'''Running''' is a popular sport in Japan, and one in which Japan performs well on the international stage. The Women's Marathon Gold ~~Medalist~~ from the 2004 Athens Olympics, Mizuki Noguchi, is a former student of Yamasho, in Ise.

'''Running''' is a popular sport in Japan, and one in which Japan performs well on the international stage. The Women's Marathon Gold Medallist from the 2004 Athens Olympics, Mizuki Noguchi, is a former student of Yamasho, in Ise.

Japan hosts a ridiculous number of running events year round, but especially in the Autumn and Winter. Running events are typically referred to as マラソン, irrespective of the actual distance. Don't be thinking your elementary school kid who tells you about the "marason" she ran over the weekend is all that badarse; she probably did a 2km. ''Ekiden'' (駅伝), essentially long distance relay races, are also very popular in Japan.

In terms of eating, if you are eating a substantial meal, you'll probably want to allow 2 hours or so for it to digest, though an hour is probably ok for a snack. Bananas are an awesome pre-run food, and can be scoffed as you're running out the door, or even mid-run. Everyone's body is different so find what works for you. Some other things that are pretty good on the stomach include raisins, squares of dark chocolate and small pieces of cake (castella etc.).

If you are interested in training for specific distances, there is a plethora of useful information online to help you develop training programmes etc. Some particularly useful ones include the following:

Buying sports shoes can be a pain in the arse in Japan. Asics and Mizuno dominate the market, and it can be difficult to find the right size if your feet are even slightly above average in length. For women, it's pretty typical to find that a size 24.5 might be the largest available. It is possible to find larger sizes, but you may well have to settle for whatever is available, or else head to the cities to buy shoes. Same goes for men - there is generally a wider selection of shoes available for men, but men with bigger sizes will find it tough.

In any case, you will probably need to go up about half to a full-size bigger than your regular shoe. If you are mostly sticking to shorter distances, a half-size should be fine. If you wanna do distance running, probably better with a whole size bigger. Make sure you have enough space in the toe box, but at the same time, ensure that your shoes are laced snugly to your feet. It is possible to get narrow/wide fittings in some designs - the cities have the best options.

It's a good idea to get your feet measured at a proper sports' store, ideally by someone who does a lot of sport him/herself and has a good knowledge of the shoes as well as the biomechanics of running. The INGs building in Umeda ([[Osaka]]) has a fairly sizable sports section on its 2nd floor. They have Asics, Mizuno, Nike, NB, Adidas etc. available. The Asics department can actually scan your feet to tell you what size/style would be appropriate for your foot type. Note that they don't actually assess you in motion, so the information you get from the scan is not absolute. Staff are pretty knowledgeable though, and it perhaps offers the best Asics selection in Kansai. If you happen to be in Tokyo, there is an Asics store in Harajuku (on the way to Omotesando) that can do a full on ~~biometric~~ assessment.

In Mie, there is a decent sports store in the Jusco near Takachaya station (between Matsusaka and Tsu on the JR line). There is also a Sports Authority in Bell City (Suzuka) and one in Nabari. In Matsusaka, the Himalaya Sports' Store in the Advanced Mall complex has a small range of shoes.