There are five parkruns in the suburbs of Tokyo. Perhaps the easiest to get to, due to its direct link to Shinjuku, is Hikarigaokakoen parkrun. The event takes place every Saturday at 8 am in Hikarigaoka Park around 8 miles north of central Tokyo.
How to get to Hikarigaokakoen Parkrun
The start is a ten minute walk from Hikarigaoka Station, which is on the Oedo Metro Line, so can be reached directly from Shinjuku Station. From Shinjuku, the journey takes 25 minutes and costs Y280. Detailed instructions on how to reach the start from the station are on the parkrun website. As long as you take the correct station exit in the first place, it’s a straightforward walk.
Parking
It’s Tokyo – nobody drives in Tokyo.
Toilets
There is a toilet block near the start.
Course
You run along a short, straight path, then complete two anti-clockwise circuits of the park before returning along the straight path back to the start point.
Terrain
All on asphalt paths.
Shoes
Definitely trainers.
Difficulty
It’s 2 flat laps of an asphalt path through a park, so as easy as it gets. The only difficulty, if you’re used to fully marshalled parkruns, was an unmarshalled junction. There were cones indicating where to turn, which I didn’t notice.
Fun Factor
We were made to feel very welcome, even without a common language. Parkrun hasn’t been going very long in Japan, so when I whipped off my fleece to reveal my 250 parkruns T shirt, I was treated like a celebrity, which was kind of fun but a little bit embarrassing.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo Premier, which is opposite the National (Olympic) Stadium. It is convenient for parkrun as it is also opposite a Metro Station (Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station), which is on the Oedo Line with a direct train to Hikarigaoka Station. It is also well located for sightseeing.
Nearby Attractions
We ran Hikarigaokakoen Parkrun as part of our three day visit to Tokyo. Details of the other things we visited during our trip can be found here.
- Run: January 2023
- Updated: July 2026
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
More Blogs about Japan
- Japan 3 Week Itinerary
- Tokyo in 3 Days
- Tokyo: Top 10 Things to do
- Nikko in 1 Day
- Hakone in 1 Day
- Kyoto in 3 Days
- Kyoto: Top 10 Things to do
- Nara in 1 Day
- Osaka in 1 Day
- Osaka: Top 10 Things to do
- Okayama in 1 Day
- Takamatsu in Day
- Matsuyama in 1 Day
- Hiroshima in 2 Days
- Fukuoka in 1 Day
- Nagasaki in 1 Day
- Beppu in 2 Days
- Dazaifu in 1 Day
- Horinouchi Park parkrun
Jane's Midlife Journey 
Leave a comment