For the second to last Cheapo weekend of February we feature two events that couldn’t be more different. As usual, both offer plenty of entertainment at a very low price.
The Japan Media Arts Festival is on again this year at the National Art Center Tokyo in Roppongi. The event actually started on the 13th of February and runs until the 24th of February. The festival covers the gamut of popular media art in Japan with 4 divisions – art, entertainment, manga and animation. Besides the main venue at the National Art Center, there will be events and exhibitions at Tokyo Midtown, Cinem@rt and Super Deluxe in Nishi Azabu, Admission to events is free and the closest stations are Roppongi on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Oedo Line and Nogizaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.
The first Grade 1 race meeting of the year happens this Sunday the 17th of February at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu. The February Stakes sees 16 of the country’s best dirt racers battle for a first prize purse of 94 million yen. If you’ve never spent a day at the races in Tokyo, it’s well worth trying at least once. Admission to the racecourse is only 200yen and you can place bets of as little as 100yen using the automated betting machines. There is plenty of food and drink available on site, but you can bring your own refreshments so you can blow more cash on the ponies. Incidentally, the Japan Racing Association has a (surprisingly) very comprehensive English website. Tokyo Racecourse is a 2 minute walk from Fuchu Keiba Seimon Mae Station on the Keio Line or a 5 minute walk from Fuchu Honmachi Station on the JR Musashino/Nambu Line.
