Training in Tokyo

Hi STers - I’ve got a 1 week business trip to Tokyo late next month. I’ll have most of my meetings near the Shibuya area. Any suggestions on best places to stay with a good gym. I’ve seen the Cerulean Tower which has a decent setup and a 20m pool. I was hoping for a 25y or 25m pool, but those are tough to come by in the City. As for running, maybe Yoyogi Park is a good choice and not too far. I might just do minimal sessions and enjoy great food and be a tourist :slight_smile:

Thanks!

Do you read and speak Japanese? Shibuya City has several public pools. The city’s main sports center has a 25m pool and it’s Â¥400 per visit. If you’re more interested in gyms, there are several chains that have pools. I used to go to Tipness in Shibuya when I lived there 12 years ago. I believe it’s Â¥2200/day to access Tipness, according to their website.

As for running, if staying in Shibuya, yes, Yoyogi Park is a good place to run. However, it is not a big park, so if you have long runs planned you’ll have to do several loops. If you don’t mind taking the train, you can run around the Imperial Palace or go to a larger park. Also, the river banks of Tokyo’s main rivers are often parks or have paths that are miles long.

If you want to play tourist AND exercise, just run around the city for 2 hours.

If your looking for a longer run and have a bit of time, take the train to Takao and hit the trails for a few hours. Some lovely views and trails. If you have time, visit the onsen near the station before you head home.

Takaosan (Mount Takao) - Tokyo Travel (japan-guide.com)

If you want to play tourist AND exercise, just run around the city for 2 hours.

Would recommend though only early in the day. Tokyo is a population that will not jaywalking, even at 5 am with no cars on the road. But at least at 5 am there’s hardly anyone out so you can run almost guilt free. I have been to Japan since 2018, but some 30+ business and personal trips there I did a lot of running, including Tokyo. Getting out well before breakfast was always the best time. Nothing like going out for a run at 4 or 5 in the morning and seeing late-nighters stumbling out of the bars. Often I would run from the Shinagawa area to the palace area, make a loop and come back. Would be around a 10 mile run starting from Shibuya.

Have stayed in the Cerulean many times, the pool is nice albeit short. As per above, there are other options outside of the hotel.

Running, I’d also recommend the Palace loops, or the rivers. From Shibuya it’s a somewhat straight shot to the Imperial Palace and about 3 miles or so in distance. You can run the streets to get there and back. My experience, running early AM (6am or so), Tokyo streets are pretty quiet and so it works fairly well. And the side / back / smaller streets even more so. Once you are at the Palace the loop is uninterrupted (although narrow sidewalk in parts).

Have fun.

IIRC the Grand Hyatt Roppongi also has a 20m lap pool and you are a bit closer to the imperial palace area for the run. If you go early in the AM, there are also tons of cyclists doing the palace loop.