Tips for Running in Tokyo

I just completed my last run of the summer in Tokyo early this morning. I'll be taking a flight back to London soon where the weather is a lot cooler (yay!).

I had more than two months in Tokyo this summer, where I did the majority of my marathon training. This is week 10 - I will be participating in the Winchester Half Marathon few days after I get back, which I certainly am excited for.

Since I spent the last two months in this amazing city of Tokyo running, I thought I share some running information and tips for running in Tokyo. I've spent time running in California, NYC, Hawaii, London, Slovenia, Croatia, and Myanmar, and noticed each place has different running scene. Here are some things you'll notice in Tokyo if you're ever keen on running here!

The Typical Routes

Almost all Tokyo runners who live centrally will run around the Imperial Palace. That is the go-to running route. It can get quite crowded during peak times, but there are no stoplights and one loop is 5 km with some great ups-and-downs. Also, people are used to seeing joggers - they're even called "Kokyo-Runners" where "Kokyo" means Imperial Palace, so no need to dodge people and get weird looks. Here's the route as you can see:

Another good route is the run around the Akasaka Palace. This is located near the Imperial Palace, so for a longer run, you can always combine the two but remember that it is very hilly! The route is here:

There are also smaller parks like Hibiya Park and Hinokizaka Park where they are good places to adjust a bit of your training. For long runs, it is always possible to do a few loops of Imperial Palace, do Hibiya Park, Akasaka Palace, go onto the Jingu oval-shaped route, and even to Yoyogi Park.

Here are some pictures of my neighborhood park, Hinokizaka Park new Tokyo Midtown:

Tokyo Pedestrians

Tokyo pedestrians are unbelievably annoying. If you're running at night, you'll have your route blocked by drunk salary-men who are oblivious to anything surrounding them. Also, there are a lot of pedestrian walkers who are on their smartphones, unaware of their surroundings. Tokyo is already so crowded and the sidewalks are already so small, so it definitely can get really annoying.

GPS in Tokyo

I've noticed that my GPS is always very off on Garmin and Strava. I think it's because Tokyo is surrounded by so many electric waves and other technology that the GPS is wacky unless you get to somewhere with large space - i.e. Imperial Palace - where the GPS can be clear of any interference. Yes, it's annoying, but just let it go. There's not much you can do with it.

Tokyo Runners

You'll notice running in the Imperial Palace that you'll see some amazing runners. They are fast and they are clearly elites as some of them wear T-shirts from their previous ironmans they've completed. These people will give you a lot of motivation.

However, you'll find so many what I call "fake runners." These are the people who wear black leggings with shorts with long-sleeve jackets and a large cap holding onto a bottle of water in their pouch for their 2-5km run even when the humidity is 90% and the temperature is 30C. Also, they probably are wearing Nike or worse, Muji or Converse shoes. You'll only see them at night, never in the day because chances are this is their first run in their life. They are extremely slow, and just looking at them will probably annoy you.

Taxis

Taxi drivers here are ridiculous and reckless. Actually, I am probably exaggerating since they are civilized, but one thing they do the most here that is unacceptable is that they never stop on a crossing where according to law, the driver has to stop when he or she sees a pedestrian cross or even a pedestrian about to cross. They won't and it's really dangerous. Just flip them off it that happens, but be careful when crossing as always.

Keep in mind these if you're ever in Tokyo wanting to run!

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