Heiwajima, is located just outside of Toyko and is home to large shopping center, an
onsen, and
Boat Racing. Entrance to the boat racing park costs 100 yen (about $1).
The boats go around the man-made seawater lake in an oval. Each race has 6 boats and only lasts for a few laps.
People are able to gamble on the outcome of the race much like horse racing. However I am not sure of the exact rules.
The boats are very small and do not have a seat. Rather the driver kneels on a floor of the boat and uses the position of his body to help turn the boat in the corners.
If you look in the picture below, you can see each driver in a different position. One is way down in his boat for speed. The other is sitting up trying to keep it stable.
I of course did not go to the races to see who was going to win, I wanted to see an accident. My wish was granted when a driver overcooked the corner and capsized his boat. No one was injured and the rescue boat was able to pull the nearly sunken boat back to the docks
Heiwajima, Japan
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