Tokyo Marathon Guide

What the Tokyo Marathon is

The Tokyo Marathon is the city's flagship running event and the only Japanese race among the Abbott World Marathon Majors — the elite circuit that also includes Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. It's a full-distance marathon (42.195 km) run on the roads of central Tokyo, with a field in the tens of thousands of runners alongside an elite professional race, and it draws enormous crowds of spectators lining the course. For runners it's a bucket-list major; for spectators it's one of the best mornings of the year to feel the city turn out en masse.

It is held in late winter — by long custom a Sunday in early March — when Tokyo is cold and clear-skied more often than not. That timing makes it a distinctive entry on the events calendar: a huge, festive, citywide event before the spring festivals and cherry blossom begin. As with everything in this section, treat "early March" as the pattern and confirm the exact date for your year with the official organiser before booking anything around it.

Tokyo in March

The marathon's month — late-winter weather, early plum blossom and what else is on.

Tokyo Events Guide

Tokyo's full year of events — where the early-March marathon sits in the calendar.

For runners: getting in, and the expo

Getting a place is the hard part. Demand vastly outstrips the field, so the main route in is the general lottery — an online ballot that opens and closes many months before race day, with successful applicants drawn at random. Plan around it: enter when the window opens, and don't count on a place until you're confirmed. If you miss the lottery or want certainty, there are alternatives — charity (chari-tea) places, which secure entry in exchange for a fundraising commitment, and official overseas tour packages that bundle a guaranteed bib with accommodation. Each has its own cost and deadlines, all well ahead of the race.

Every entrant must then collect their race bib and runner's kit in person at the Tokyo Marathon EXPO, held over several days in the week before the race (typically at a large convention venue such as Tokyo Big Sight). There is no bib pickup on race morning, and you'll usually need your confirmation and ID — so factor the expo visit into your travel dates and arrive in Tokyo with time to spare. The expo itself is a lively running fair worth an hour or two, with gear, nutrition and the buzz of a major on its eve.

• General lottery (ballot) is the main entry route — opens and closes months ahead; entry isn't guaranteed.
• Alternatives: charity places (with a fundraising commitment) and official tour packages (guaranteed bib + hotel).
• All bibs are collected in person at the Tokyo Marathon EXPO in the days before — no race-day pickup.
• Bring your confirmation and ID, and build the expo visit into your travel dates.

Where to Stay in Tokyo

Choosing a base near the start, the course or the finish for an easy race morning.

The course and the best spectator spots

The course is a showcase of central Tokyo. It has long started in the Shinjuku area, near the twin-towered Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, and threads through the heart of the city — past the Imperial Palace surrounds and Iidabashi, out toward the old shitamachi 下町 and the great Kaminarimon gate at Asakusa, then back south through Ginza and on toward a finish in the bayside Tokyo Station / Marunouchi area in recent editions. Exact start and finish points and the precise route have shifted over the years, so confirm the current course for your edition, but the through-line is the same: a tour of Tokyo's landmarks on closed roads.

That makes for excellent spectating. The start in Shinjuku gives the spectacle of tens of thousands setting off; Asakusa offers the photogenic turnaround by the temple gate; Ginza's wide boulevard is a classic cheering spot; and the finish area lets you welcome runners in. Pick one or two points, check the published course map and the rough times runners will pass (the leaders early, the masses for hours after), and remember the crowd of supporters is itself part of the day. Move between spots using the train network, which lets you leapfrog the closed roads.

• Long-standing start near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku; recent finishes in the Tokyo Station / Marunouchi bayside area.
• The course passes the Imperial Palace surrounds, Asakusa (Kaminarimon gate), Ginza and more — confirm the current route for your year.
• Best spectator spots: the Shinjuku start, the Asakusa turnaround, Ginza's boulevard and the finish.
• Leapfrog between viewing points by train to get around the closed roads.

Getting Around Tokyo

Using the trains to leapfrog the closed roads and reach the start, course and finish.

Weather, logistics and where to stay

Dress for cold. Early March in Tokyo is late winter — daytime highs often in the single digits or low teens Celsius, with chilly mornings, the chance of rain, and a wind off the bay that bites near the bayside finish. Runners should plan warm throwaway layers for the long wait in the start corrals and a quick change for after; spectators standing for hours should bundle up properly, with hand warmers (kairo カイロ) a sensible buy. It's rarely snowy, but it is genuinely cold, especially in the wind by the water.

On race morning, central Tokyo is wrapped in road closures and the trains near the start, course and finish are crowded with runners and supporters — give yourself plenty of time and expect to walk the final stretch to your spot or corral. For runners especially, basing near the start in the Shinjuku area, or near the finish around Tokyo Station, takes the stress out of the morning; spectators have more freedom but still benefit from a central base on a train line that touches the course. Hotel demand and prices around the marathon weekend run high, so book early.

As always, the volatile specifics — this year's exact date, the entry-ballot windows, the expo venue and dates, the current course, start and finish, and road closures — change every edition, so we keep them to the official organiser and the facts card. Confirm them before you plan around the race.

• Early March is cold (often single digits to low teens °C) with possible rain and a biting bayside wind — dress warm.
• Runners: warm throwaway layers for the start corrals; spectators: bundle up and consider hand warmers (kairo).
• Race morning brings road closures and crowded trains — allow extra time and expect to walk to your spot.
• Base near the Shinjuku start or the Tokyo Station finish; book early as prices spike on marathon weekend.
• Verify the date, entry windows, expo and course with the official organiser before planning around it.