Tokyo Marathon Guide for Spectators

The annual Tokyo Marathon takes place this year on Sunday, 1 March. If you are reading this blog it is more likely that you are a spectator than a competitor, and you are probably wondering, ‘what are the best vantage points I can watch the race from?’ and ‘what can I do post-event to make me feel a bit better about not giving up my weekend to run more than 40 kilometres?’ Yeah, us too.

For the past few years, the Marathon has commenced at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and then snaked its way around the city, through areas like Shinjuku, Asakusa and Ginza before backing upon itself and finishing at Tokyo Station.

The event organisers do encourage spectators to come along and cheer on the runners, but they also urge anyone watching to keep in mind that certain spectator points may be closed once they reach capacity and that underground passages (usually attached to train stations) must be used if you need to cross from one side of a road to the other.

We want to give you the best of both worlds: A list of places to watch your loved ones slog it out but also an opportunity for you to enjoy the unique offerings from the areas the course runs through. 

The Tokyo Marathon basically causes a complete shutdown of the city where vehicles are concerned, as there are many road closures near a lot of key tourist destinations. This, however, does not mean that it is difficult to find a spectator spot (there are plenty of places to watch the Marathon from), but it is important to plan ahead.

You should also arm yourself with a Suica Card, which is your ticket to the city and allows access not only on JR East trains, but also the subway and even acts as a form of payment at some restaurants and cafes.  

If you can only bear to watch your friends or family while they’re fresh, find a spot close to the starting line. Once the race kicks off and heads towards the 1-kilometre marker, the runners will find themselves smack-bang in the middle of Shinjuku; one of the best places in Tokyo for visitors to get a feel for the city overall. You should be able to watch the race from Yasukuni Dori, which isn’t far from the East Exit (Kabukicho) of Shinjuku Station.

Shinjuku is a bustling hub of restaurants, bars and department stores, but is mainly just a great place to wander and take it all in. A lot of tourists opt to stay in Shinjuku simply because it is a stone’s throw away from amenities including its major train station that is considered to be the world’s busiest.

Watching a marathon is hard work and you deserve to be pampered. That’s where the Maidreamin café comes in. It is also conveniently located near the East Exit of Shinjuku station and is just one of many bizarre dining experiences available in Japan. The Maidreamin cafés are hosted by women who are dressed as maids and ready to dote on you. So, whether it’s extra attention you crave, or you just want a super kawaii moment, this might be your place.

While you can view the Marathon from the sidewalk almost anywhere that the course runs through, certain areas are no-go zones. For example, the gardens around the Imperial Palace used to offer a prime viewing position but this year are blocked off completely.

For spectating in this area (which is where the finish line is), your best bet is on Marunouchi Naka-dori, which will be set up for spectators. This is also nearby to the 10 kilometre and 29-kilometre markers due to the way the course loops.

Around a third of the way in, the runners would have burned off almost 1,000 calories, so it’s only fair that you support them by eating bucket loads of chocolate to help them replenish that energy in spirit. 

Dandelion Chocolate Café and Factory sits not far from this checkpoint and will give you the sugar hit you need, with cakes, pastries, cookies and chocolatey beverages galore served in this artisan venue. Dandelion Chocolate Café and Factory is just a few streets away from the best Marathon viewing in Kuramae, which covers the 14 – 16-kilometre points (due to a loop-back). It is also considered to be one of Tokyo’s biggest arts and crafts hubs, with plenty of carefully curated stores for all you Etsy enthusiasts.

The runners will be in agony with their muscles cramping and joints swelling as they double-back on the course and make their way through the Koto area. But you don’t have to feel this pain. In fact, you can be in absolute bliss as you are in the perfect area to relax at one of Tokyo’s best day spas come theme parks, Odaiba Oedo-Onsen Monogatari. 

This inner-city slice of paradise features Onsen baths, saunas, fish therapy, massages and beauty treatments under the theme of the Edo period, making it a vaguely educational experience on top of being an extremely relaxing one.

As the runners make their way past Sensoji Temple and its Kaminarimon gate in Asakusa, they will be treated to a display of traditional Japanese music wafting along with the crisp air and into their perspiring, hot, red ears. Why should they have all the fun? You love fun, too!

But if your idea of a work out is a little less pulse-raising and a lot more about dressing up and getting your Bella Hadid on, then you might like to have a personal styling session and photoshoot where you are outfitted in the style of a Geisha or Samurai, complete with hair and makeup.

Once you are dressed to the nines, you can pose to your heart’s delight until the session ends with you choosing your favourite prints to take home. Who needs a face full of sweat when you can have a face full of makeup? 

Phew! Is it just us or does watching people exercise really make you hungry? Luckily, if you are spectating in Ginza, there are loads of places to have a protein stop and rest those legs. One of the best districts in Tokyo for shopping, socialising and eating, Ginza is packed full of different eateries, but a traditional Japanese BBQ experience (complete with wagyu beef, to boot) is a great way to get your strength back up to watch the stragglers finish their final 12 kilometres of the race.

Not far from the 30-kilometre mark is the famed Tsujiki Fish Market, touted for serving some of the freshest sushi in the world. But there’s more to do here than just eat and buy fish. If you are an early riser, you can view the fascinating five am tuna auction, where a single tuna weighing 500kg was once sold for USD1.8m!

Sadly, the bidding is only open to wholesalers, but if you want to get your hands dirty, you can take part in a sushi workshop and prepare your own lunch while learning from an expert.

If you don’t mind not being able to see the pained look on runners’ faces or the outrageous costumes donned by some less serious athletes, then you can watch the marathon pan out from hundreds of metres above the city at Tokyo Tower.

From these heights, you can see some 35,000 participants of the Tokyo Marathon fill the streets as they dash for the finish line, which at this stage is ‘only’ 10 kilometres away!

You did it! You watched the Tokyo Marathon. People can only dream of achieving what you did today, and you know what? You deserve to celebrate. What better way to do so than by indulging in a six-course menu at Michelin-starred restaurant Heinz Beck?

This modern Italian establishment is located in Marunouchi, in close proximity to the Imperial Palace and right near the finish line of the Marathon, so it provides easy access once you have had your fill of watching fit people beat their personal bests.

Hey, if the only ‘run’ you encounter today is the one between ‘ma’ and ‘ouchi’, then who are we to judge? 

By now we have established that spectating is way more fun than participating, so go on, pick a place to watch from!