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Trail running in Tokyo 101

·4 mins
trail-running-tokyo-0

I’ve been wanting to run a bit on the trails to prepare for a race in January. Here are some of the things I learned while planning some trail runs since I’ve been back in Tokyo.

  • Mt. Takao (“Most Visited Mountain in the World”) is very popular for hiking, but also for trail running as well. It’s very touristy and fall weekends can be so crowded you’ll see more people than trees, but if you avoid the major routes between Takaosanguchi station and the summit, you can find some nice routes in the area.
    • Here’s a website where you can find these alternative routes near Mt Takao and downloadable GPX files. (It’s in Japanese so you might have to use browser translation)
    • Instead of hiking from Takaosanguchi station like 90% of people do, hike from Sagamiko station instead which is a few station further on JR line. Trust me, it’s so much quieter.
  • Mount Tonodake (14km) was a really nice & beginner friendly route with amazing view of the city and the ocean. One of the most enjoyable runs I’ve done.
  • Kamakura & Hakone are also full of nice running-friendly trails and are also known sight-seeing spots.

Useful resources and apps #

Some offline maps and places you can download GPX files:

Communities #

  • Tokyo Trail Running facebook group posts frequent events that anyone can join (gets booked out pretty quick though) You can also browse past events to check out their routes to run on your own!
  • Some outdoor gear shops have their own running groups but might be for long-term members only. I know that Trippers has a running group, and also Yamatomichi has one-off community events (these are more for long distance hikers, but maybe there are some overlap)

Trail running races in Japan #

I used TrailRunner.jp to check out races throughout the year. I think signing up for a race in the countryside is a great way to travel to less-traveled places and experience local culture.

Some races are more English friendly than others. E.g. I found an English page for Izu Trail Journey but you might need a Japanese credit card to sign up to some of them. I asked my brother to help me sign up to the race in Jan. I really wish they would make the sign-up process easier.

I also saw this video that recommends 3 trail running races for beginners in Japan (Spring 2023 version). I find their Youtube channel very helpful for any trail running related tips (I think it’s run by one of the owners of the trail running shop in Tachikawa Trippers?)

Where to get gear #

To buy

  • If you’re looking to buy, my go-to outdoor shops are Ishii sports or Sakaiya sports in Kanda which is an area known for all things outdoors. You can find multiple shops selling backpacks, alpine and climbing gear, also skis. But most of the products are imported from Europe/US, and I don’t find them too cheap. I’d say Ishii sports is a bit pricier than Sakaiya sports.
  • Another alternative is Montbell, a Japanese outdoor brand that sell quality outdoor gear (mostly hiking) for a decent price. They also have some cool smart gadgets great for gifts, very Japanese.
  • There is a boutique shop specialised in trail running called Trippers in Tachikawa which is close to my home town. There are also a few shops selling ultra-light gear mostly for long distance hiking but you should be able to find decent trail shoes there. Yamatomichi in Kamakura or Hiker’s Depot in Mitaka.

To rent

  • In some of the more popular trail heads, I saw that they rented out trail running shoes, running backpacks and even light-weight hiking poles for a very cheap price.

Note that I’m pretty new to the sport, plus I don’t usually live in Japan. But here are some of the things I’ve discovered during my 2 month stay in Tokyo and as a Japanese-native. Hope this helps!