Okayama Marathon: Running Through a Historical Castle Town

Okayama Marathon is a new sporting event that began in 2015. It is held every November at the beautiful historic castle town of Okayama City in Okayama Prefecture. Over 15,000 runners participate in a full marathon with the course passing through scenic areas adjacent to some of the city’s most famous tourist attractions, such as the Okayama Castle and the Okayama Korakuen Gardens.

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Okayama Marathon – Race in the Historical Castle Town

Okayama Marathon was first held in 2015 as a new sporting event in Okayama City, the capital of Okayama Prefecture in Japan’s Chugoku region. Okayama City was founded in 1889 and is a city of approximately 720,000 people.

The marathon is held every November and this year, it will take place on Sunday, November 11th. Approximately 15,000 runners sign up for the full marathon of 42.195km. There is a fun run option of 5.6 km for an additional 1,300 runners who would like to run in a race but can't run the full marathon. The course of the marathon runs through the areas adjacent to some of Okayama City’s most beautiful attractions. On the course of the full marathon, runners can enjoy idyllic landscape of rice field and peaceful riverbank of Asahi River.

The entry fee for the full marathon is 10,000 yen and is restricted to runners born before April 1st 2000. The entry fee for the fun run is 3,000 yen and is restricted to runners born before April 1st 2006. The full marathon is limited to 15,000 people and the fun run is limited to 1,300 people so make sure to get your application in early (the link to the entry form is https://www.okayamamarathon.jp/en/entry/).

Cool Fall is a Perfect Time for Some Running!

okayama marathon In Japan, autumn is said to be the best season for many sports and activities. This is because the weather finally becomes milder and more comfortable after the long hot and humid summer. Moreover, many Japanese are encouraged to engage in sports during fall because every 2nd Monday of October is a national holiday called “Health and Sports Day”. That is also why the marathon is held at every fall. Running in a crisp, pleasant autumn wind feels great on both your body and mind.

Warm Welcome From People in Okayama

okayama marathon

Various Okayama's specialty for mid-race food

One of the reasons why people from all over the world and Japan participate in Okayama Marathon is because of the warm welcome from the citizens. Runners are provided with Okayama’s local specialty food for mid-race food during breaks. It has been announced that this year’s mid-race food includes local ramen noodles, gyoza dumplings, fresh shine Muscat, banana and cream bread roll… and the list goes on! It is such a generous act of the city and sponsors offering food that runners can enjoy Okayama’s finest food while joining the sporting event. It must be hard for the participants to leave the food tent and continue running! okayama marathon The participants will also be encouraged by the endless cheering from supporters along the road. There will be various music and dance performances on site over the weekend, such as Japanese Taiko drums and brass band by local school clubs and performance teams to entertain both runners and supporters. The event is for everyone to take part in; runners, organizers, volunteers and supporters – all gathering together to enjoy a lovely day in the refreshing autumn weather.

Make It More Fun with Costumes!

okayama marathon Participants can enjoy the race much more with costumes! Many runners in the fun run participate in this event not only to reach the finish line, but also to show off their interesting costumes. Some disguise themselves as their favorite celebrities, some as characters from the famous Japanese anime or manga, making the fun run even more entertaining for runners and observers! Families and groups of friends dress up in funny costumes together for a good memory they can talk and laugh about later. Why don’t you watch the race on the road and count how many cosplayers you can spot? Or you can even become one yourself!

Okayama Castle

okayama marathon After finishing or watching the race, you should definitely take some time to explore this beautiful castle town. Okayama Castle is a historical symbol of Okayama City. It was built in 1597 by the Lord Hideie Ukita who was in charge of the government of the Okayama region during that time. It utilized the Asahi River as a natural outer moat and its distinctive outer walls painted with black lacquer gave the castle its nickname “Crow Castle”. The Castle was used not only as a base for the local government, but also for battle planning. Furthermore, this castle was a center of commerce and craft. The government invited numerous merchants and craftsmen to the castle town to establish the foundation of Okayama City’s prosperity today.

Okayama Korakuen Garden

okayama marathon Okayama Korakuen Garden is one of the three great gardens of Japan along with Kenrokuen in Ishikawa Prefecture and Kairakuen in Ibaraki Prefecture. As soon as you walk into Korakuen Garden, you will easily understand why this garden is known as one of the three great gardens of Japan.

Korakuen is situated on the north bank of the Asahi River and is approximately 133,000 square meters big with grasses covering approximately 18,500 square meters of the garden. The garden is designed to provide the visitors with new views at the turn of every corner, enabling them to enjoy the splendid and tranquil landscape of this Japanese garden to relax people's mind and soul.