Rinko Park (臨港パーク) parkrun
Yokohama, Japan
A quick trip to Japan gave me many options, but Yokohama, although beyond Tokyo when looking from Narita airport, offered a direct journey from the airport* and a hotel with a view over the course, making the whole thing very easy. Just a few minutes walk on Saturday morning and I was at the bridge that marks the start and finish of a fairly new event.
After a through the night flight, I got to the hotel too early to check-in, and if they’d accommodated me, I’d just have fallen asleep, so I kept walking for a sight of the park in the sun.
I ended up walking a couple of miles along the Bay Walk, way past the parkrun route, with a view of the port on my left and Yokohama to my right. It was more peaceful than it perhaps sounds, almost silent in the park, and just occasional noise from the port.
Yokohama is close to Tokyo, but its own place, and with 3.7m inhabitants, it’s Japan’s second-largest city. What I saw of it was fairly chilled out, albeit with plenty going on but not so much of a late-night culture. The port area has a whole range of hotels, for most price ranges, though if you see a bargain, check it isn’t a smoking room or that you’re happy with being in a by-the-hour place.
On Friday, as sunny as Thursday, I paid the ¥1000 to zoom up the Landmark Tower in the express elevator to the observation deck. As soon as I emerged I could see I was looking over much of the course. The start is by the red arrow, and the turnaround, as best I can mark it, the yellow one. Do that four times and you’re set. My hotel, and others, is off to the left of the picture.
Enough of the high-up views! But it’s a rare treat to be able (more or less) to see the course from where I’m staying. The shortest route was to go straight fown the path on the left heading away from the camera, and turn right at the end, past the toilets (immaculate, of course) and into the park, just metres from the bridge.
Saturday dawned less sunny than the previous two days, and a little cooler, but still nowhere near freezing. I was happy enough that my very light packing hadn’t found space for anything other than shorts and a t-shirt, though an Aussie reckoned I was brave. It’s an 8am start, but the sun is up before 7 so it’s light well before then. Everything was in place as I got there, with marshals just heading out onto the course - with only 650m to the furthest point, it’s not too long a walk for anyone.
You can go for miles along the Bay Walk, but to avoid bridge crossings and wide areas that would be hard to mark, the route stays on the first bit of the Walk, turning right past the pedestrian bridge. As you can see above, that part is both coned and marshalled. Stay left, as the route comes straight back through this smallish alley.
The (Japanese) run director on the day lived in Guildford until last July and returned full of the joys of parkrun, determine to bring it with her. Many of her students also have experience of parkrunning in the UK, and were marshalling today. All this enthusiasm - I didn’t get to go any further into why today was a big day - had brought a record number of people to the event, with 49 finishing; mostly Japanese, but several English and Australian sprinkled throughout, too. I recognised one of them; I forget why I was looking, but I found his blog where he talks about competing with my friend Jon, who used to be a member of my running club in England and now lives in Japan. I hadn’t got in touch with Jon before this trip, and have doubled down on any insult by him now having a picture of me, in Japan, with one of his friends.
I felt sprightly at the start, which was good news given I’d walked miles the day before and had my bum knee complain. As we turned into the alleyway pictured above, I realised it wasn’t just because I’d recovered, but that the wind was with us at the beginning. Turning into that alley on the second lap, without the cover of other runners ahead (who had all pushed on), I really felt the wind pushing me back.
There is a lot of concrete in these pictures, but that just makes for a good surface. Because of the constantly changing view, the sea off to one side and ferris wheel etc., there’s plenty to see, even on a cloudy day. It’s glorious with some sun, and I’m glad I saw the area under sun, too.
The volunteers cheered enthusiastically for us through the route, and particularly at the start/finish area where many of them were busy. Them being so keen makes this feel a very well organised and resourced event. Both the run director and first-timer briefer switched from Japanese to English through their talks, and in any case the route is very well marked and straightforward enough that once you know you have to do it four times, you’re set. Four seemed a lot, running into the wind on lap one, but the laps buzzed by nicely after that, as I concentrated on holding off the front two for as long as possible - I just about managed not to get lapped by third place - and running away from the 60something behind me (which was in doubt for a while, but I managed). It’s a fast course, despite a rise/fall near the far bridge, and having to do a u-turn at either end - the surface is good throughout, and there’s masses of space (other than the alley) so there’s nothing much to get in anyone’s way, and still room for other people to use the area without parkrun impeding them.
Results from Rinko Park parkrun #10, 25/1/25; 49 finishers.
* It’s worth knowing that a single from Narita to Yokohama is ¥4370, but if you’re returning within 14 days, the N’Ex Greater Tokyo round trip ticket is a return for ¥5000. You can buy the ticket, and make reservations, at machines with a passport reader (overseas passport also required). You buy the ticket, then use the machine again to reserve a seat (free, so if it asks for money you (I) have initially pressed the wrong button - you want to add seat to pass, or some such language that I’ve now forgotten). See www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/nex/tickets/