Visiting Horse Racing Course of JRA (Japan Racing Association) or Off-Track Betting Facilities (WINS) near your hotel.
How to bet your money on horses and background of the race are explained by the guide of this tour.
At your hotel in Tokyo (or the place you designate).
At your hotel in Tokyo (or the place you designate).
Guide fee, Hotel pick-up in central Tokyo area.
Transportation fee from the hotel to the Race Course (you and guide), Lunch, Entrance fee into the Race Course, Horse racing newspaper, Betting fee.
If your hotel is located in 23 wards of Tokyo, pick-up fee to the hotel is free.
Tours are basically done by using public transportation like trains and subways.
This tour is basically available on every Saturday and Sunday, but also sometimes on Monday of national holiday when JRA (Japan Racing Association) horse race is held.
Recently Japanese horses are getting strong. Some horses run in overseas prestigious races like Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Horse racing is getting popular among Japanese people and would be the most typical gamble. You will enjoy not only horse racing itself but also watching how Japanese people are distracted on weekend. In case of a tour to the horse racing course, it is possible to see inside race course as general amusement place for Japanese people. In case of visiting WINS, you can choose Off-Track Betting Facilities near your hotel.
If you are lucky, you will get money (but it is NOT guaranteed).
In spring, autumn and winter, JRA horse races are held in Tokyo area in either Tokyo Racecourse (Fuchu, west of Tokyo) or Nakayama Racecourse (Funabashi, Chiba).
In summer, JRA horse races are held in local sites in Japan and this tour is done by visiting one of the Off-Track Betting Facilities (WINS) in Tokyo (or Yokohama) near your hotel.
Detailed information on schedule of JRA races can be obtained from JRA English web site.
My family thoroughly enjoyed our day with Toshihiro. He provided a wonderfully efficient and full introduction to Tokyo. Toshi was prompt, willing to adapt to our jet lag if needed (we pushed through and stuck with the tour he planned for us), and was a pleasure to spend the day with. He knew the Tokyo subway extremely well (down to which car positioned us best for exiting), and was kind enough to help us book the rest of our train tickets for travel to other cities on our trip. We visited the Hie Shrine, Imperial Palace (park and double bridge), Tsukiji Fish Market, (including a delicious sushi lunch at his suggested restaurant), Uneo Park, Asakusa neighborhood and Sensoji Temple, and the Shibuya neighborhood. We would highly recommend a tour with Toshihiro!
Thank you for the excellent tour review, Julie-san. You have a wonderful family with two children of college generation. I really enjoyed walking with your family. In Tokyo subway, only a few stations near famous tourist spots, I know which car position is appropriate to go to the exit. Most of stations, I don't know the position. For local people in Japan, it is easy to book the train tickets for long distance journey. I am glad to hear that such kinds of small assistance were helpful for you. We visited some of the popular places in Tokyo. But those areas are changing rapidly. Summer and winter are very different. Please come to Japan again in the near future in another season. I suggest spring time to see beautiful cherry blossoms.
We have a great time taking a full-day walking tour with Toshihiro around Tokyo. He took us to the major sites. He navigated the metro very well, spoke good English, answered our questions and was very friendly. He introduced us to a tasty sushi restaurant. Highly recommend a tour with Toshihiro!
Thank you for the splendid tour review, Gabriella-san. In Tokyo, there are many popular tourist spots. I made a customized itinerary including some places requested by you. I am really relieved as you said that you had a great time in Tokyo. You have good curiosity about Japanese culture. I enjoyed answering your questions. Please come to Japan again in the near future.
We had a wonderful tour with Toshihiro! He was very kind and considerate to the 3 of us. The tour was a long day but there were many opportunities to rest and cool off on the subway rides. Toshihiro met us at our hotel and helped us navigate the city easily. We saw and learned so much as Toshihiro was extremely knowledgable. He even adapted our tour based on our preferences and things we had already seen. We highly recommend this tour!
Thank you for the marvelous tour review, Parker-san. Tour was done on the very hot summer day. I guess that you are now back to your home. Tokyo is still very hot in spite of late September. It is quite unusual this year. Your hotel was located at Shinjuku, the most exciting area in Tokyo. That is one reason we changed the itinerary. You are young people. You have a chance to come to Japan again in the near future. I suggest a spring cherry blossom season for you to come to Japan next time!
I’m traveling with my partner who is paralyzed. Toshihiro spent hours just researching how to navigate a very complicated subway system in Tokyo just to find elevators that would get us from place to place. Often times it took three elevators just to take one train. It was very complicated and he worked everything out. There’s no way we could’ve done this on our own. He’s so thoughtful the way he thought everything through and he certainly knows the city.. You cannot go wrong by him and he’s just a gentle soul. When we come back, we will absolutely have Tito show us around even more. We used him for two days on this trip.
Thank you for the amazing tour review, Scott-san. Most of subway stations in Tokyo have elevators, but some don't have. Sometimes elevators are not working because of maintenance. Fortunately when we were doing a tour for two days, all elevators at the subway stations we used were working normally. It was lucky. I was really impressed as you and your partner were very friendly, and you were supporting him well. You and your partner also have great insight on Japanese culture. I am happy as I could contribute to the sightseeing of Tokyo for people like you. You made a relaxed atmosphere during the tour. Thank you very much again.