Running in Tokyo
Running in Tokyo was a very special experience for me. While I’m going running all over the world, Tokyo is a real challenge as there are just too many parks. That’s especially true for some areas.
On my first morning in Tokyo, I decided to go running in the Shinagawa area. Staying at The Strings by InterContinental, I didn’t really have any other choice.
Map of my run through Tokyo (tracked by Runtastic)
As there are not too many parks in the approximate, I decided to focus on water on this particular run. This worked out quite well.
- Distance: 5.5 kilometers
- Jogged altitude: 150 meters
- Calories burned: 300-350
- Month: April
- Weather: Foggy
Yet, I found myself in a rather dodgy harbor area at some point.
Sony Center and skycrapers
The whole area around Shinagawa station is surrounded by skyscrapes, restaurants and shopping. Yet, if you are running for a few hundred meters, you’ll find yourself in a rather boring area with lots of skyscrapers.
Shinagawa as such is not especially interesting
One of those is the Sony Center, which is one of the few relevant buildings in the area. The seaside area of Shinagawa is known for its schools and universities, so there’s not too much to see from a touristic standpoint.
Yet, running is relatively nice as the paths are in a very good condition and there is not too much intersection with traffic.
The dogdy harbor area of Shinagawa
On your way to the ocean (which might be an overstatement as there is also Odaiba in-between), you’ll cross two rivers.
As soon as you’ll crossed the last one, you’ll find yourself in a rather densly populated area with lots of industrial buildings. The area seems to be some sort of an industrial harbour with big streets and no footpaths.
The harbour area is rather dodgy
Plus, in the morning the area was relatively dodgy with only very few people looking a little strangely. While an interesting experience, I wouldn’t exactly recommend going running in this very area.
Tennozu Isle and my way back
On my way back to the hotel, I was a little more lucky with the area. Especially Tennozu Isle seemes to be a very nice residential area with lovely little parks and some art here and there.
On my way back, I also crossed a lot of bridges. This whole area of Tokyo comes with several small bays and rivers and thus offers a high-qualtiy of living (which also means a nice area for running). Before getting back to the hotel, I also enjoyed the small little park directly next to Shinagawa Station. This was especially enjoyable due to the cherry blossom.
While this run might not have been the most spectacular in my life, I still found it very interesting. Every city is different and you can’t experience that better than by going running!
You like this running guide? Take a look at our other “Running in …” posts!
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