Boat Race Kojima

What Boat Race Kojima is

Boat Race Kojima, known in Japanese as Boat Race Kojima, is one of Japan's 24 official motorboat racing stadiums, and the only one in Okayama Prefecture. The sport itself, called kyotei in Japanese, is publicly managed sports betting: six boats compete in each race, and spectators bet on the finishing order⁶.

What makes Kojima stand out among the 24 venues is the water. The stadium sits on the coast, and the race flow changes between high tide and low tide. At high tide with a tailwind, come-from-behind passes tend to succeed and payouts run high, which is worth knowing before you pick your bets¹.

The sport draws a mixed crowd. Boat Race venues are described by the operator as a hit with adults and children, visitors and locals alike, and you do not have to bet at all. You can come to any Boat Race venue in Japan to watch the races, enjoy the food and check out the other attractions without placing a single bet⁶.

For a broader picture of the sport across the country, see our guide to betting on boat racing (kyotei) in Japan.

Where to find the venue and official website

Boat Race Kojima is at 6-3 Motohamacho, Kojima, Kurashiki, Okayama 711-8567, Japan¹. Kojima is the southern coastal district of Kurashiki, reachable by train on the JR Kojima station side and then a short taxi or bus ride to the waterfront stadium.

If you drive, parking is not a problem. Boat Race venues across Japan offer spacious parking at every venue, and Kojima is no exception².

For schedules, race cards and results, each venue runs its own official website, and exhibition times for events such as the DMM.com Cup at Boat Race Tsu are distributed on the venue's official homepage and through the JLC (Japan Leisure Channel) broadcast⁸.

Kojima is one of 24 stadiums spread from Kiryu in Gunma down to Omura in Nagasaki, so if you are traveling around Japan you may pass others. We also have pages on Boat Race Heiwajima, Boat Race Suminoe, Boat Race Marugame and Boat Race Miyajima.

How betting on boat races works

Betting at Kojima works the same way as at every boat race venue in Japan, and there is a fun variety of ways to place a bet, more than just picking who finishes first⁶.

You buy tickets called funaken using OMR betting cards. Around the venue you will find stacks of these cards and pencils. You fill in the card with a pencil, marking the race number, the boats you fancy and your bet type, then feed it into a betting machine with your cash. Of the 12 races held on a race day, you fill in the number of the race you are betting on².

The main bet types are:

The hit rates come from the official bet-type guide: a Place bet has a 3/15 chance, an Exacta 1/30, and a Trio 1/20¹⁰. Every one of these tickets can be bought for 100 yen, from a Win ticket to a Trio¹¹.

A worked example from the official how-to guide: a Trio bet on the 6th race at Suminoe in Osaka, picking Boats 1, 2 and 4. The chance of winning is 1/20 and the odds were 15.3, so a 100 yen ticket would have paid 1,530 yen³.

If you want to dig into how to read the form and make predictions, the official site has a step-by-step guide in English that walks through the whole process, from picking up a mark card to collecting your winnings³.

Race days and viewing options

A race day at Kojima follows the standard boat race format: 12 races in total, with a roughly half-hour break between each one, so a full program fills most of the day².

When you arrive, head to the information desk. That is the perfect place to ask for a Race Card, called shusso-hyo in Japanese, which has the day's race schedule and key information about the boats and racers².

The race itself is short and loud. Six boats leave the waiting area together and cross the start line in a flying start, meaning they must cross the line within a set time rather than waiting for a gun, unlike athletics-style starts. After passing the start line, the boats turn the 1st and 2nd marks in order and complete 3 laps of the dedicated course, one lap being 600 meters for a total of 1,800 meters, to decide the ranking¹².

Odds for each race, meaning the payout multiple on a hit, are shown on monitors and large video screens inside the venue and on the official website, so you can track the prices right up to the close of betting¹⁴.

You can also watch and bet without going to the stadium at all. Boat Race has a network of off-course ticket shops across Japan where you can buy funaken for races at any venue, including Kojima. Our page on off-course betting in Japan covers how those work.

What you can win and how payouts work

Payouts work on a multiplier system. The odds are the expected payout rate for your betting ticket: if a 100 yen ticket is given a rate of 6.2, the payout is 620 yen¹⁰. As another official example, if you predict the finishing order 1-3 and the odds are 8.4, you collect 8.4 times your bet⁷.

At Kojima specifically, the tide adds a layer. Because race flow changes between high tide and low tide, and high tide with a tailwind tends to produce come-from-behind wins, results here can be less predictable than at calm inland venues, and that is when payouts run high¹.

When you win, collecting is simple. There are machines all over the venue that you can use to collect your prize money on the spot, and all payouts are in yen³. Bring cash for betting too, since the OMR card machines take cash.

For context on the scale of the sport, the biggest event in the boat race calendar is the Grand Prix, whose winner receives JPY 110,000,000, the highest winning prize in the sport¹⁵. That is the racers' prize rather than a bettor's payout, but it explains why the top racers draw big crowds when they appear at venues like Kojima.

Rules and etiquette for first-time visitors

Boat Race is publicly managed sports betting in Japan, and anyone at the venue can take part, whether you are a visitor, an expat resident or a local. You do not need to be a Japanese resident to buy tickets in person; you simply need to be at the venue with cash, since all payouts are in yen⁶.

A few practical points for a smooth first visit:

• Start small. You can pick your favorite color and place a bet with just 100 yen, so there is no pressure to stake much while you learn².
• Grab a Race Card. Ask at the information desk for the shusso-hyo, which lays out the day's 12 races and the key information for each².
• Watch the flying start. The boats cross the start line at speed within a set time window, and the first turn at marker 1 often decides the race, so keep your eyes there¹².
• Enjoy it without betting. You can come to watch the races, enjoy the food and check out the other attractions without placing bets, and the crowd mixes adults and children, visitors and locals⁶.
• Collect promptly and easily. Winning tickets are paid out on the spot at machines throughout the venue³.

The atmosphere at boat race venues is casual and family-friendly rather than exclusive. There is no dress code to worry about, and the half-hour gaps between the 12 races give you time to eat, study the form for the next race or just walk around².

If Kojima is not convenient, the same sport, the same bets and the same JPY 100 minimum apply at all 24 venues across Japan, from Heiwajima in Tokyo to Miyajima near Hiroshima. And if you want to explore Japan's other publicly managed racing sports, see our guides to horse racing in Japan and keirin.