Tokyo Racecourse With Kids: Free Play Areas and Family Facilities

Tokyo Racecourse works surprisingly well as a family day out. Children under 15 get in free, adults pay ¥200 on most race days, and the main kids’ attractions cost nothing extra. These include an infield kids’ garden with an inflatable dome (its mini bullet train is suspended until further notice because of a breakdown), a fountain play park near the East Gate, and horse events like pony shows. There are baby rooms with changing and nursing space in both main stands.

Times below are JRA’s for Tokyo race days in the autumn 2026 meeting (as of October 2026). JRA notes that weather or the horses’ condition can change or cancel any of them.

The free play areas

Play area	Where	Hours (race days)	Cost
Fuwafuwa Dome (ふわふわドーム), an inflatable dome	Infield kids’ garden (馬場内キッズガーデン)	9:30–16:00	Free
Mini bullet train (ミニ新幹線), a ride around a loop	Infield, mini shinkansen plaza	Suspended until further notice (breakdown, per JRA); normally 10:00–15:00	Free
Small children’s area	Infield kids’ garden	–	Free
Uma-sha Uma-sha Park (馬シャ馬シャパーク), a splash fountain	Hiyoshigaoka Park (日吉が丘), just inside the East Gate	Gate opening–16:30, roughly late April to late October	Free
Play equipment and lawn	Hiyoshigaoka Park	Gate opening–16:30	Free
Anpanman stone statues to find around the grounds	Various places	Gate opening–16:30	Free

Turfy (ターフィー), JRA’s horse mascot, also walks around the grounds on race days, at places like the central information desk and Hiyoshigaoka.

The infield is inside the track, and it is the biggest open space. JRA asks parents to stay with their children at all play areas. To keep everyone safe, bikes, tricycles, balls and badminton sets are not allowed in the racecourse.

Meeting the horses

JRA runs horse events at the riding center (乗馬センター) on Tokyo race days, both Saturdays and Sundays:

Event	Time	How to join
Lead horses greet visitors (誘導馬のお出迎え)	About 20 min after the gates open, in front of the turf finish line	Just go
Horses out in the paddock (放牧)	Gate opening–16:00, riding center display paddock	Just go
Horse touching (馬とのふれあい)	10:30–11:10	Just go. Staff may turn people away for safety
Trial horse ride (体験乗馬)	10:30–11:30	Lottery in the free racecourse event app. 80 people, up to 4 per account. Helmets required
Carriage ride (馬車の運行)	13:30–14:30	Lottery in the app. 40 groups of up to 3 people
Attraction horse show	14:45–15:00	Just go

The lotteries are run through JRA’s free racecourse event app (競馬場イベント参加アプリ), which is in Japanese. Each person can do each event once a day. JRA does not give an age limit for the trial ride on this page, so ask at the riding center. You can only enter the riding center during event times.

Baby rooms and nursing

Facility	Where	Hours (race days)
Baby and Child Room (for preschoolers; changing and nursing)	Fuji View Stand 2F, next to the fast food court	9:00–16:00
Baby and Child Room	Memorial 60 Stand B1 (Tokyo race days only)	9:00–16:00
Nursing rooms	Near the East Gate, and in the infield near the swing area	–

JRA says the nursing booths in the Baby and Child Rooms are booth-type, so fathers can use them too. Some women’s toilets have baby beds.

A family plan for one race day

Time	Plan
9:00–9:30	Arrive at the East Gate (from Higashi-Fuchu Station) for Hiyoshigaoka Park, or the Main Gate for the stands
10:00–11:30	Infield: Fuwafuwa Dome while it’s quiet. Horse touching at the riding center from 10:30
11:30–12:30	Lunch. Food courts are on Fuji View Stand 1F and 2F and Memorial 60 B1
13:00	JRA Racing Museum (free, near the East Gate). Kids’ simulators inside
14:45	Attraction horse show at the riding center
15:30	Watch the main race from the rail, then leave before the last race to beat the crowds

The JRA Racing Museum is a good indoor break. Its jockey simulator “Narikiri Jockey” is aimed at kids, and the “RIDE ON GI HORSE” riding machine is open to ages 3 and up. Children under primary school age can use only the gentle mode, and children need an adult with them. See our museum guide.

October 10, 11 and 12, 2026 are JRA “free pass days” at Tokyo Racecourse. Entry is free for adults too.

Things to know before you go

• Betting is for over-20s only. Under Japan’s Horse Racing Act, people under 20 can’t buy betting tickets or receive them from someone else. So don’t hand a ticket to your teenager to hold as “theirs”.
• Big race days are a different place. On Japanese Derby, Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Japan Cup days, entry is by advance online ticket only and the crowds are huge. For a first family visit, pick a normal race day. See big race days.
• Non-race days. On “Park Winds” (off-track betting) days, entry is free. The fountain park, Anpanman statues and Baby and Child Room on Fuji View Stand 2F still run, but most horse events are reduced. JRA lists the trial ride, carriage and horse show on Park Winds Sundays only.
• Rain. The play areas are outdoors. On a wet day, use the indoor halls and the museum instead. See watching the races on a rainy day.

If you are in the area with small children for more than a day, Sanrio Puroland in Tama Center is a short train ride away. See a family day at Puroland and nearby parks.