My first run in Japan came after a night of Christmas karaoke with the family we were visiting.  My expert runner friend recommended his standard Tokyo run…leave the house, run up Roppongi street and around the Imperial Palace grounds.  A couple of days before, we had walked through the East Gardens and seen the runners.  Very orderly and all running counter-clockwise around the palace.

I had planned to do an Orangetheory Fitness workout at the Tokyo gym later in the morning, but my jet-lagged induced internal alarm clock spurred me to put on my running shoes and head out right before sunrise.  As much as I enjoy OTF, I’m glad I experienced this run instead.

The weather was pleasantly cool as I headed northeast up Roppongi Dori (street).  Early morning Tokyo is not the same as workday Tokyo which can be bustling and frenetic.  And urban environments aren’t usually the most scenic places to run, but I enjoyed the varied architecture and signage as well as running under the elevated highway on the way to the park.

As I approached the park, I was unsure if runners were allowed inside the first gate that I came upon…so I followed the handful of  local runners I saw.

The southeast side of the grounds is a large open public park, the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens.  Wide pathways, interesting trees and a view of downtown Tokyo gleaming as the sun rises.  Once you enter the complex, the route is simple…just keep the moat on your left as your circle the compound.

As I ran the perimeter of the grounds and was warmed by the rising sun and the increasing elevation, I also noticed that the path was marked with tiles describing the flowers of Japan…and I collected a few snaps along the way.  I think they reflect the trees/plants/flowers of each prefecture in Japan, but that’s just a guess.

On the western side of the grounds, I encountered some modern sculpture in Chidorigafuchi Park.  Apparently the cherry blossoms are quite spectacular in this area, but, alas, I did this run in late December…months too early to witness the beauty.  On this side of the grounds I also encountered the National Theater building, another example of Tokyo and Japan’s impressive architecture.

On the southwest side, I ran into the North Gardens on the front side of the National Diet, the home of Japan’s legislative branch.  A informative brochure on the National Diet with info on the building, the government and history, and views of the interior here.

There’s a clock tower and reflecting pool in the gardens, supposedly representing the Separation of Powers, but I couldn’t find much online describing its provenance.  As I also discovered in Kyoto, the history of everything in Japan is not yet fully documented in English on Google.

Here’s the map of my NP2R Tokyo:

As was my habit, I woke just before sunrise and snuck out of the hotel room as my teenage kids continued to snooze.  I generally prefer “old-school” navigation and had done a map recon the night before.  Today I was glad to have a modern digital backup.  As I took off from our hotel at Hiroshima station, I made my way to the closest river crossing that I had selected the night before, I found it had no pedestrian path, at least none that I could see in the pre-dawn light.  I found an alternate crossing after running through some urban commercial blocks that were just showing the initial signs of daily life.  I was very happy to have the combination of my iPhone, Goggle Maps and a wifi hub (something I’ll blog about later).  After crossing the river I arrived at Hiroshima Castle and ran around the east and north sides.

All around Hiroshima, I found “then and now” markers, describing the destruction at each local from August 1945.  The castle today is a replica built in 1958.  I continued on thru the Chuo Park, past the one of the many monuments in the city that convey both Remembrance and Hope.  I discovered a lower trail, along the Ota River.

The water was calm and peaceful.  As I approached the Atomic Bomb Dome, I gained a new perspective from below the historic ruins near the epicenter of the detonation.

All along the way I discovered many more memorials that we missed late afternoon walk the day before.

I turned east on the Promenade of Peace/ Peace Boulevard, with many more monuments.

I was especially struck by the stark Hiroshima Medical Doctors Association monument and the description of their sacrifice and selfless service after the bombing.

I crossed the bridge on the Enko River and ran up the Hill into Central Park.

I enjoyed a break from the urban environment in this hilly and nicely wooded home to the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, a funky looking Skywalk, and other attractions.

The Museum was closed for some combination of renovations and the holiday season, but there were plenty many interesting statues, both new and old, on the open grounds.  Around the museum, I discovered my favorite view overlooking the city with a marker showing the view from August 1945.

As I headed out of the park, I came upon a nice elderly lady walking a Shiba Inu…she graciously allowed me to take a photo of her dog for my daughter.

I ran past the Hiroshima Manga Library, down a steep and winding hill, past a shrine and ran back to the south side of Hiroshima Station.

For the lessons in history and the new perspectives on a remarkably resilient and vibrant small city, this was my favorite run (among three very good ones) in Japan.

Here’s the map of a NP2R Hiroshima:

Kyoto:  I wasn’t expecting to go far, but it quickly became the longest run of my trip.  As usual, I left the hotel early (~7:00 am).  I crossed the city to the river and its extensive trail network.  When the trail on the western side ended, I crossed over to the other side.

Lots of birds in the water- egrets, cranes, and a small bright blue bird that I only caught a quick glimpse of.  A couple of “water falls” along the way, with the pleasant sound of flowing water.

I ran over to the Imperial Palace complex and was surprised and pleased to find the gardens open.

Was drawn in by the beauty- ran on large, broad gravel boulevards and standard bush-lined dirt trails thru the beautiful trees.  Couldn’t see the palace, but the gardens were worth it.

Came back along the west side of the river that had a small adjacent canal and signage with descriptions of Kyoto’s history and images of paintings from long ago.  Came off the river when nature called, and discovered that clean and accessible toilets can be found in the many 7-11s located around Japan.  Continued my run, orienting on Kyoto Tower, a prominent landmark that eases urban navigation.

Passed a large Buddhist temple buried in the city but within walking distance of the hotel— I had not known it was that close.  Enjoyed the New Year decorations and aphorisms.

8+ miles and my second favorite run in Japan.

Much more on Kyoto here:  https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/kansai/kyoto

Here’s the map of my NP2R Kyoto: