Tokyo Marathon 2027

Sunday, 7 March 2027 · Tokyo, Japan

The weekend at a glance

Your number

Tokyo Big Sight, Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 March. In person only, and nothing is handed out on race day

Start

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Shinjuku. Wheelchair race 9:05, marathon 9:10

Gates

Opened at 7:00 and closed at 8:45 in 2026

Finish

Gyoko-dori, in front of Tokyo Station

Time limit

7 hours, timed from the gun, with nine cut-off points on the way

Climb

The organiser gives no figure. The start is about 40 m up and the finish about 10 to 20 m

Drinks

15 aid stations, the first at 5 km

Weather

The last five race mornings ran from 4.7 °C to 14.2 °C at 9:00

On this page

1. Getting to Tokyo
2. Where to stay in Tokyo
3. Collecting your number
4. Race morning
5. The course
6. Weather in Tokyo in March
7. Afterwards
8. Other race weekends
9. Sources

Getting to Tokyo

Tokyo has two airports. From Narita, Keisei's Skyliner runs non-stop to Nippori, where you can change to JR lines, and on to Ueno. Keisei says the ride from Terminal 2·3 to Ueno takes 41 minutes, and there are three trains an hour. From Haneda, the Tokyo Monorail runs to Hamamatsucho, and the operator puts the trip to Shinjuku at about 38 minutes.

In 2026 the bib packet held a Tokyo Metro 24-hour ticket, valid on Tokyo Metro lines only. The Toei lines, the Oedo Line included, aren't Tokyo Metro, so check which line your station is on.

Where to stay in Tokyo

The start is in west Shinjuku and the finish at Tokyo Station, on opposite sides of the centre. Staying near Shinjuku makes the morning short, and the start area's own map lists the exits to use from Shinjuku, Tochomae and Nishi-Shinjuku stations. Staying near Tokyo Station or Otemachi makes the walk back short when your legs are gone, and the finish area connects to Otemachi station underground.

Pick-up is at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, on the bay, which is a separate trip from either.

Collecting your number

Packet pick-up is at Tokyo Big Sight South Exhibition Halls, 3-11-1 Ariake, beside the expo. In 2027 it opens from 10:00 to 20:30 on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 March, and from 10:00 to 17:30 on Saturday 6 March, Japan time. You have to go yourself, and there's no pick-up on race day.

In 2026 you showed your bib exchange voucher from My Entry and a photo ID, and copies weren't accepted. You were given a wristband to wear until the finish, because it gets you into the start area. Big Sight is a 7-minute walk from Tokyo Big Sight station on the Yurikamome and a 15-minute walk from Kokusai-tenjijo on the Rinkai Line. The guidebook warned of long waits just after opening.

Race morning 2026 details

The start area opened at 7:00, and the gates closed at 8:45. Your bib names your gate, your start block, and your bag truck if you paid for bag check. Bag check has to be chosen when you enter, and it can't be added later. There were five gates around the Metropolitan Government buildings. Gate 3 could only be reached through the One Day Street underpass, and Gate 5 was on the second floor.

At the gate, staff checked your wristband and searched your bag. Plastic bottles weren't allowed in and were taken off you. The guidebook warned that the temporary toilets get crowded, and asked runners to arrive early. Clothes you don't want to run in go into the collection boxes in the start area, and the rules ask you not to drop any on the course.

It takes the back of the field a while to reach the line. On the organiser's table, the last runner crosses it at 9:40, half an hour after the gun.

The course

The 2027 route runs from the Metropolitan Government Building through Suidobashi, Ueno-hirokoji, Kanda and Nihombashi to the Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa, then through Ryogoku, Monzen-nakacho, Ginza, Tamachi and Hibiya to the finish on Gyoko-dori. The organiser publishes a height profile with no climb figure. By a map lookup, the start sits about 40 m above sea level and the finish about 10 to 20 m.

The limit is 7 hours from the gun, and there are nine cut-off points, so pace yourself against the gun clock. In 2026 they closed at 10:25 at 4.9 km, 12:45 at 20.9 km, 14:00 at 29.2 km and 15:15 at 38.5 km, with the finish at 16:10. If you're stopped at one, the sweep bus takes you to the finish area, where your bag is.

In 2026 there were 15 aid stations, at 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30, 32, 35, 38 and 40 km, with Pocari Sweat at the 5 km ones. The guidebook advised taking a drink from the back of each station, because the front is crowded. Personal drinks were for elites only. Pace-setters with flags ran times from 2:50 to 5:30.

Weather in Tokyo in March

The race has been run on the first Sunday of March for the last five years. These are those mornings at the start, at 9:00 and at 13:00.

The range is wide. 2024 was 4.7 °C at the start, and 2025 was 14.2 °C and 19.1 °C by 13:00. In 2026 every runner was given a soft cup at pick-up, to carry in case the day warmed up.

Afterwards 2026 details

After the line, you follow one of three routes, to Hibiya, the Kokyo Gaien area or Otemachi, depending on the colour of your bib. The finisher medal, drinks and a robe come first, then bag collection and the changing areas. The guidebook said it takes about 30 minutes to walk from the line to the changing area, so tell anyone meeting you to wait at the meet area.

Runners who have finished the other five original Majors, and applied in advance, are given the Six Star medal in the finish area.

Other race weekends

Tokyo Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. The series' other races with a guide here are Bank of America Chicago Marathon, TCS New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, TCS Sydney Marathon and Berlin Marathon.

The next races with a guide

Rome Marathon14 March 2027 · Rome, Italy Prague Half Marathon3 April 2027 · Prague, Czech Republic Berlin Half Marathon4 April 2027 · Berlin, Germany

All race weekend guides

Sources

Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 2 October 2026.

If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.