I'm hoping you an get some responses to this thread as I have a client interested in doing IM Japan & would love to hear from others that have done it. Thanks!

Ditto for some feedback on it. I'm considering this race for my KQ bid as it's late in the season, and I think the competition may be a bit weaker because IM Japan is a bit under the radar, and the course does look "hard". On the other hand, there are only 40 slots (as of this year's race) which means M30-34 would only get 3 slots, 4 depending.

My understanding is that it is one of the hardest courses on the circuit, with lots of ups and downs and speed draining braking. I'll try to get some more objective feedback from some of my friends in Japan who either did it or had club mates racing there.

Hey, i did this race this year (2015), so can review. But one thing to keep in mind is that this was the 3rd year in this location, which means they need to sign a new contract for next year. IM Japan may not be in Hokkaido for 2016 and even if it is, the course will be different (the bike course this year was re-routed at the last minute because a bridge washed out).

Some basics: The organizers tried really hard to accommodate visitors and the volunteers also tried their best. However, for non-Japanese speakers, getting information was a real challenge. The information provided beforehand and on the website was not very detailed. At the race briefing, the announcer had never seen the course and so was unable to answer any questions about it. The hotels are all very close to the expo/briefing/finishline, which is very nice. And there are small shops and a 711 to pick up food/drinks. Getting to Hokkaido from the airport was not fun. The expo is very tiny. Don't expect to pick up anything there unless you get there before everyone else. They'd run out of CO2 within an hour of opening for example. There are no bike stores in Hokkaido, so if you didn't bring everything you need, you're SOL.

The swim: beautiful. The water is clean and the course is very easy to follow. Its a 2 loop swim where you get out of the water and run a little before the second lap. You are not allowed to swim in the lake before the race, but there's a part you can warm up in before your gun start. There's really no need to recon the swim anyway, the water is clean and the bottom is smooth stones.

The bike: SUPER hard. The one thing we did learn from the race briefing was that the change in the course made it the hardest IM bike course on the circuit this year. It was a lot of climbing. But there were 2 problems the race briefing didn't mention (and which should not be a problem in subsequent races). Problem 1: cyclocross part. There was maybe 500 meters of off road section that we'd been warned about. What they didn't mention was that the first 100meters was some kind of soft volcanic ash. And the first 25 meters was up a steep hill, so you had to get off your bike, throw it over your shoulder, and run up. To be fair, this was kind of fun, but it would've been nice to know it was coming. Aid stations were well done. Problem 2: hairpin turn. The organizers were very good about putting warning cones for upcoming turns (the course was open to cars and in Japan they drive on the opposite side of the road, like Australia). But one turn was on a one lane road after going down a pretty steep (5% maybe?) grade. Doing a hairpin turn from -5% to +5% is nearly impossible when you're not aware its coming. Again, could be solved by a better race briefing. They warned us about the cold during the descents and many people had jackets, gloves, etc. To be honest, this is unnecessary. It rained a little and it was definitely uncomfortable. But the descent isn't that long and you heat up again very quickly from the subsequent climbs.

The run: Not bad. there was a soul crushing 17% grade in the very beginning. Everyone walked it and was subsequently in a terrible mood. But after that, the course was flat and easy. Aid stations were unevenly spaced, sometimes unnecessarily close and sometimes very far apart (4km) and toilets were rare. The twinkly lights used to light the course were adorable.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this as someone's first IM. I enjoyed it, but I rode alongside a couple guys who were doing their first IM and one of them was totally turned off due to the difficulty of the bike course. But if you guys are good climbers, then no problem!

Any chance it goes back to Fukue?

From what I've heard, one of the reasons the Ironman race left Fukue was because of insufficient accommodation for such a large number of athletes. They host their own race now, but it doesn't have the same number of competitors as an Ironman race.

---

-----
http://www.howesgreg.com

I want to do it now.

Yes, it's on my to-do list and I've got airmiles to burn. I noticed that 2016 is TBC though.

---

Swim. Overbike. Walk.

Any word on IMJ? Was hoping to do it in 2016 but starting to think I need to look at other options...

Assuming others like myself still have little insight as to whether this will take place in 2016.
Would folks here recommend holding out longer or at this point find another 2016 race given the date is TBD?

I'm content to wait and I have 2016 more or less sewn up now. If Japan comes on line, and it appeals, then it'll be a 'nice to race'/ destination race, not an A race. If it's doesn't, or it doesn't appeal, then I won't enter: nothing lost for me.

That said, if I was looking around for my main LD tri race for 2016, I'd look elsewhere.

---

Swim. Overbike. Walk.

It has been announced, its cancelled because of "course issues"