Tokyo Marathon

On the Ground

March in Tokyo means cherry blossoms are either at peak or just past — the difference is about five days and no algorithm predicts it correctly. Book anyway. The city operates on a frequency that rewards early risers: the fish market before dawn, the shrines before the tour groups, the bakeries when the bread is still hot. Arrive four days early to negotiate the jet lag on your own terms. Stay somewhere small and neighborhood-specific. The convenience stores — FamilyMart, 7-Eleven — are not a joke; they will feed you better than most restaurants back home, at any hour you need feeding. The onsen are how the body recovers here; find one near your hotel and use it the night before and the morning after. After the race, the city will be moving somewhere. Follow it.