Win, Place, Waifu?? Horse Racing in Japan

The Japanese have a love of horse racing that is not well known in the west. From live racing, video games, anime and even mobile games we will take a look at what spurred this passion and how it effects the economy and media of Japan. We will be taking a look at how the industry started, the slowly disappearing strength pull race of Ban’ei, how America helped shape the modern Japanese thoroughbred, famous horses, video games that have evolved around racing and even an anime/mobile game that has exploded in popularity among Japanese otaku. We will also cover how a horse that never won a race became a beacon of hope during Japan’s Lost Era, how a unique gene type has created one of the rarest coat colors, and how a simple idol anime has helped save the lives of countless retired race horses.