CENTRAL TOKYO TOUR - 12K
Runner on the ground - IHOR
We run around the Imperial Palace, which is located in the center of Tokyo, Japan. The Imperial Palace is the residence of His Majesty the Emperor, and is a very sacred place for Japanese people. This tour will not take you inside (because you need to apply in advance), but we will run along the promenade around the Imperial Palace, which is about 5km long. Courses that allow you to run 5km without waiting for a traffic light are extremely rare in Tokyo, so the promenade around the Imperial Palace is like a running mecca for runners in Tokyo.
The area around the Imperial Palace is exactly the center of Japan, so there are large commercial facilities, government offices, the National Diet Building, and the prime minister’s official residence.
Tokyo Station, the gateway to Tokyo, is also in front of the Imperial Palace. The brick building of Tokyo Station is very beautiful, so we recommend taking a picture in front of it.
In this tour, we will run not only around the Imperial Palace but also a route that deviates a little from there. Because Yasukuni Shrine, one of the largest shrines in Japan, is nearby. Yasukuni Shrine enshrines the souls of the soldiers who died in the Pacific War, and many people visit the shrine every year on the anniversary of the end of the war. For that reason, it is also a politically controversial place in Asia, but visiting such a place itself will be a memory.
The area around Yasukuni Shrine is also famous for its cherry blossoms. If you visit this place in spring, you may be able to see very beautiful cherry blossoms. By the way, Japan has a culture of cherry blossom viewing (Ohanami), and everyone enjoys picnics at cherry blossom viewing spots during the cherry blossom season. Cherry blossoms can be said to be a symbol of peaceful Japan.
On this tour, we will visit another shrine. It is Hie Shrine. It’s not as big as Yasukuni Shrine, but it’s famous for its bright red Senbon Torii gates. Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is famous for Senbon Torii, but even if you can’t go there, you can see a similar Senbon Torii at Hie Shrine in Tokyo.
Finally, the Imperial Palace was built by renovating Edo Castle, so it used to be the residence of the samurai boss Shogun. Therefore, you can see many traditional Japanese buildings on this tour. In particular, you will pass through a gate called Sakuradamon in the middle of the running course, and I think this is the most exciting place on the Imperial Palace run course.
Andro Bucher –
I had a great morning run and was glad we choose to run at 6.30am, so the paths were almost empty for us. Hidehito informed well about the places (Imperial palace, shrines, buildings and took many pictures. Thank you very much for making this run so enjoyable Hidehito.
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Rebecca Cozens –
Our family had the most fabulous time with Hidehito on a 14km tour of central Tokyo. He was fun, informative and paced the run well. He even helped us to arrange a hire bike for our 12 year old so he could be part of the experience. He also took some great photos! We would run with him again any time!
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Jo Lockhart –
I’ve been lucky enough to have done several running tours in different cities around the world now, and rate this one in Tokyo with Hidehito as one of the best! All communications beforehand were excellent, and he met me in my hotel’s reception right on time. I loved the route he had planned out, a mix of old and new Tokyo, and learning about the city from him as we ran. The highlight for me was running around the Imperial Palace Gardens, as well as chatting about running 🙂 Arigatou gozaimasu Hidehito!
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Jakub –
What a great running experience! Hidehito has been the best running guide one could wish for. He was available in advance to discuss the plans for the run and the exact route. He then met me at my hotel reception right on time and guided me through many fascinating neighbourhoods in Tokyo, providing a great mix of the modern and the traditional. I also enjoyed our chat about the history of Japan – Hidehito is very knowledgeable and learning from him during the run was a nice unexpected bonus. Arigato gozaimasu!
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Kevin Kalb –
I booked my two runs a few months in advance and as the time came near I realized the weather forecast was very hot and sunny (37C/100F). I knew it would be a challenge and I did my best but I just wasn’t acclimated to it. (It would take some time for that.) Hidehito was able to modify the run on the fly to deliver a shorter but equally interesting set of runs. Despite the challenge posed by the warm weather, I booked an additional (third) tour. Tokyo has many cultural and artistic treasures, and Hidehito knows his way around. He is a knowledgeable runner, a skillful guide, and a great running partner. I recommend him for all types of runners and distances.
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