Tokyo City Keiba Announces Ryusei Yokohama as 2026 Image Character! Communication Theme: "Twinkle Race STAR☆T! Making Japan Shine"
Tokyo City Keiba (TCK) has appointed actor Ryusei Yokohama as its image character for 2026, with the communication theme "Twinkle Race STAR☆T! Making Japan Shine." Celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Twinkle Race," Japan's first night horse racing, Mika Nakashima will sing the new CM image song.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 13:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 04:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 00:31 (332h 1m after Collected)
Japan's First Night Horse Racing "Twinkle Race" Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary This Year
Mika Nakashima Sings the New CM Image Song "TWINKLE TWINKLE DIRT STAR," Based on the Familiar Melody Always Played at Twinkle Race!
2026 TCK Image Character Special Website
(Concept Movie, Making-of, Inauguration Message)
TCK Official YouTube URL:https://www.youtube.com/user/tckkeiba
Tokyo City Keiba (TCK) has decided to appoint actor Ryusei Yokohama as its image character for 2026.
A new concept movie starring Ryusei Yokohama, "Twinkle STAR☆T," will be released on the official website from April 7 (Tuesday).
This year, TCK celebrates the memorable 40th anniversary of "Twinkle Race," which was born as Japan's first night horse racing. TCK's communication theme is "Twinkle Race STAR☆T! Making Japan Shine."
TCK's Twinkle Race doesn't just make horses shine. It makes everyone involved in horse racing shine. It makes the eyes of horse racing fans nationwide sparkle. We want to bring more brilliance to many horse racing fans, and new brilliance to those who are new to horse racing. Through TCK, we hope people learn about the charm of dirt horse racing and discover new experiences by enjoying Twinkle Race. This is the sentiment behind it.
With this sentiment, we will continue to convey "new brilliance" throughout the year under the slogan "Twinkle Race Making Japan Shine," together with our image character Ryusei Yokohama. Visible brilliance, such as sparkling illuminations. Invisible brilliance, such as the exhilaration felt towards a race. Various forms of brilliance resonate and create new experiences. We want TCK to be a place that further enriches people's lives through their encounter with dirt horse racing.
In addition, we have produced "TWINKLE TWINKLE DIRT STAR" as the CM image song. By basing it on the familiar melody always played at Twinkle Race, it is being developed as an original theme song that expresses TCK's unique worldview.
The song is sung by artist Mika Nakashima with an expressive performance that conveys adult emotion. Please also pay attention to the lyrics, which will change with each commercial.
FAQ
Who is the image character for Tokyo City Keiba in 2026?
It's actor Ryusei Yokohama.
How many years is the Twinkle Race celebrating this year?
The Twinkle Race, Japan's first night racing event, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Who is singing the new CM song?
It's artist Mika Nakashima.