Banei Tokachi is Obihiro's one truly unusual attraction. Instead of fast flat racing, one-ton draft horses pull iron sleds along a 200-metre track with two ramps, while jockeys manage pace and power.
It is slow, loud, and very Hokkaido. Even travellers with no interest in betting may find it memorable, because it grew out of the region's farming and logging horse culture rather than imported racecourse glamour.