Tokyo Attractions

Venue: Tokyo Racecourse    When: Daily

Tokyo Racecourse is one of the city's top attractions, and there is just as much action off-track as on. Aside from races such as the Emitrates World Series, the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup and the Japanese Derby, the horse racing museum's star attractions include a 360-degree surround screen cinema complete with swivel chairs to follow a head-spinning day in the life of a Paris racetrack.

Stagger out and leapfrog onto one of the plastic horses lined up in front of the video screens. The simulated race begins with a gentle canter, but brace yourself for the manic gallop in the final stretch that will almost bounce you out of the saddle. To recover, retreat to the picnic grounds and take a ride on the model stream train.

With the track just 30 minutes from central Tokyo, it's easy to mingle with Japanese gamblers and soak in the hysterical atmosphere. At the more popular races there can be up to 100,000 ardent fans, so be prepared for a bewildering atmosphere and lots of noise.