A Short Trip to Tokyo for the Tokyo Marathon

Three Days in Tokyo for the Marathon

It’s crazy how fortunate we can be in life sometimes that it can sometimes throw us curveballs. This fact never escapes me as to how fortunate I have been. This blog will stray a bit from the title to set up the story.

We had a trip planned to Nepal for an Everest Base Camp trek with Adventure Consultants. We were to depart our home in Florida in late March 2023 for that adventure.

In my journey to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors Challenge, I had put my name in the lottery for a place in the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, not expecting to actually get in because there was like a 1.3% change of getting selected. I mean, I had to at least try to get a lottery entry…surely they weren’t going to select me!

One morning I woke up and checked my email and sure enough there was an email there from the Tokyo Marathon congratulating me on being accepted through the lottery. Huh…how about that.

I walked out to the living room and told my girlfriend, “guess who is going to Tokyo in early March…us!” So now we had to figure out how to fit a trip to Tokyo in while also planning an almost month long trip to Nepal…just 3 weeks after.

Planning

I was not a travel agent/advisor at this point, but planning travel has always been my thing…especially since I’ve been on the hunt for my Abbott World Marathon Majors Challenge 6-Star medal. This part was fun and easy.

I’m pretty sure that I had the entire trip planned in 22 hours and 47 minutes, or something to that effect, after I got my acceptance email. I had a couple of roll over vacation days at work that needed to be used in the first quarter of the year. This was perfect and they couldn’t be applied to our pending trip to Nepal as we left on March 30th for Kathmandu.

I started watching YouTube videos and did some research on the Tokyo Marathon route and the expansive and very intimidating subway system around the vast city. I determined that it would be best to stay within walking distance of the finish line of the marathon, which also happened to be near Tokyo Station, which would end up being perfect for facilitating all aspects of our trip.

We looked at the schedule of events for the marathon like shakeout runs, the expo, etc, and with that, compiled a list of “must-do’s” and fit them in around the race and came up with our itinerary.

Being OneWorld Alliance elite and elite on American Airlines, we booked our Premium Economy flights to Tokyo on American Airlines. Budget did play a bit of a role in our travel planning for this trip as we had invested a great deal already into our Nepal/Everest trip that was coming up. I was banking on having affordable upgrade options available to get us into Business Class for the long flight to Tokyo, but more on that to come.

With our itinerary set, training commenced, tickets for our “fun to do things” in Tokyo purchased and travel booked, we just had to wait for the departure date because surely nothing would change…right?

Travel Hack Engaged

As things often do in the travel industry…things change.

Our flights had initially been booked in to and out of Tokyo Haneda Airport. This was intentional as Haneda is closer to downtown Tokyo, is connected to the metro system via a monorail system and is smaller and seemingly easier to navigate for tourists (this was our first time to the “East,” so we headed a bit into the unknown and decided to play it safe).

I did see when booking that American Airlines did not presently fly into Haneda, so this would be new service for them, but they were selling tickets, so I figured there might be a chance. I also figured that there may also be a chance that they would move the flight arrival to Tokyo Narita airport, which would constitute an itinerary change and give me the opportunity to change flights.

The latter happened. Our arrival airport was changed to Narita as I had hoped.

Japan Airlines was the only other OneWorld airline flying from the US to Tokyo…and Japan Airlines does not have a Premium Economy product in their fleet. Playing it cool, I called American and requested we be booked to Haneda airport as we had originally requested and the agent rebooked us on my intended Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Haneda…and since Japan Airlines doesn’t have Premium Economy, they booked us on the next available product to avoid having to refund us money, which was business class. Free upgrade complete and travel hack engaged.

Tokyo Bound!

COVID-19 protocols were still in-force in Japan in early 2023 and they did impact some of our travel experiences. Each experience will always be different, yours and mine, so be mindful as you set out on your own journeys.

The service…and the FOOD….on Japan Airlines was the highlight of the trip across the sea. The plane was pretty standard and the business class product was on the older and unimpressive side, but still greatly appreciated. For the primary meal, passengers were given a choice between western meal options or eastern meal options. Being adventurous and wanting to experience worldly things, we chose the local, eastern options which were served in a bento box setting with chopsticks and a small origami swan chopstick holder, making the place setting quite nice.

Arrival in Tokyo

Before going, I had done a lot of research in what to expect at the airport after arrivals and things went pretty much exactly to plan once we exited the plane.

We were ushered through the airport by escorts that had met our plane at the gate to guide us to the COVID testing that was required upon arrival into the country and once that was complete, we went to the arrivals hall, fetched our luggage and headed to get our visas (issued on arrival at no cost for 30-days for US residents). We were in!

Following the advice of some other travelers, I decided to reserve a portable wifi device from one of the airport shops ahead of time. It provided a wifi signal that we connected our phones to so we could access Apple Maps and post on Facebook and other necessary things. It wasn’t too expensive and was pretty handy to just keep in my backpack for the weekend. For pick up, I just needed by reservation email and passport. To return, I was given a pre-paid envelope and I was able to drop off at the hotel front desk to drop in the mail. If you do not have an international plan for your phone, I definitely recommend this service. If you need recommendations or help, feel free to reach out!

The ATMs at the airport were user friendly and easy to find/use to get some Yen before heading out. There were a couple others standing around looking confused, but after a quick chat, I was able to help them figure it out and get what they needed. Make sure you do notify your bank ahead of time that you’re traveling to avoid issues.

Much of Japan is '“cashless,” as they encourage contactless payment options for most things. The easiest form of contactless pay for travelers, I found, is the Suica program. If you have an iPhone, Suica is included in your options for contactless pay programs and you can load Yen on your app even before leaving the US. Suica can be used at vending machines, on the metro system, at 7-11 stores, etc. It was really handy and super easy to use.

Journey From the Airport

We knew ahead of time that many of the signs around the public transportation were printed in both Japanese and English, which was relieving, naturally. It made navigating the city so much easier.

With our bags collected, wifi activated and Suica app at the ready, we started to head into the city center…Tokyo Station. Haneda Airport is connected to the public transit systems via a well thought out monorail system. Yes, an actual monorail like at Disney World! It was so neat. We found the platform and with the airport being the last stop on the line, we need not fear heading the wrong direction. It was crowded, but the monorail cars had specific places to set your luggage, so there was plenty of space. Japan is so organized and orderly and tidy….I loved it.

One thing I will point out as a heads up or a reminder; any time you see a gate or a turnstile or something that you walk through, be sure to scan your metro card or Suica card. I did not know that and I walked through an open “gate” when transitioning between the monorail and the subway lines. An alarm went off and I didn’t think anything of it. When we got off the metro in Tokyo Station to exit out into the city for the short walk to our hotel, the gate wouldn’t let me out. Oops. Fortunately there was an attendant in a booth who was able to help and let me know I had missed a scan point on the way from the airport and he was able to do a “fare adjustment” that allowed me to exit. Whew. It had been a long day.

TOKYO!

We found the correct exit from the station and got our first glimpse of downtown Tokyo. It was amazing! It was just starting to get dark (it was around 4PM by this time). The lights…the skyscapers…the old meets new of Tokyo Station, the Emperor’s Palace and the hustle of the streets, just wow.

Pushing our luggage along the sidewalk, we followed Apple Maps to our hotel. Along the way we passed a series of small restaurants that looked to have some amazing food options….we’d have to check those out at somepoint.

We found the building that our hotel was in, but were initially confused as the entrance to our hotel was on the 15th floor of the expansive tower tucked in next to Tokyo Station. We found the correct elevator and went up to the lobby.

As a recommendation, recommend finding a 7-11 or FamilyMart right away and stocking up on snacks, bottled water, etc for your room. They have the most amazing items at the convenience stores like tuna rice balls, different kinds of canned coffees (both hot and cold), beers…you name it.

Accommodations: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouchi

The hotel was nothing extravagant, but it was clean, quiet, well appointed and right outside Tokyo Station and within walking distance of the Tokyo Marathon finish line at the Emperor’s Palace, so from a location perspective, it couldn’t have been better.

I would recommend this as an affordable, safe and comfortable accommodation for anyone visiting Tokyo for any reason, not just for the Marathon.

Contact me for more details and to hear more about this hotel and to help you book!

First Full Day: Shakeout Run and the Expo…and something fun!

The first full day in Tokyo was chilly; it started with a shakeout run around the Imperial Palace. This was by far the coolest place I had done a shakeout run before a marathon. I was not alone in my thinking as there were plenty of other runners doing the same thing. How amazing it was to be running around the grounds of the old Palace.

After the expo and after a quick nap, we had plans for a food/bar tour that evening over in Shinjuku.

I’m not sure exactly how “authentic” this experience was, but our time in Omoide Yokocho was extremely exciting. We met up with our guide at a Walgreens, of all places, near the entrance to Omoide Yokocho. It was centrally located and easy to find.

If you’re not familiar with Omoide Yokocho, it’s a very narrow, very small and a little off the beaten path alleyway right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku, near the Shibuya Crossing. It’s lined with small “Izakayas,” which are “mom and pop” food counters that usually only have a few seats at a counter where the food is prepared fresh in front of you. The scene can be quite breathtaking and even a bit “romantic” in the right weather with the right lighting. On the night we were there, it was cool and a bit crowded, but that could be attributed to the fact that the Tokyo Marathon was taking place that weekend (which is why we were there).

I booked our tour through Viator, which has been a reliable source for “fun things to do” in some of our international destinations. Our guide was friendly, helpful and knowledgable, and spoke perfect English. He took us through the maze of the alleyways as we “window shopped” at the different food offerings along the way. The tour included stops at 3-4 Izakayas where we were able to sample a couple of the delightful menu items available and have a beverage (either beer or sake) and the night capped off with a stop at an wonderful and intimate sake bar located somewhere in a tall building, above the noise of Shinjuku.

If my Japanese had been better and I wasn’t so nervous or shy about engaging with people, I would have probably enjoyed going “freestyle” in Omoide Yokocho as opposed to an organized tour, but this was our first visit in the East, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the culture or language and did not want to offend anyone or make a fool of myself (a blog about my experience in Paris is forthcoming, where I did just that…), but this tour gave me the introduction to the culture and was a good overall experience.

After a solid night’s sleep, the next day found us traveling to Tokyo Disneyland…that blog is next. Stay tuned and check back often!

For more information on this experience or to help you book your next trip to Japan, contact TravelByPhilip today!