TSUBAME

What TSUBAME is

TSUBAME is a betting shop operator in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The company runs a small chain of off-course betting branches, known in Japanese as "場外" (jōgai) shops, where you can bet on Japanese horse racing and other publicly regulated sports without going to a racecourse or velodrome.

The branches listed by the operator are Bic Tsubame Yanome in Fukushima City, Bic Tsubame Sukagawa in Sukagawa, and Bic Tsubame Shirakawa in Nishigo Village¹. These are local, practical betting shops rather than destination venues. You walk in, find a seat or a terminal, study the race card, buy your tickets, and watch the race on a screen.

If you have used a Japanese off-course betting shop before, TSUBAME works the same way. If you have not, the short version is: it is a quiet, functional space where the main activity is buying betting tickets and watching races on monitors. There is no casino floor, no table games and no slot machines. What you can bet on is limited to publicly regulated sports, mainly horse racing.

For a broader picture of what gambling is and is not legal in the country, see Can I Gamble in Japan?. For the casino side, which is a separate and much more restricted world, see Casinos in Japan: Who Can Go In.

Where TSUBAME is located and how to get there

All three TSUBAME branches are in Fukushima Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu.

Fukushima City is the prefectural capital and is reachable by shinkansen from Tokyo in roughly an hour and a half. Sukagawa is south of Fukushima City on the Tohoku Main Line. Nishigo Village sits between the two, close to Shirakawa.

If you are coming from Tokyo, the simplest approach is to take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Fukushima Station, then use a local train or taxi to reach the branch you want. Sukagawa and Shirakawa both have their own stations on the Tohoku Main Line. From the station, a taxi is usually the easiest option unless you know the local bus routes.

Driving is straightforward. Fukushima Prefecture is well served by expressways, and the branches sit in areas where roadside parking is typically available. If you are navigating by car, enter the address into your navigation system. Japanese addresses work best when you enter the postal code or the phone number of the branch rather than the block number.

For a sense of how other Japanese betting and racing venues handle location and access, the Urawa Racecourse page shows the pattern: a clear street address, a station nearby, and a short walk or taxi ride from there⁶.

Entry rules for visitors

Japanese off-course betting shops are open to the public. There is no membership requirement, no advance application and no entry fee at a standard branch. You walk in during opening hours and you are in.

The minimum age to bet on horse racing and public sports in Japan is 20³. This applies to everyone, citizens, residents and visitors alike. If you are under 20, you cannot place a bet. Some venues allow younger people to enter as spectators when accompanied by an adult, but the betting itself is strictly 20 and over.

For foreign visitors, the practical rule is simple: carry your passport. Under Japanese law, foreign visitors without residence in Japan are expected to carry their passport as identification⁴. Foreign residents should carry their residence card or passport. In practice, staff at a betting shop may not ask to see ID for a small bet, but they can, and if you look young or are placing a larger amount, they probably will.

Beyond age and ID, the main entry rules are about behavior. Betting shops can refuse entry or ask you to leave if your conduct disrupts racing, affects safety or spoils the viewing environment for others, or if you fail to follow staff instructions⁷. This is not a high bar. Keep your voice down, do not block other people's view of the screens, and follow any directions you are given.

Some Japanese racing and betting venues have experimented with entry limits during busy periods, including advance-application-only entry on certain weekends⁸. These measures are usually temporary and tied to specific events. If you are planning to visit on a major race day, it is worth checking the branch or the operator's website beforehand.

Games and gaming floor layout

TSUBAME is a betting shop, not a casino. The products available are Japanese public sports, primarily horse racing. Depending on the branch and the day, you may also find betting on other publicly regulated sports such as keirin (cycling) and boat racing, though the core business at a horse racing betting shop is horse racing.

The betting menu at a Japanese horse racing shop typically includes:

• Win (単勝): pick the horse that finishes first.
• Place (複勝): pick a horse to finish in the top three, or top two in a small field.
• Quinella (馬連): pick the first two horses in any order.
• Exacta (馬単): pick the first two horses in exact order.
• Quinella place (ワイド): pick two horses to both finish in the top three.
• Trio (三連複): pick the first three horses in any order.
• Trifecta (三連単): pick the first three horses in exact order.

You can also bet on races at other racecourses around Japan. The betting shop shows the races on screens, and you buy your tickets at the counter or at a terminal before the race starts.

The floor layout at a typical Japanese off-course betting shop is simple. There is an entrance area, a main hall with seats and screens, betting terminals or counters, and a payout window. Some branches have a separate area for larger bettors or for specific types of bets. The atmosphere is closer to a library than a casino: quiet, focused, and busy in short bursts around race times.

For a comparison with how a Japanese racecourse itself is laid out, the Tokyo City Keiba venue describes itself as a racetrack in the heart of Tokyo, with admission of JPY 100 for anyone 16 and older and free entry for those 15 and under⁹. That is a racecourse, not a betting shop, but it gives you a sense of the scale difference.

Opening hours and busy periods

Opening hours at TSUBAME branches follow the racing calendar. On days when there is racing, shops typically open in the morning and close in the evening. On days with no racing, they are usually closed.

Japanese betting shops generally open around 9:00 or 10:00 and close around 17:00 or 18:00, though this varies by branch and by the day's race schedule. Some satellite betting facilities stay open later. For example, Satellite Ishikari operates around 10:00 to 21:00 on race meeting days¹⁰. If you are planning a visit, check the specific branch's hours for the day you want to go.

The busiest periods are weekends and public holidays, especially when a major race is on. Saturdays and Sundays are the core racing days in Japan. Big races such as the Japan Cup, the Arima Kinen or the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) draw much larger crowds, and betting shops fill up accordingly.

If you want a quieter experience, a weekday race meeting at a smaller track is your best bet. You will have more space, shorter queues at the betting terminals, and a better chance of finding a seat near a screen.

Payments and identification

Betting at a Japanese off-course betting shop is a cash business. You buy your betting tickets with cash at the counter or at a terminal. The minimum bet is usually JPY 100 per ticket. You can bet more, in multiples of JPY 100.

Payouts work on a per-JPY 100 basis. The payout amount displayed is what you receive for every JPY 100 you staked. For example, if the display shows JPY 300 and you hold a JPY 500 ticket, you receive JPY 1,500, because 300 times 5 equals 1,500¹¹. This is the standard way Japanese betting payouts are calculated, and it applies across horse racing, keirin and boat racing.

Payout windows are usually open during and after the races. Some branches offer a payout guide service, but it only covers the previous day's and the current day's payout information¹¹. If you have an older ticket, you may need to go to a main racecourse or a designated payout center.

For identification, the same rules apply as at entry. Foreign visitors should carry a passport⁴. Foreign residents should carry their residence card or passport. If you are cashing a large payout, staff may ask to see ID as a matter of course.

If you want to bet online rather than in person, Japan has regulated online betting services for horse racing and public sports. These require a Japanese bank account or a Japanese payment method in most cases, which makes them impractical for short-term visitors. The in-person betting shop is the practical option for a visitor.

Rules that apply to foreign visitors

Foreign visitors can use TSUBAME branches on the same terms as Japanese residents, with two practical differences: ID and language.

On ID, the rule is that foreign visitors without residence in Japan should carry their passport⁴. Foreign residents in Japan should also carry their passport or residence card¹². This is a general Japanese requirement, not specific to betting shops, but it matters if you are asked to prove your age or identity.

On language, TSUBAME branches are local Fukushima betting shops. Signage and staff interaction are primarily in Japanese. If you do not read Japanese, the betting terminals are the easiest way to place a bet, since you can follow the on-screen flow. The race cards and odds boards use standard Japanese racing notation, which takes a little getting used to but is not complicated once you see it.

One rule that surprises some visitors: tattoos. At Japanese boat race stadiums and some other racing venues, tattoos and other body art must be covered by clothing⁵. This is not universal across every betting shop, but it is a common rule at Japanese racing and public sports venues. If you have visible tattoos, covering them is the safe approach.

Another point for visitors: the 20-and-over betting age is enforced. Japan does not have a lower drinking or gambling age for tourists. If you are 19, you cannot bet, regardless of your nationality.

If you are interested in the casino side of Japanese gambling, which is a separate legal world with its own entry rules and a much more restricted footprint, see Casinos in Japan: Who Can Go In. The first integrated resort casino in Japan is planned for Osaka, and you can read about its timeline at When Will the Osaka Casino Resort Open?.