Nestling in its namesake bay, Tokyo is a sprawling megalopolis at the centre of the world's most populous urban area. Seen from the air, it appears to stretch to the centre of Honshu, the main island. Yet as you run through this immense concrete labyrinth, you'll discover linear business districts and winding alleys. You'll find Shinto temples and maid cafés, sumptuous parks and skyscrapers...
‘Tokyo operates at two speeds. On one side, the immense arteries, the concrete bridges, the human tides. On the other, tiny districts, dark alleys flanked by blind facades and floating banners.’
This quote from Jean-Christophe Grangé's Kaïken sums up the atmosphere of the Japanese capital. On the one hand, there are several business districts, with wide pavements that allow you to run for miles outside office hours.
On the other hand, in the heart of modern Shinjuku, surrounded by skyscrapers, lies the Golden Gai. A tiny district flanked by a temple, made up of small, two-storey buildings, often dilapidated and stuck together. This mecca of Tokyo's nightlife, packed with tiny bars, is one of the few remnants of the city's architecture before the Second World War, when the city's layout was completely redesigned.
Asakusa, between tradition and mass tourism
In the north-east of Tokyo lies the Asakusa district, famous for its Buddhist temple, Sensō-ji. Dedicated to the gods of wind and thunder, Fujin and Raijin, you'll often come across Japanese people in traditional costume. Packed with craft stalls selling kimonos, kitchen utensils and fake wax food, the district is very popular with tourists despite its out-of-the-way location.
Asakusa is also home to around twenty geishas, who you may come across on your run. If you run for a few minutes, you'll soon reach the Skytree tower. At 634 metres high, this broadcasting tower can be visited, and offers travellers two observation platforms. However, this vertical journey is not free, and on the other side of the city, in Shinjuku, you'll find an equivalent (and free!) panorama at the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.
Akihabara, the electric city
Every otaku - the Japanese version of a geek - must visit Akihabara, nicknamed ‘the electric city’. In the centre, near the station, there's a huge shopping mall packed with the big names in Japanese electronics. However, its success lies in the fact that hundreds of tiny, ultra-specialised shops surround it.
As you walk along the streets, look out for the vertical signs: they tell you which floor a particular product is on.
The atmosphere is just as electric. Arcades play blaring J-Pop, countless neon lights flash, while the maids in the surrounding cafés harpoon the many passers-by. Running through these streets is an extraordinary experience.
The Meiji Jingu, between Shibuya and Shinjuku
Between Shibuya, the shopping district where young Japanese women flock, and Shinjuku, the business district covered in iconic skyscrapers, lies Yoyogi Park. A veritable urban forest, it hides a vast sanctuary, the Meiji-jingu.
Compared to the red and gold temple of Asakusa, Meiji-jingu is an ode to Japanese sobriety. Its portals (torii) are devoid of decoration, with the exception of three gold cabochons on their main beam. The rest of the temple, made of dark wood, contrasts with the green roofs and surrounding trees.
On a stroll in the west of the city, you can leave the hustle and bustle of Shibuya Crossing and head into Yoyogi Park, where you'll feel like you've stepped into a Studio Ghibli film.
From here, after performing the ritual ablutions in the ancient pool at the entrance to the temple, for example, head back into the bustling streets of Shinjuku, before reaching the eponymous park, famous for its tropical greenhouses.
Pandas, palaces and gardens of Ueno
When they hear the name Ueno, many adopted Tokyoites think ‘pandas’. In fact, even if you decide to avoid the interminable queue outside their enclosure, you can't escape the omnipresence of these two-coloured ursids. Every shop within a kilometre of the zoo, from a bakery to a clothes shop, sells products bearing their likeness! Ueno Zoo is also home to a number of more local species, such as the Hokkaido grizzly bear. If you decide to run around the zoo itself, there are almost invisible windows into the enclosures, and you could come face to face with this gigantic bear (weighing several hundred kilos!) at the turn of an alley.
If you walk down the lane leading to the Tōshō-gū shrine, you'll find a stone memorial with a flame burning permanently in memory of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Imperial Palace is just around the corner. Surrounded by a moat, you'll come across plenty of runners on your morning jog.
Street workout apparatus, very common in Tokyo's green spaces, will also probably be occupied by athletes of all ages.
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