Kyoto Keirin

Kyoto Keirin 京都競輪

Overview

Bike racing brings to mind super human men in colorful form-fitting costumes slashing through France on high-tech cycles you cannot even dream of buying.  In the Tour de France racers pound up the Alps, hurtle through wine country, and streak into Paris for the finale.

The crowd is multilingual, sophisticated, literate - or at least the Tour organizers would have one believe - and enjoying wine and a picnic while waiting for the racers to pass by.

Keirin

The Kyoto equivalent could not be more different. The only possible similarity is that the racers are indeed very fit.

In south Kyoto, you can watch keirin at the Kyoto Mukomachi Keirin bike track. It was established in 1950, and it holds races year-round on an oval track that is 400 meters in length (that is the standard length in Japan, though nearby Otsu is 500 and Nara just 333 meters). The races are usually 2,000 – 3,000 meters long and involve nine racers.

Superstar

The current top keirin racer is Keita Ebina, who earned more than $2 million USD in 2009. Those in the know say that Kyoto born and bred Hiroyuki Murakami is on course to replace Ebina. The 167 cm tall dynamo has tremendous lower body strength, and in 2010 earned almost 2.4 billion yen (about 2.9 million US dollars).

Yakuza

The sport itself is widely suspected of being run by the mob and betting takes place.

Betting

You can place the following bets:

Exacta (車単 nisha-tan) - selecting the first two finishers in exact order

Quinella (車復 nisha-fuku) - first two finishers in any order

Trifecta (３連単 sanren-tan) - first three finishers in exact order

Trio (３連複 sanren-puku) - first three finishers in any order

Quinella Place, or WIDE (ワイド)

The Crowd

In Kyoto it is overwhelmingly middle-aged, male, and occasionally drunk. This is not a brie and white wine crowd. The preferred beverage is cup sake – a brutal, cheap, and clear liquid – and the atmosphere can be rough. As the losses mount and sake flows, the crowd becomes more and more agitated.

Source

Source: a trip to Kyoto Mukomachi (we lost 1500 yen) and the bane of college professors worldwide: Wikipedia.

Access:

Hankyu Railways: Get off at Higashi Mukomachi Station. There is a free shuttle on race days.　Or a 15-minute walk.

Japan Railways (JR): Get off at Mukomachi Station, the third local stop from Kyoto Station. There is a free shuttle on race days.　Or a 20-minute walk.

Tel: 075 921 0317

Entrance Fee:

50 yen for one day 

Note: We do not recommend making this ride. It is 14 km, and quite industrial.

Map

Kyoto City Hall to Kyoto Keirin Bike Track Route

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