Quick facts
- Region
- Asia
- Local name
- 日本
- Racing types
- Thoroughbred flat racing, Jump racing, Banei racing
- Timezone
- JST / UTC+9
- Season pattern
- Year-round across systems
- Profile reviewed
- 2026-06-07
Country racing guide
Japan Horse Racing Calendar & Racecourses
Japan has three distinct racing worlds: JRA central racing, regional local-government racing, and Banei racing at Obihiro. Together they create racing across the year, from weekend daytime meetings to weekday and night racing.
How to use this page
Use this page to understand the country's racing systems, season, surfaces, common meeting days and times, racecourses, and official information sources.
Final meeting dates, post times, and race information should always be confirmed on official or licensed source pages.
Horse racing in Japan
Overview of racing in Japan
Horse racing in Japan is not organized under one operator or one all-in-one calendar. It is made up of several systems with different authorities, racecourses, schedules, and official information channels. The first step when looking at Japanese racing is therefore to identify which system a meeting belongs to.
JRA central racing
JRA central racing is staged at ten major racecourses, including Tokyo, Nakayama, Kyoto, and Hanshin. Meetings are mainly held on Saturdays, Sundays, and selected public holidays during the daytime. JRA racing includes turf, dirt, and jump races, and the active racecourses rotate through the year according to the seasonal meeting programme.
Local-government racing
Local-government racing is held at regional racecourses such as Ohi, Kawasaki, Funabashi, Urawa, Mombetsu, Morioka, Mizusawa, Kanazawa, Kasamatsu, Nagoya, Sonoda, Kochi, and Saga. Dirt racing is the dominant format. Unlike JRA, local meetings are often held on weekdays, and some venues stage evening or night racing. Days and post times vary substantially by racecourse.
Banei racing
Banei racing is a distinctive Japanese format held at Obihiro Racecourse. Large draft horses pull weighted sleds along a straight course with obstacles. Its horses, course, pace, and race structure differ from ordinary turf or dirt flat racing, so it should be understood as a separate racing form rather than a variation of standard flat racing.
Year-round racing and seasonality
When JRA, local-government racing, and Banei racing are viewed together, Japan has racing across almost the entire year. This does not mean every racecourse operates continuously. The venues in use, the number of meetings, and the typical time of day change with the season, region, authority, and meeting cycle.
How to check the calendar
For a quick guide, use JRA sources for major weekend daytime meetings, local-racing sources for regional, weekday, and night meetings, and Banei Tokachi sources for the Obihiro format. There is no single official page that should be treated as complete coverage of all three systems.
What this page provides
This page brings together the main racing types, seasonal pattern, common meeting days and times, surfaces and course formats, principal racecourses, upcoming meetings, and official source links. Dates and post times can change, so final details should always be confirmed on the relevant official site.
What types of horse racing are held here?
Thoroughbred flat racing
The main racing form in both central and local-government racing. Central racing uses turf and dirt, while local-government racing is mainly dirt-based.
Jump racing
Jump racing is held within the central racing system and should be treated separately from ordinary flat-racing summaries.
Banei racing
A distinctive draft-horse format held at Obihiro, where horses pull weighted sleds over a straight course with obstacles.
Meeting patterns
Racing season
When central racing, local-government racing, and Banei racing are viewed together, racing is available year-round. Individual racecourses and systems still follow their own seasonal schedules.
Typical race days and times
Central racing is mainly held on weekends and is usually daytime racing. Local-government racing can be held on weekdays or weekends and may include evening or night meetings depending on the racecourse. Banei follows its own published schedule.
Timezone: JST / UTC+9
Surfaces, tracks, and formats
Central racing uses both turf and dirt and also stages jump racing. Local-government racing is mainly dirt-based. Banei uses a separate straight obstacle course and should not be described as turf or dirt racing.
Racing systems and authorities
Japan Racing Association (JRA)
Central racing system with major racecourses across Japan. It is mainly weekend-based and includes turf, dirt, and jump racing.
Local-government racing / NAR
A group of regional racing authorities and racecourses. Meeting days and times vary by venue, and weekday or night racing is common at some racecourses.
Banei Tokachi
The separate Banei racing system based at Obihiro Racecourse. Its format, racecourse, and official schedule should be presented separately from ordinary flat racing.
How to read the calendar
Calendar structure
To understand the Japanese racing calendar, first identify whether the meeting belongs to JRA, local-government racing, or Banei. There is no single official page that should be treated as complete coverage for all three systems. Use each system's official source for final confirmation.
First-time guide
For major weekend central meetings, start with JRA. For weekday, regional, or night meetings, check local-government racing sources. For Japan's distinctive draft-horse format, check Banei Tokachi separately.
Upcoming meetings
This section shows currently available verified meeting records. After the calendar data model is finalized, this list will read from the same calendar dataset used by the calendar pages. One row represents one meeting; racecards, entries, odds, results, and payouts are not reproduced here.
| Date | Racecourse | System | Start time | Timezone | Official |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-30 | Tokyo Racecourse | JRA | 09:50 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Kyoto Racecourse | JRA | 10:05 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Obihiro Racecourse | Banei | 14:35 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Urawa | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Kasamatsu | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Sonoda | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Kochi | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-30 | Saga | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
Show 11 more meetings
| Date | Racecourse | System | Start time | Timezone | Official |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | Tokyo Racecourse | JRA | 09:40 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Kyoto Racecourse | JRA | 09:55 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Obihiro Racecourse | Banei | 14:25 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Mizusawa | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Kanazawa | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Kochi | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-05-31 | Saga | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-06-01 | Obihiro Racecourse | Banei | 14:20 | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-06-01 | Mizusawa | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-06-01 | Funabashi | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
| 2026-06-01 | Saga | Local racing | Not verified | JST / UTC+9 | Open |
Main racecourses
The table links to racecourse profiles currently available in Where Horses Run.
| Racecourse | Location | System |
|---|---|---|
| Chukyo Racecourse | Toyoake, Aichi | JRA |
| Fukushima Racecourse | Fukushima, Fukushima | JRA |
| Hakodate Racecourse | Hakodate, Hokkaido | JRA |
| Hanshin Racecourse | Takarazuka, Hyogo | JRA |
| Kyoto Racecourse | Kyoto, Kyoto | JRA |
| Nakayama Racecourse | Funabashi, Chiba | JRA |
| Niigata Racecourse | Niigata, Niigata | JRA |
| Obihiro Racecourse | Obihiro, Hokkaido | Banei |
| Sapporo Racecourse | Sapporo, Hokkaido | JRA |
| Tokyo Racecourse | Fuchu, Tokyo | JRA |
Official sources
Use these official landing pages for final confirmation. Where Horses Run does not replace official calendars or racecards.
Japan Racing Association (JRA)
Local-government racing / NAR
Banei Tokachi
Coverage
Information included
- Country racing overview
- Racing types
- Seasonality
- Typical race days and times
- Surfaces and course formats
- Main racecourses
- Upcoming meetings
- Official sources
This profile explains the general structure of racing in Japan and routes users to official sources. It does not claim that every meeting is currently covered. Final dates, post times, racecards, odds, results, and payouts must be confirmed on official or licensed sources.
Information not published here
- Entries, horses, jockeys, and trainers
- Draw and weights
- Odds and popularity
- Predictions and betting tips
- Results and payouts
- Unofficial streams or copied video
Technical coverage details
Dataset status
Country status: active
Coverage level: 3
Automation level: B
Active 30-day records: 19
Out-of-window records: 0
Seed state: PR-056 added four JRA records for Tokyo and Kyoto on 2026-05-30 and 2026-05-31 only. PR-060 maps NAR racecourse inventory and Banei schedule source candidates, but Japan timetable coverage is still initial seed only.
Fetch status
- japan-jra-home: skipped — M3 alpha source record candidate. Link-first and dry-run only. Live fetching is not enabled.
Probe status
No live fetch probe metadata is listed.