Running Tsukuba Science City Japan

Some 50 km (31 miles) northeast of Tokyo and 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Narita airport lies Tsukuba, a city of 200,000 people. Tsukuba was established in 1963 to become Japan's primary center for science and technology, hosting more than 60 national research institutes and two universities, where forty percent of Japan's scientists, including 5,000 with doctorate degrees, work.

Among the many well-known institutions in the city are the University of Tsukuba, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, National Institute of Materials and Chemical Research, National Institute for Agrobiological Sciences, and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. More than 3,000 foreign students, researchers and scientists from over 90 countries call the city home.

Take your pick when it comes to running places in Tsukuba.  The city has 88 landscaped parks and greenery occupying a total of 100 hectares.  There are bike and running paths all over town, all interconnected and totalling 48 km (31 miles) in distance- almost long enough for an ultramarathon! One can run on asphalt, brick, bare soil or grass, under pine, forest, or along bonsai trees.

For trail running, Mount Tsukuba, loved by the Japanese as much as Mount Fuji, is only a few kilometers away. The mountain's two (male and female) peaks, 877 meters above sea level, are favorite destinations for runners, hikers, and nature lovers. At the top, one is gifted with the panoramic view of the Kantō plain and, on clear days, even the distant skyline of Tōkyō and Mount Fuji . 

I recently did a series of runs in Science City Japan.  My 12K route took me inside the MAFF Research Information Technology Center's main campus, host to research institutes related to food, environment, agriculture, animal health, and rural engineering.  Before 8AM, the streets were practically deserted so the running paths were mine for the taking!

So if you plan to be in Tsukuba, don't forget to bring your running shoes. Just learn a few words of Nihongo in case you miss a turn and end up being lost.  If your visit happens to fall on the last Sunday of November, then you're going to have it all. On this day is held the Tsukuba Marathon, where some 9000 runners usually race amidst the beautiful colors of fall. 


Arigatou gozaimasu.   ありがとうございます。