Tamagawa Josui

What the heck is a Josui? It is a man-made water canal for irrigation, drinking water, or for industry. I am excited to describe this route to you because for 19.5 kilometers, this path cuts a straight line of peace, soothing green, and bird chirping across a big chunk of the Tokyo map west of Shinjuku. I combined this run with my favorite Hachimanyama to Meguro run (see Jan 5 entry below) to create about 34 kilometers of very comfortable running. I never needed to buy water because of the abundance of drinking fountains along the way (it also happened to be freezing cold which reduced my need for water), and finding a toilet was never a concern.

In this run I basically just ran home but have mapped for you the course related to the route along the Josui. When this path ends as the Chuo Freeway intersects the stream, study the map for where you would like to finish. At this point it is 19.5 kilometers from the Tamagawa Josui St. start, but the map attached will take you all the way to Hachimanyama St., in the event you want to use that station to get back home or alternatively run all the way to Ikejiri Ohashi or Naka Meguro. The Takaido St. is also very close. To get there, travel east along the Chuo Freeway, then left at Kanpachi Dori and the tracks will come into view after about 1km. The station is to the left again.



Take a look at the slides and decide if this is the kind of place you prefer. I have run much of this route twice so far, once running upstream and most recently I ran downstream. Most of it you have a choice of the dirt path which is part of the josui landscaping or asphalt road adjacent. The morning I ran after the frost, it was a little muddy on the paths.

Tamagawa Josui

The entire course is not total bliss, particularly the section of about 4 kilometers upstream of Mitaka Station (Chuo Line), but the short sections where you are running next to a road are frequently situated with the path higher than the adjacent road.

About 2 kilometers of the route is paved with running track material, believe it or not. This was on the left bank as I ran downstream from about the 6th kilometer. You will note my map makes a detour into the Koganei park, which you might consider if you need a toilet and a drinking fountain (but there are plenty up ahead as well). The park has a museum for Tokyo buildings from the old days. It’s worth a look.

Kiba

Before I introduce a run, I always run it myself first. And to the extent possible I like to provide you with a way to try the run comfortably, which means to identify the train or bus route and hopefully a place to shower afterwards. I did not get the shower part down this time, sorry.

Kiba is a section of Tokyo that has experienced some of the biggest physical changes over the last 100 years. Located just above the northwest end of Tokyo bay, its name comes from the raw lumber trade for which the area was famous when moving the great logs by water was the most efficient form of transportation. It is an area that has experienced some land reclamation but still has many canals and waterways criss-crossing the neighborhoods. The population there now is mostly living in recently built high rise residential towers but there is also plenty of small and medium manufacturing going on. There are a number of bridges over these waterways that afford you with some dramatic views of the tall buildings juxtaposed with the canals and river craft. And there happen to be some excellent running paths. My original scouting run found the best spot in the middle of the run and then moved on to an area along the Arakawa and Fukagawa rivers. Lets start with the poorer parts first. The Fukagawa has experienced some well meaning work in terms of landscaping, but there are so many bridges crossing it that there is no decent view as you run it and precious few trees. Concrete, water, steel, dirt and grass fields are what make up this course. The trail itself is dirt and soft and you can go several kilometers without stopping. The Arakawa is a better river run but it is a much bigger river with a lot of open space and very windy. If there is any wind inland, don’t come out here to run because it will be gale force. The Fukagawa had some homeless living under the bridges. If you are interested in volunteer work with the homeless, I can set you up with a couple of groups, but when it comes to your running, there are better places, one of them very nearby.

Toyosu, Kiba, Fukagawa

The good stuff: There is a particular canal that runs right down the middle of Kiba park. This is a great pedestrian path and avoids several intersections by running under the bridges, some of them on floating sidewalks. Great landscaping, waterfalls and fountains and adjoining parks keep your interest. There are several of these paths to explore in Kiba. You can reach Kiba Park via the Tozai line and get off at Kiba Station using the exit 1. I admit on this trip I did not use a public bath. I found one but as I actually drove with my family to Toyosu, I started my run from Toyosu to Kiba (not necessarily recommended), and toweled off before changing in the car before going home. My guess is that the park at the end may have showers but not all public showers have hot water…

Sections of this route will not have drinking fountains. Toilets were reasonably plentiful along the pedestrian paths and in the parks.