Osaka

Asakusa

A day at the races, Japan style!

Went to Tokyo Race Course, the biggest race track in Japan.  It was quite a sight, as "Fuchu" is a huge racing venue!  Not sure what the attendance was on this day, as it was not as many as Japan Cup Day or Japan Derby Day for sure, but there were thousands of fans, both young and old, nonetheless.

Shot of the main Fuji View Grandstand.  It is said that Mount Fuji can be seen on a clear day.  The top two levels of the six-floored grandstand are reserved seating, with small personal television screens.  On this day, those reserved were sold out by 10 a.m. 

The glass enclosed S-seats in the Memorial Stand, grandstand.

 

A nice security guard let us walk into the S-section to take these photos while the last race was running.

 It's Japan so Hello Kitty is everywhere, this time promoting the Win5 jackpot wager by selecting the winner of five designated races.  However, it does not seem that one can wager on this on-track, at least I couldn't figure out how.  It may be an online wager, but I could be wrong about that.

View of the massive paddock from the third level.

The video tote board in the paddock is also enormous.

A sea of spectators looking on at the runners.

The horses parading around the paddock ring with banners of the fans' favorite jockeys on display.

The Turf Vision multi-screen video monitor is one the world's largest.

Stretch run of an allowance race.

 Running past the grandstand early in a jump race.

Real Impact leads the feature race, the G2 Mainichi Okan. 

It seems all wagers are made using bet cards.  This is a machine used to cash winning tickets.

 

 Time to get on the train and head back after a fun-filled day.