had a lot of pretty unique experiences in Japan but recently I had one of the most unique ones yet. That’s because I put on a giant shiba inu costume and went to a park in Chiba Prefecture to go see hundreds of dogs get their teeth brushed. Here’s the full story.
Doge Day 2024
This past November 2nd, I went to Sakura City in Chiba Prefecture. Sakura is a quiet city located around an hour away from Tokyo. It’s not the kind of place you’d normally visit. So then way did I go to Sakura? I went to attend Doge Day.
Started in 2023, Doge Day takes place every November 2nd and yes it’s a celebration of Doge, the famous internet meme of the smiling shiba inu. But now you’re probably wondering, why is Doge Day held in Sakura City? That’s because the dog in the original photo that sparked the doge meme lived in Sakura. That dog is named Kabosu.
Adopted from an animal shelter in 2008 by Atsuko Sato–or as she’s known online Kabosu Mama–Kabosu became an internet celebrity after a photo of her taken in 2010 became the basis of the now famous doge meme which in turn gave rise to the dogecoin cryptocurrency and so much more. Unfortunately, Kabosu passed away in May of this year but she lived a long life and her legacy lives on in various forms, in the a bronze statue.
Slightly larger in size than the actual Kabosu, this statue was erected in Sakura Furusato Square (Sakura Furusato Hiroba), a park in Sakura City. It was unveiled at last year’s Doge Day and remains there to this day. So even though Kabosu is no longer with us, you can go to the park in Sakura at any time, sit down next to the statue and take a picture with it.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the first Doge Day but I was fortunate enough to be there this year to join in on the festivities. This year though, the main event wasn’t the unveiling of another statue. Instead it was a Guinness World Record attempt. The organizers were going to try to break the record for the most dogs getting their teech brushed at one time. The number to beat was 268 dogs. This record had been set in Hong Kong in 2012. Although that’s definitely a lot of dogs, almost 300 people had registered ahead of time expressing their intent to participate in the world record attempt so it was looking like a new record was going to be set on Doge Day 2024. However, there was just one problem: the weather.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast said it was going to rain on Doge Day and the weather forecast turned out to be right on the money. Although not torrential rain, it did rain on and off for the entire day. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, when I got there, the park was filled with dogs and their owners. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dogs in one place in Japan and as we got closer and closer to the world record attempt the number of dogs kept increasing. Things were looking promising.
About The Organizer
But before I tell you if the world record attempt was successful, I need to explain how it was that I–someone who lives in Hawaii–was able to attend Doge Day. It all comes back to the organizers of the event. The organization behind Doge Day is called Own the Doge. They are a DAO or decentralized autonomous organization. I won’t get into all the details of what a DAO is but suffice it to say that they are a blockchain-based organization that own the IP rights to the original photo of Kabosu that sparked the Doge meme. Their focus is on doing positive things that promote the legacy of Kabosu. Aside from Doge Day and erecting the Kabosu memorial at Sakura Furusato Square, they’ve also donated more than four million dollars to charity. And they work closely with Atsuko Sato–owner of Kabosu–on a regular basis. In fact, she promoted the tooth brushing world record attempt and is one reason why so many dogs showed up to the event.
As for how it was that I was able to attend Doge Day, it’s because they sponsored me. This past October I did a 400 km walk across Japan, from Kyoto to Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture. Called the Miyajima Challenge, this was my second long-distance walk across Japan. The first one, which I did last year, was from Kyoto to Tokyo. Anyway, Own the Doge was one of my sponsors for this walk and not only that, they also provided me lodging in Tokyo so that I could attend Doge Day and the related VIP events. That’s how it was that on the morning of November 2nd, I got on a rented bus in Tokyo with 40-50 other people from around the world and headed to Sakura City.
That Time I Became a Shiba Inu
Shortly after I arrived at the park, my friend Miyuki helped me put on something I had brought with me from Hawaii: a giant inflatable costume of a shiba inu. Although it wasn’t heavy, it was bulky so it was rather annoying having it take up space in my suitcase as I made my way from hotel to hotel during my walk from Kyoto to Miyajima. But in the end I was happy I brought it with me. With that thing on I must have been around seven feet tal and several feet wide. I was the center of attention, especially among the Japanese attendees. I had several Japanese women and couples–all with dogs–ask if they could take a picture with me. To make things even stranger, I was in the costume I was still holding my white cane. In case you’re not away, I’m legally blind so when I’m outside I use a white cane. That being said, I think the costume was so eye-catching that I doubt any of the Japanese people who took photos with me even noticed it.
And Then Came Chiitan
Some time after I put ont he costume, a ceremony started. Featuring Atsuko Sato, the mayor of Sakura City and members of the Own the Doge team, the ceremony highlighted the legacy of Kabosu and the work done by Own the Doge. Mostly it was a fairly serious moment during the event. However, I have to admit, I was a bit distracted. That’s because the famous Japanese mascot Chiitan was in attendance and could be seen on stage during the ceremony.
Chiitan first appeared in 2017, quickly garnering attention for being a bit of a wild mascot. Unlike other Japanese mascots that tend to just look cute and dance, Chiitan is far more rambunctious. Videos of it jumping on trampolines, falling down and breaking things quickly propelled it to internet stardom. Now it has over two million followers on X and countless fans around the world.
As someone who loves Japanese mascots, when I learned that Chiitan would be in attendance, I decided that no matter what, by the end of Doge Day I would take at least one photo with Chiitan. As the ceremony was approaching its end, Chiitan began to leave and that is when my friend Miyuki and I ambushed Chiitan and its handler. Thankfully, they instantly agreed to my request for a photo. After taking a couple photos I was even able to get a quick video with Chiitan. So I’m happy to say that taking a photo with Chiitan is now off my bucket list.
The Main Event
But of course, you’re probably wondering “What about the world record attempt?” Despite the intermittent rain, it did take place and things were looking pretty good. In fact, the time of the record attempt had to be delayed because so many dog owners were still waiting to check in to be part of the attempt. So somewhere around an hour after the end of the ceremony, the world record attempt took place.
Participants had to brush their dog’s teeth for three whole minutes. Meanwhile the Guinness officials looked on to make sure everyone followed the rules. A bit after the three minutes were up came the big moment everyone had been waiting for. It was time to find out if a new world record had just been set.
After the officials took some time to check their numbers we were told that there was bad news and good news. The bad news was that only 210 dogs had participated so the attempt was 58 dogs short of the current record. However, the good news was that the attendees had just set an unofficial record: the most dogs getting their teeth brushed simultaneously in the rain. Of course, this won’t show up anywhere but getting 210 dog owners to bring their dogs in the rain to a park for a world record attempt is still quite an accomplishment. No doubt a good amount of the almost 300 people that said they would be attending decided to stay home due to the poor weather.
I don’t know yet if Own the Doge will attempt to break the record again in 2025 but they seem determined to make the next Doge Day even bigger. So whatever they decide to do next year, I’m sure it’ll be another fun event.
And by the way, Doge Day is absolutely free. Even the bus that takes people from the train station to the park was free specifically for Doge Day so if you’re in the Kanto area next November 2nd, you may want to join in on the fun.
Thank you to Own The Doge for making it possible for me to attend Doge Day and all the related events. If you would like to learn more about Own the Doge, check out their links below.
Own the Doge Links
