Active & Immersive · Tokyo
The Running Experience
Overview
See Tokyo at running pace, before the city wakes up
Early morning is the best time to run in Tokyo: cool air, quiet streets and the palace, rivers and parks mostly to yourselves. Your guide runs with you at your pace and knows where the best views are.
Choose a distance, then the route. Your guide tells you about the places you pass along the way, at your pace.
Three distances and nine routes across the city
Only your group, with a guide who runs with you
Bags looked after and a coffee stop at the finish
Routes
Pick a distance, then a route
Prices are per person and include your running guide. All runs start early, between 6:00 and 8:00.
60 minutes
Around 5 km
Imperial Palace loop
5 km
Tokyo's favourite running loop around the palace moats, with the gates and their stories.
Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park
About 5 km
Shaded paths through Yoyogi Park and past the forest shrine of Meiji Jingu.
Asakusa and the Sumida River
About 5 km
From the back streets of Senso-ji onto the riverside path, with Skytree across the water.
90 minutes
5 to 10 km
Shinjuku to the Imperial Palace
About 8 km
Across the city from Shinjuku through Yotsuya to the palace gardens.
Sumida River bridges
About 8 km
Along the riverside path past a string of historic bridges, towards Tsukiji.
Odaiba waterfront
About 7 km
Flat, open running around the bay, with Rainbow Bridge and the skyline across the water.
60 to 120 minutes
10 km and up
Imperial Palace double loop
10 km
Two laps of the palace loop as the city wakes up, finishing in Hibiya Park.
Shinjuku to Asakusa
About 13 km
A city crossing from the towers of Shinjuku to the old temple town of Asakusa.
Tama River path
10 to 15 km
Wide riverside paths on the city's western edge, with Mount Fuji in view on clear mornings.
Have a route in mind?
Tell us where you are staying, how far you like to run and anything you want to see. We will plan a route around it and send you a price.
The run
How the morning goes
Meet at the start
Your guide meets you at a station or your hotel. We will collect any belongings that you'd like kept secure during the run.
Stretch & Warm up
An easy start while your guide finds a pace everyone is happy with.
The run
The route at your pace, with stops for photos, water, and the stories behind the places you pass.
Coffee at the end
A short walk to a café near the finish line for a coffee and recommendations for the rest of your day.
Included
Private running guide
Route planned for your pace
Bags looked after during the run
Coffee at the end
Group size
Private for one to six runners. Families and mixed paces are welcome; the guide runs with the slowest.
Before you go
Bring running shoes and light layers. Runs start between 6:00 and 8:00. In the July and August heat we start earlier and keep to shaded routes.
History
A city that runs
1917
Ekiden, a Japanese invention
The long-distance relay called ekiden began in 1917 with a race from Kyoto to Tokyo, named after the post-station relays of the old Tokaido road.
1920–today
Hakone every New Year
The Hakone Ekiden between Tokyo and Lake Ashi has run since 1920, and millions watch university teams race it on the 2nd and 3rd of January.
1970s–today
The palace loop
The five-kilometre loop around the Imperial Palace moats became Tokyo’s favourite running route, and nearby runners’ stations rent lockers and showers to people running before work.
2007–today
A marathon city
The Tokyo Marathon, first held in 2007, is one of the six World Marathon Majors, and the riverside paths fill with runners every morning.
Booking
Choose your run
Pick a distance, a route, the number of runners and a morning. You pay securely on the next page.
Where we meet
A quiet corner of Bunkyo
The studio is in Suido, a residential part of Bunkyo Ward, well away from the neon districts. The streets are calm, which suits slow and careful work.
5 minutes on foot from Edogawabashi Station
Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
Your guide meets you at the station exit
Prefer us to meet you at your accommodation? Let us know and we will take you door to door.
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Edo kiriko glass cutting
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A day in the tea fields
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