Date, lottery and entry for 2027
General entry for 2027 is closed. The lottery took applications from August 14 to 28, 2026. The places ran out on the first day, so the organiser held a draw. Results came out on September 18, and anyone who did not pay by September 30 lost their place.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, March 7, 2027, start at 9:10 a.m. Tokyo time |
| Time limit | 7 hours from the start gun, the finish closes at 4:10 p.m. You must be able to finish in 6:30 |
| Field | 40,000 runners |
| Age | 19 or older on race day |
| Entry fee | US$230 for overseas runners, ¥19,800 for residents of Japan. Baggage check is US$12 more, only at registration |
| Withdrawal | No refunds, no transfers, no deferral to next year. The only exception is pregnancy and childbirth |
| Medical certificate | Not required by the 2027 rules. Overseas runners are strongly advised to have insurance that covers the marathon |
Checked against the race information, entry rules and entry schedule on the official site.
Other ways to get into the Tokyo Marathon
Besides the lottery there are official routes. Most of them are closed for 2027, but they come back every season.
| Route | Terms | For 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Charity place | A donation of at least ¥100,000 plus the entry fee, 5,000 places in total. The program selects the runners | Closed: more applications than places within two days |
| Official travel package | A package with a guaranteed place from the official agency KNT or from the International Travel Partners on its regional lists. Places bought from other agencies are cancelled without refund | First come, first served; check availability with the operator |
| ONE TOKYO GLOBAL club | ¥30,000 a year, a separate lottery for 3,000 places shared with the Japanese club | Sign-up for the 2026 to 2027 season closed on August 28 |
The 2028 lottery dates are not out yet; for 2027 the first applications, for charity places, opened on June 24. The nearest chance for 2028 is the RUN as ONE GLOBAL Virtual Run Series of virtual half marathons: 30 places in Tokyo 2028 are drawn among the finishers of each stage, and the marathon entry fee is paid separately. Entry for overseas runners is ¥1,500; the next stages run October 17 to 25 and November 14 to 22, 2026.
Bib pickup: the Expo and your passport
Bibs are handed out in person only, March 4 to 6, 2027, at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake: 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 4 and 5, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on March 6. There is no pickup on race day and nobody can collect a bib for you, so arrive by Saturday, March 6 at the latest. Bring your passport and the confirmation from your My Entry account; it is not sent by email.
The course: from Shinjuku to Tokyo Station
The race starts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku and finishes on Gyoko-dori by Tokyo Station, passing Asakusa, Ginza and Hibiya. On the course profile the first 5 to 6 km run downhill and the rest is nearly flat, so the opening kilometers are easy to run too fast.
By the organiser's estimated schedule, the last waves cross the start line around 9:40 a.m. That leaves them about 6:30, or 9:15 per kilometer. Runners who miss a checkpoint closing time have to stop. The pace calculator helps with splits.
Early March weather and jet lag
The average March temperature in Tokyo is 9.4 °C. On race days from 2023 to 2026 it was 6.8 to 12.7 °C at 9 a.m. and up to 20.5 °C by 3 p.m. Bring a warm layer for the wait at the start and kit that works at both 8 and 18 °C.
Flying from Europe or the Americas means a big time shift. Your body clock moves about an hour a day, so arriving early helps. If you land only two or three days before the race, start shifting your sleep at home, by no more than an hour a day.
When to start training
Hal Higdon's 18-week plan for a first marathon starts onMonday, November 2, 2026. It assumes you already run four times a week. You can start earlier too: Pacero builds a plan from your current fitness to March 7, 2027.
Show the week-by-week plan
| Week | Starts | Weekday runs, km | Long run | Total, km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 2 | 4.8, 4.8, 4.8 | 9.7 km | 24.1 |
| 2 | November 9 | 4.8, 4.8, 4.8 | 11.3 km | 25.7 |
| 3cutback | November 16 | 4.8, 6.4, 4.8 | 8.1 km | 24.1 |
| 4 | November 23 | 4.8, 6.4, 4.8 | 14.5 km | 30.5 |
| 5 | November 30 | 4.8, 8.1, 4.8 | 16.1 km | 33.8 |
| 6cutback | December 7 | 4.8, 8.1, 4.8 | 11.3 km | 29 |
| 7 | December 14 | 4.8, 9.7, 4.8 | 19.3 km | 38.6 |
| 8 | December 21 | 4.8, 9.7, 4.8 | race: half marathon | 19.3 + race |
| 9 | December 28 | 4.8, 11.3, 6.4 | 16.1 km | 38.6 |
| 10 | January 4 | 4.8, 11.3, 6.4 | 24.1 km | 46.6 |
| 11 | January 11 | 6.4, 12.9, 6.4 | 25.7 km | 51.4 |
| 12cutback | January 18 | 6.4, 12.9, 8.1 | 19.3 km | 46.7 |
| 13 | January 25 | 6.4, 14.5, 8.1 | 29 km | 58 |
| 14cutback | February 1 | 8.1, 14.5, 8.1 | 22.5 km | 53.2 |
| 15longest | February 8 | 8.1, 16.1, 8.1 | 32.2 km | 64.5 |
| 16taper | February 15 | 8.1, 12.9, 6.4 | 19.3 km | 46.7 |
| 17taper | February 22 | 6.4, 9.7, 4.8 | 12.9 km | 33.8 |
| 18 | March 1 | 4.8, 6.4, 3.2 | race: marathon | 14.4 + race |
Train for the Tokyo Marathon on your own plan
The table above is a generic plan for a first marathon: it knows nothing about your fitness or your goal. Pacero builds your training from where you are today to race day, spreads the load across the weeks and updates the plan after your runs. Workouts from Apple Watch, Garmin and other watches come in through Apple Health; without a watch, record runs with GPS in the app, log them by hand or upload a screenshot.
The Tokyo Marathon is already in the app's race list: pick it in the questionnaire.
Train with Pacero →First 7 days free, no card needed.Quick answers
When is the Tokyo Marathon 2027?
Sunday, March 7, 2027, with the start at 9:10 a.m. local time. Bibs are handed out March 4 to 6, not on race day.
How can I get into the Tokyo Marathon 2027?
The general lottery and charity places are closed. Official travel packages with a guaranteed place are sold first come, first served through KNT and its International Travel Partners.
When was the lottery for 2027?
From August 14 to 28, 2026, with results on September 18. The 2028 lottery dates have not been announced yet.
How much does it cost?
The entry fee is US$230 for overseas runners and ¥19,800 for residents of Japan. A charity place requires a donation of at least ¥100,000 plus the fee.
Other races in 2027
Boston Marathon 2027
Qualifying times, the 2027 cutoff and the new random draw, charity places.
London Marathon 2027
Two race days for 100,000 runners, ballot, Good for Age and charity places.
Cape Town Marathon 2027
The first African Major: ballot, charity and tour operator places.
Sydney Marathon 2027
Ballot, entry fees, travel partner places and the Harbour Bridge course.
Berlin Marathon 2027
Lottery until November 12, 2026, fast runner standards, the record course.
Chicago Marathon 2027
Drawing until October 29, 2026, time qualifier standards and fees.
New York City Marathon 2027
Expected date, the drawing, guaranteed entry and the five-borough course.
Sources
- Tokyo Marathon 2027: Race Information: date, start time, time limit, age, field size, fee, bib pickup.
- Tokyo Marathon 2027: Entry Information: baggage, checkpoints, withdrawal, travel packages, insurance.
- Tokyo Marathon 2027: Entry Schedule: application, results and payment dates.
- News, August 14, 2026 and news, September 11, 2026: the draw and the results date.
- Tokyo Marathon 2027 Charity: 5,000 places, the minimum donation.
- Tokyo Marathon 2027: Available Services: official tours and regional operator lists, checked October 18, 2026.
- ONE TOKYO GLOBAL: membership fee and dates.
- RUN as ONE GLOBAL Virtual Run Series 2026/2027: places for 2028, fee and stage dates.
- Tokyo Marathon: Course Map: route, elevation profile, estimated schedule.
- Japan Meteorological Agency: climate normals, Tokyo: March, 1991 to 2020, and hourly data for race days 2023 to 2026.
- Janse van Rensburg D. C. et al. Managing Travel Fatigue and Jet Lag in Athletes. Sports Medicine, 2021.
- Eastman C. I., Burgess H. J. How To Travel the World Without Jet Lag. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 2009.
- Hal Higdon: Marathon Novice 1: the 18-week plan.