Verified in Japan

Obihiro, Hokkaido / ばんえい十勝（帯広競馬場）

Banei Tokachi, Obihiro Racecourse

The only horse race of its kind in the world: draft horses weighing about a ton pull iron sleds over two slopes on a 200 m straight course. Entry is free.

A draft horse pulling a sled at night with a jockey beside it and coloured lights behind
A night race at Obihiro Racecourse (photo taken 2010)Photo: MIKI Yoshihito / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · License · Source

Last official check

25 Sept 2026

Traveler reports

0

Reports open in Phase 2

Next scheduled check

24 Dec 2026

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there
Train / Bus / Car
Closing days
Has closing days (see below)

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Closed

Races are held every Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On other days you can still enter, as tickets for other racecourses are on sale (ask for gate times).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Admission

Free entry.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Getting there

Tokachi Bus from stop 12 at the Obihiro Station bus terminal to Obihiro Keibajo-mae. About 7 min by taxi from the south exit of Obihiro Station. By car, about 40 min from Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (a bus to Obihiro Keibajo-mae also leaves the airport entrance about 15 min after each flight arrives) or about 15 min from the Memuro-Obihiro or Otofuke-Obihiro interchange. JR from Sapporo to Obihiro takes about 2 h 10 min.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Parking

Free car park for 400 cars. On race days (Sat, Sun and holiday Mondays) you can also use the Obihiro Kosei Hospital car park free for up to 6 hours (put your ticket through the machine at the ground-floor Beginner Corner during race hours; not for towing vehicles).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Accessibility

There is a kids' room and a nursing room.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Not yet confirmed

Opening hours, Payment

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: Obihiro, Hokkaido (Japanese address: 北海道帯広市西13条南9丁目)

Official site: https://www.banei-keiba.or.jp/

Location

Smaller pins are other spots nearby.

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Nearby spots

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances. Some locations are approximate, so treat these distances as a rough guide.

Crowds

Not yet confirmed

Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days, Busiest season

no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Latest traveler report
None yet

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Visiting respectfully

  • Local etiquetteNo pets (they can frighten the horses) and no drones. Don't use tripods when photographing the paddock or races, and in the Exciting Zone don't lean over the rail with telephoto lenses or selfie sticks. Personal photos and videos on social media are fine, but public live-streaming is not allowed.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
  • Local etiquetteA Beginner Corner explains how to buy betting tickets. Races go ahead in the rain.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site

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