Jane's Midlife Journey

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 on the outskirts of Tokyo, 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, which is opposite the National (Olympic) Stadium. It is convenient for parkrun as it is also opposite a Metro Station (Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station) on the Oedo Line with a direct train to Hikarigaoka Station, and yet still centrally 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.

I hope you found this information useful. More Parkrun Guides from some of the other 60+ parkruns I have run in England and across the world can be found here.

• Run: January 2023
• Updated: July 2023