Tokyo Marathon 2025 Race Experience & Things to Know

Quick Summary

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Race Date

Sunday, March 2, 2025

For 2026, the race will occur on Sunday, March 1.

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How to Register for the Tokyo Marathon

There are a few ways to register: 

1. By Lottery

Due to the popularity of this World Marathon, thousands of prospective runners enter a lottery. I don’t know how many people registered for the lottery, as these numbers are not shared. 

But the chances of getting into the race are very, very small (4% acceptance rate is what we’ve been told in the past.) So don’t get your hopes up if you don’t get a slot for one of the years. I’ve heard of people entering the lottery for 10 years and finally earning a spot for 2025. So, keep on trying! 

For the 2025 race, I entered the general entry lottery on August 1, 2024, and received an email about the lottery selection on September 20, 2024. 

TIP: If you want a bag check, then the lottery registration will be the only time to request it. It costs $15 USD. Once you receive your race confirmation, you cannot go back to add the bag check option. 

If you were selected to run the race, you paid for the marathon through the Tokyo Marathon One Tokyo portal with a credit card. I used my U.S. Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and didn’t have any issues with the transaction.   

The marathon was $160 USD for overseas participants and 16,500 yen for local Japanese residents. Price is charged in USD. 

Note: The marathon cost will increase in 2026 to $230 USD for overseas participants and 19,800 yen for Japanese residents. It is a 43% increase due to inflation and increased operational costs. Read more here. 

The marathon swag includes a finisher’s medal, finisher’s towel poncho, and post-race refreshments. There isn’t a t-shirt included in the fee. I’ll share more about the buying the t-shirt process in the “Things to Know” section. 

Do not delay and register for the marathon ASAP! Then you can arrange flights and accommodation. 

Note: Deferring registration is not allowed. In 2025, the Tokyo Marathon allowed the deferring of registration only for those who are pregnant. Those who have injuries will be out of luck. 

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2. By Charity 

Another way to enter is by going through a charity. The entry period is even earlier than the general registration. I saw on the Tokyo Marathon website that the charity application started on June 25, 2024. From my understanding, the charity registration and charity funds needed to be completed by July 2024. So, the 2026 charity application will have a similar timing in 2025.

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3. By One Tokyo Virtual Challenges

A third way is to sign up for the One Tokyo Membership (annual membership fees apply) and then participate in the Virtual Challenges. You may get a chance to win a slot with the virtual challenges.

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4. By Tour Operator

Another option is to go with a tour operator that includes the race spot, accommodation, and other amenities. In the Tokyo Marathon Facebook group that I’m in, I saw one person use Marathon Tours. 

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5. By World Major Marathon’s Road to Major Drawing

If you’ve run other World Major Marathons and have completed 4 or 5 stars, then you can be placed in a lottery for the next race. For 2026, the drawing takes place on August 15 and will have 300 spots available. Check out more here. 

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Things to Know About Tokyo Marathon Before the Race!

Read the runner’s handbook (guide) and emails!

Tokyo Marathon will send the runner’s guide to your email a few weeks before the race. The guide will tell you everything that you need to know about the race, such as the course, how to get to the start line, number of hydration stations, and more. 

Please read it so you’ll be better prepared for the marathon. 

Also, please read any emails from the race organizers. You’ll receive information such as signing up for the Friendship Run, buying the Signature t-shirts, buying ASICS merchandise, and more. 

Here are additional places for updates: Tokyo Marathon Foundation Facebook and Website

I’m in a public Facebook group for Tokyo Marathon and have seen many questions that are covered in the runner’s handbook. 

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You’ll need to buy a Signature race t-shirt in December. 

IMPORTANT: Tokyo Marathon does not include a participant or finisher’s t-shirt with the race fee, so you’ll need to buy a Signature t-shirt online and pick it up at the Expo. 

We received an email from Tokyo Marathon on December 6, 2024, about the sale of the “ASICS Tokyo Marathon 2025 Signature T-Shirt and Singlet.” The sale was from December 6, 2024 at 11:00am Japan time to January 15, 2025 at 5:00pm Japan time. 

Registered participants could order 1 t-shirt and 1 singlet on a first come, first served basis. All are unisex (men) sizing. 

The t-shirt cost $55 USD, while the singlet cost $90 USD. Tax is included in the price. 

Note: You could also buy the magnetic bib holders at the same time as the shirt/singlet. It was $15 USD. 

To buy the signature t-shirt or singlet, log into the Tokyo Marathon My Entry Page and scroll to the middle of the page to buy the clothes. 

Check the sizing chart before making a purchase. The shirts are Japan sizing so the fit is smaller. Here is the sizing chart:

I was ready a minute before 9:00am Vietnam time/11:00am Japan time. I logged into the portal and kept refreshing the page to see the t-shirt/singlet option. 

I purchased the Japan small t-shirt and used my U.S. Chase Sapphire international credit card for payment. 

Since the singlets were new for 2025, they sold out in less than 10 minutes! I hesitated with the singlet since it was $90. It seemed pricey for the amount of material. But that’s okay, I already ordered a shirt. Plus, I wasn’t sure how boxy the men’s singlet would be on me. 

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Preorder your ASICS Tokyo Marathon Official Merchandise instead of buying at the Expo.

What about the Tokyo Marathon finisher’s jacket and t-shirt?! Again, Tokyo Marathon has nothing that says “FINISHER” on the t-shirts or jackets. These will only say “Tokyo Marathon.” 

First option: You can buy ASICS Tokyo Marathon gear at the Expo. 

We’ve heard about the fiasco of getting merchandise at the Expo and how it was a mob rush to get something. 

In 2025, the inventory increased, yet jackets were the first thing to sell out on the first day of the Expo on Thursday. I went to the Expo on Friday, and there were plenty of t-shirts, running belts, and hats for sale. 

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Second option: The best way to guarantee your merchandise is to pre-order your merchandise and have it sent to your Tokyo hotel or ASICS store for store pick up. 

You’ll need to ask your hotel in advance if they can hold onto the merchandise for you. Unfortunately, international shipping is not allowed. 

One thing to note – When you go through the ordering process, a Japanese address is only allowed for the shipping and billing address. 

Once you receive approval from your hotel or send it to the ASICS store, go to Google Maps to look up the address in Japanese. 

Then, copy and paste the address to the shipping and billing address. It’s okay if it’s the same for both. 

My husband ordered Superblast 2 shoes through the ASICS site and had them delivered to an ASICS Shinseibashi store in Osaka. We visited Osaka two weeks before the race.

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If you have the time on the day before the event, do a reconnaissance of the start line. 

This will help you figure out the train schedule and how to navigate to the start line at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from the train station, especially if you’re leaving Shinjuku Station or any other station. 

Exiting Shinjuku Station deserves a first place prize since you could be walking around for 20 minutes to find the correct exit.

You can use this recon as a shakeout run. Shinjuku Chuo Park is one block from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and it’s a nice place with a small shrine, Shinjuku Juniso Kumano-jinja Shrine, playground, and benches. We did a short 2-mile loop around the area. 

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When entering Tokyo Marathon’s Security, absolutely no plastic water bottles, cans, hydration packs, and soft bottles are allowed. 

Boxed water and the aluminum foil packed jellies and gels are okay under 250 mL. We heard runners say that it’s hard to find the boxed waters at convenience stores in Japan, so you may want to bring some from home. 

If you bring a sweater or space blanket to the start line, there are bins to throw them away properly. 

Do not randomly throw them away on the side of the street. It’s poor etiquette as littering is looked down upon in the Japanese culture. 

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Tokyo Marathon goes by gun time, so beware of the course cut-offs!

I’ve seen conflicting information that the finish time is within 6 hours 30 minutes and 7 hours. So I’d urge you to be cautious and try to finish the race in 6 hours. 

On the race day, everyone is categorized into corrals based on finish times from Elite to Corral L. The race kicks off at 9:10am and has a rolling start. So, there is a constant flow of runners crossing the start line.  

Stay alert with the cut-off times and locations if you’re in the later corrals. These gun times are listed in the runner’s guide. 

Based on the tips from other runners who have run it previously, for those in the later corrals (K or L), it is suggested to run as hard and fast as you can for the first half marathon and then take it easier afterward. 

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Tokyo Marathon Expo is huge, so take your time exploring.  

Located at Tokyo’s Big Sight Exhibition Hall, the Expo takes place from Thursday to Saturday before the Marathon. It’s open to runners and guests. 

In 2025, the Expo was on two levels and there were lots of vendors. We spent 2.5 hours exploring the sponsors, taking photos at various booths, and participating in a stamp rally. It was so much fun!

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Runners – Bring your passport and your race confirmation to collect the bib. The race confirmation does not need to be printed out, so showing it on the phone is perfectly acceptable. 

For those who bought the Signature t-shirt, singlet, and magnetic bibs, they will be picked up here. 

Also, everyone receives a wristband. It must be worn to enter the Marathon Security. This year’s wristband was a ribbon and it was very long. Even though it was secured by a black tab, the tab could fall off! So check the wristband every so often to ensure that it’s still on your wrist. 

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Guests – They enter the Expo in a different line. They are not allowed to enter the packet pick up but can explore the other areas. 

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At the Expo, you’ll receive a free 24 hour train pass on Tokyo Metro.

Since Tokyo Metro is a sponsor of the race, all runners are awarded a free train pass. This pass will not work on all train lines – only those on Tokyo Metro. Here is a photo of the only train lines that can be used with the pass:

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Check out Seiko House Ginza Hall to find your name!

Seiko is a sponsor for the times along the course. For 2024, there was a wall with the names of all participants. 

For foreigners, it’s listed alphabetically by last name. So you’ll see, “GO [last name] [first name] [middle name].” The same as what was used for registration. 

I’m not sure if Seiko does this every year, but it’s exciting to see your name on public display somewhere. 

The nearest train station is Ginza (on Tokyo Metro line).

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Visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for an evening projection show. 

We found out about this event through the Tokyo Marathon Facebook group. The projection show occurred every 30 minute to 1 hour in the evening and was displayed on the Government Building. More information about the current show is here. 

We saw this show on the day before the race. The viewing spot is where all the portable toilets were set up at the start line, so we saw the show from there. 

There was a short 30-second clip that highlighted runners and the Tokyo Marathon. 

Then, there was a 15-minute project show about Tokyo’s history from past to present. The combination of digital artwork and music was a fun watch. As a heads up, there wasn’t anything about the Tokyo Marathon during the 15-minute show. 

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Tokyo Marathon 2025 Experience

I had a fantastic time running the race. It was such a surreal moment to participate in the Tokyo Marathon again! 

I was in Corral D which had an estimated 3:30 finish time. Honestly, this corral was way too fast for me. It was the perfect Corral for Justin as he trained to this finish time, but I was realistically a 4:30 finish time. 

My training wasn’t great, but I didn’t need to start from scratch compared to Yokohama Marathon in 2024. 

I’m pleased to say that I finished in 4 hours 28 minutes (net time)! WooHoo! 

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Weather 

The weather was much warmer than usual. The starting weather was at 10℃ (50℉) and ending weather was 22℃ (72℉). Since I trained in 30℃ (86℉) weather in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the overall temperature was pleasant. But many runners complained about the heat on the Tokyo Marathon Facebook group. 

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Course

The starting line was at the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, and we traveled to various parts of Tokyo. 

The course was flat, so it was really easy on the knees. It is also an out-and-back on four parts of the course. So, it can be boring to some runners. But I thought it was fun to see parts of the race such as the elite runners passing by. 

One of the mistakes that I did was getting sucked into the fast pace of the Corral D runners. The first 5k was downhill, so everyone was FAST! I ended up going much faster than normal for the first half, and then was fatigued fo the rest of the race. I had to walk and jog. Oops. 

We passed by areas and attractions such as Akihabara, Sensoji Temple, Tokyo Skytree, Ginza, and Tokyo Tower. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the attractions except for Sensoji Temple. 

Justin, my husband, found me at the 33 km (20.5 miles) mark in Ginza and cheered me to “Go! Go! Go!” when I took a break and walked. 

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Finish Line

When runners ran towards the finish line in front of Tokyo Station, it was amazing to see the crowds of people cheering the runners. We passed by the 41.9 km marker. This YouTube video captured all the runners at the 41.9 km line. 

Unfortunately, the public couldn’t be at the Finish Line for the last 0.10 km. So, the ambience was eerie and quiet. 

The finish line was a bit uneventful, as I don’t recall an announcement from the emcee congratulating the runners or hyping the runners for crossing the finish line. 

We were ushered to the next section of the finish area. It seemed like another 1 km to collect the medal, water, Pocari Sweat, space blanket, other goodies, and the finisher’s poncho. 

With the warm weather, the space blanket and the finisher’s poncho weren’t necessary. 

But all runners proudly wore the finisher’s poncho and medal when taking photos in front of Tokyo Station. 

Afterward, everyone was directed to various areas depending if one was a charity runner, needed to pick up baggage, didn’t have any baggage, etc. 

I didn’t have a check-in bag so I went straight to Tokyo Station to meet Justin and take photos. I was so thrilled to finish the race! 

After returning to our Airbnb to shower and rest, we went straight to Sushiro for my post-race meal. Sushi was the best way to refuel my tired body. Of course, I wore my finisher’s poncho and medal to dinner. Haha.

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Volunteers 

Thank you to the volunteers for their hard work and dedication along the course. They managed the hydration stations and cheered runners along the way. 

Despite the weather challenges and the hydration stations running out of supplies, they did well to manage the hydration stations. 

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Hydration Stations 

There were ample hydration stations along the course. There was a water station every 2 to 3 km and Pocari Sweat (electrolyte drink) every 5 km. 

Note: Due to the warm weather, those at the later corrals ran out of water and cups. There were a few videos of volunteers pouring water and Pocari Sweat into the palms of runners. It’s an unfortunate situation since runners couldn’t bring their hydration to the Start line. 

Starting at 17 km, the hydration stations had snacks such as chocolate, cream filled rolls, doll shaped pancake, Calorie Mate jellies, and more. 

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Bathrooms

Volunteers held signs for the nearest toilets. They were often a few meters away from the course. 

The signs were confusing as they said “Next toilet is XX km or meters away.” So, it seemed that the toilet that the runners went to was super far away as opposed to the next toilet opportunity was XX km or meters. I hope next year’s signs clarify the wording. 

I didn’t use the toilets. Even though I drank water and Pocari Sweat at all the stations, I sweated a lot during the race. 

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Race Photos 

All Sports Community is the official company that took the race photos. I signed up for an email to get notified when they were ready. Photos were available on Friday, March 7, so 5 days after the race. 

The professional photos turned out great! I had many individual photos in front of attractions and near the finish line. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy any since the package was $177 USD, and individual photos were $30. They were pricey to me. 

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Race e-Certificates

The official e-certificates were ready on Friday, March 21, so 19 days after the race. Runnet.jp is the site that hosts the official timing records, and they also created the e-certificates. 

It was beautifully designed with your bib number, name, gross time, net time, your placement (event place such as women or men marathon, age group, and overall marathon placement), race time splits, and a course map. 

Runners have until the end of May to download the certificate. 

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Opportunities for Improvement

Tokyo Marathon sends a feedback survey to all participants. It’s an opportunity to hear on where they can improve for the future. I wrote about these two topics: 

I hope the race coordinators change the rule about banning plastic bottles and water bottles at the Start line. It would be better to have runners bring one water bottle to use throughout the course. 

Also, I hope the collection of medals, finisher’s poncho, and post-race refreshments will be better organized. After crossing the finish line, everyone clustered together in a line to grab these things and it seemed like 1 km away. I think people would want to have hydration ASAP instead of waiting in line for 10 minutes. 

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Where to Stay in Tokyo

The starting line is at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku area. The finish line is in front of Tokyo Station in the Chiyoda area. Both locations are not near each other, so public transportation is required. 

It’s up to you whether you want to stay close to the start or finish line. Tokyo’s train system is efficient, and you can take the train anywhere in the city. 

Click here to see hotel options in Tokyo on Booking.com

Check availability in Tokyo on Agoda here. 

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Places to Stay Near Start Line

Here are hotels next to the start line in Shinjuku: Keio Plaza, Hyatt Regency, Shinjuku Washington, Kimpton Shinjuku, and Keio Presso Inn. 

Since Tokyo tends to be a more expensive place to stay in Japan, we stayed at a one-bedroom apartment (Airbnb) near the Nishi Shinjuku Station. We walked 10-15 minutes to the start line. I didn’t want to wake up early and stress about the train schedule. The Airbnb was in a residential location, so the area was quiet. Also, the price was reasonable at $110 USD per night. 

The nearest train stations to the start line are: Shinjuku, Seibu Shinjuku, and Nishi-Shinjuku. 

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Places to Stay Near Finish Line

Here are hotels next to the finish line at Tokyo Station: Tokyo Station Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Keio Presso Inn, remm Tokyo Kyobashi, and APA Hotel Ginza.

The nearest train station to the finish line is Tokyo. Japan Railways (JR) and Tokyo Metro operate the train lines from here. 

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Final Thoughts

Tokyo Marathon is a fantastic running adventure to try if you’re into marathoning. The cheering squad and volunteers made the experience memorable. Also, the flat course helps with getting a personal record (PR). Enjoy!

If you plan to stay in Tokyo for extra days, here are blog posts that I’ve written about Tokyo: 

• Day Trip Spots from Tokyo

• Visit Meiji Shrine

• Hike Mount Takao in a Day

• Visit the Unko Museum (Cute Poop Museum)

• Visit Sanrio Puroland Theme Park