Tokyo City Keiba

As gambling in general is prohibited in Japan, you won’t be finding a casino around town. However, the TCK allows patrons to place bets, as horse racing is one of a handful of betting activities approved by the government. The minimum bet at TCK is only ¥100! So for another shiny silver coin, anyone over 20 years old is eligible to place a bet.

Even if you don’t bet, you can still go for the special atmosphere of a night racecourse or simply go to watch the lean four-legged charges race to the finish line for their chance at victory. It’s a great chance to bring the family along too, as children under 15 years old get in for free. TCK is well equipped to cater such crowds, as it offers free Wi-Fi and also has on-site restaurants that sell snacks and full meals to visitors. On some nights, the TCK also holds a special illumination show, whereby the track is lit up at night in brilliant displays of colour.

TCK is the first racetrack to bring afternoon horse racing to the Japanese masses. Hence, a good number of attendees to the races are Tokyo’s city workers who come after they have finished at the office. Evening horse races are generally held between March and December, with the main race fixtures occurring every thirty minutes and finishing around 9pm each night.