Available on DVD

This movie IS available on DVD in Japan. Mine just arrived in the mail. It's Region 2. Comes in a 2-disc box set. Disc 1 is the movie, disc 2 is the special features disc. Unfortunately, there is NO English language dialogue, and no English subtitles on either disc. I don't speak or read Japanese, so I simply went through the Japanese-character menu options one by one, to see what was on Disc 2. It contains a couple of documentaries on the making of the movie, each over one hour long. There is one trailer with English narration. There is also a 5 minute teaser in English, voiced by Gregory Peck. Lots of still photographs from the movie, behind the scenes on location in Antarctica, Alaska, Canada and Hokkaido. Biographies of the Japanese actors, as well as each of the dogs. Posters. Footage of various premieres in Japan and California. A stills gallery of awards won. And an interview with Vangelis in English, which has Japanese subtitles.
The packaging is a sturdy, white cardboard box, with a small silver map of Antarctica on the front cover, together with large Kiragana characters saying "Nankyoku Monogatari" (translation = Antarctic Story) - the film's title in Japanese. Above this are the words "Fuji Television - The Legend". Back of the box is another silver map with the word "Antarctica" overlayed, in the Roman alphabet. Inside are 2 plastic Amray DVD cases. Each has different artwork on both front and back covers, and on each inside cover, as well as on each disc. Each DVD has a two-page pull-out info sheet - the photos and text on Disc 1 being different to that of Disc 2. However, all the writing is in Japanese, with the occasional recognisable word in English (eg Antarctica, DVD, disc, NTSC, Vangelis) and all the chapters are listed and numbered 1 through 28, but I can't tell what they say.
If you want to order the discs, I'm afraid that I can't be of much help. I asked a Japanese friend of mine who lives here in Sydney, to get his sister in Japan to buy it for me, and mail it. Consequently, I don't know the name of the store where she found it, so can't give any contact details for the internet. But I did receive the receipt. It cost 4,536 Yen (about US$39) and although there is not one single word of English on the receipt, there IS a phone number for the store. Tel : 075-971-1285 in Japan.
There is an internet address on the inside cover of each disc - www.ponycanyon.co.jp - but I just visited it to see if the DVD was locatable, and the site is all in Japanese characters, so I couldn't understand it. I typed "Nankyoku Monogatari" and later on "Antarctica" into the search bar, but it came back with no results each time. I think it may have worked, had I had a Japanese keyboard, however.
Why they don't simply release this movie on DVD in English is beyond me, given that it is such a good film, and interest in it has been renewed due to 8 Below. A lot of people are after it, it seems. The VHS version (dubbed in English) is readily available at amazon.com or eBay.