Kanazawa Racecourse [2021] 【Updated | 2026】

100 yen (Yes, roughly 70 cents USD). This is the cheapest live sport in Japan.

If you love horse racing for the sport rather than the spectacle, visit Kanazawa. You will stand ten feet from the rail as 1,000-pound thoroughbreds whip around a tight left-handed turn. You will taste local sake while holding a paper ticket worth $2. And you will witness a version of Japanese horse racing that is rapidly disappearing. kanazawa racecourse

On this day, Kanazawa comes alive. The purse is relatively small (approx. 40 million yen to the winner), but the pride is immense. This race serves as a "Road to the Tokyo Daishoten" and occasionally produces a horse that goes on to compete in the February Stakes (G1). Kanazawa is already a major tourist destination (Kenrokuen Garden, Nagamachi Samurai District, Omicho Market). The racecourse is a fantastic "off the beaten path" half-day trip. 100 yen (Yes, roughly 70 cents USD)

The JRA was tightening its grip on national betting, and local ownership was waning. In 2002, Kanazawa hit rock bottom—racing was suspended, and the track faced permanent closure. You will stand ten feet from the rail

When most people think of Japanese horse racing, their minds immediately jump to the glitz and glamour of the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse or the historic staying power of the Tenno Sho at Kyoto. However, beneath the surface of the elite JRA (Japan Racing Association) lies a vast, passionate, and character-filled world of NAR (National Association of Racing) .