In his book, Murakami Haruki once wrote about the running route around Jingu Gaien, where he used to run when he lived in Tokyo. Moreover, the area used to be the training base of legendary Marathon runner, Seto Toshihiko, who competed in the Los Angeles Olympics and has won the London, Boston, and Chicago Marathon in the 80’s. So here I came. Let’s start from the water fountain, with lines of trees as the backdrop. Along the course, you will come across several sport facilities such as Meiji Jingu Stadium and the National Stadium. The route is marked by distance markers every 100m. The sidewalk is wide and lined with trees. There are baseball fields, batting practice center, tennis courts, rugby stadium, and futsal courts around the neighborhood. A perfect place for sport-lovers. The map is for your reference. The red line marks the Jingu-Gaien running route, and the black line marks the Akasaka Palace running route. Five advantages to run at the neighborhood of Jingu-Gaien:

1. Convenient access right in the middle of Tokyo
2. Less crowded than the Imperial Palace, especially from 18:00 to 20:00
3. The circular course around Jingu-Gaien is flat and marked with distance markers at every 100m so you can pace your run easily. One lap is around 1,325m
4. If you are looking for some variety and up-hills. The neighboring roads around Akasaka Palace features some ups and downs and a lap is around 3,300m
5. Convenient facilities for runners: shower facilities (see info below), vending machines, and toilets

Access: JR Chuo line to Shinamomachi station, or Tokto Metro Ginza line to Gaienmae station, Hanzomon line to Aoyama 1-Chome station. Funride Station http://funsta.jp/page/node/2 2-10-29 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Weekdays: 7:00～22:30; Saturday: 8:00～20:00; Sunday and holiday: 8:00～18:00 Shower and locker: 700 yen