Where to stay for the Tokyo Marathon 2027: areas, metro and real prices

The Tokyo Marathon is on Sunday 7 March 2027, its 20th edition, and for anyone travelling from abroad accommodation is the easy part: Tokyo is huge and the choice is vast. On 1 November, for race weekend (Friday 5 to Sunday 7 March), Booking listed 4,818 places to stay in Tokyo with free cancellation and a score of 7 or more, at a median of €144 a night for two people. And comparing the same properties, marathon weekend costs the same as the following one.

The hard part in Tokyo is not finding a bed but choosing the area: the start is in Shinjuku and the finish at Tokyo Station, almost ten kilometres apart as the crow flies. Up here you can see how many places are left and how prices are moving, updated every week; below, which neighbourhoods get you to the start by metro without changing trains and which are better value.

Where everything is

• Start: by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku, early in the morning.
• Finish: in front of Tokyo Station, on Gyoko-dori avenue by the Imperial Palace. The course passes Suidobashi, Asakusa, Ryogoku, Ginza and Shinagawa.
• Bibs: at the runners’ expo, Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 March, 10:00 to 20:30 on Thursday and Friday and until 17:30 on Saturday. No bibs are handed out on Sunday.
• Metro: the Marunouchi line links Nishi-Shinjuku, next to the start, with Tokyo Station, where the finish is. The Oedo line stops at Tochōmae, at the foot of the building.

In Tokyo, the metro decides

From Asakusa or Ueno it is more than two hours on foot to the start; from Ginza, more than one. Nobody walks to the start unless they are staying in Shinjuku. That is why this guide sorts areas by how you get there by metro, and walking minutes only matter in Shinjuku.

Areas

What was available on 1 November for two nights, Friday 5 to Sunday 7 March, for two adults. Price is the median per night, in euros as Booking shows them.

Shinjuku and Yotsuya: the start on your doorstep, but pricey

This is the only area from which you can walk to the start: 19 to 65 minutes, depending on the street. There were 56 places left at a median of €288, as Shinjuku has many upmarket hotels. Below that: Hotel Matsunoi Shurin (score 9.5, 22 minutes) was €217 and Hotel Keihan Tokyo Yotsuya (score 8.5, 48 minutes) €219.

Ikebukuro and Bunkyō: the best balance of price and metro

Ikebukuro is the northern end of the Marunouchi line, the same line that stops by the start and at the finish: there and back without changing trains. There were 19 places at a median of €131, less than half of Shinjuku. THE HOKUSAI HOTEL Ikebukuro West (score 9.5) was €225.

Minato and Chiyoda: business hotels and the finish

Akasaka, in Minato, is on the Marunouchi line and has well-priced business hotels: Hotel Monterey Akasaka (score 8.6) was €187 and Super Hotel Premier Akasaka (score 8.8) €189. By the finish, in Chiyoda and Chūō, what was left was expensive, at a median of €750; Hotel Monterey Hanzomon (score 8.7) was €213.

Ueno, Asakusa and Sumida: the cheapest central area

This is the area with the most choice for travellers, 61 places, and the cheapest in the centre: a median of €100, with many hostels and small hotels. It is far from the start and you need to change lines, but it is a good base for the rest of the trip.

Which nights to book

Properties with free cancellation and a score of 7 or more on 1 November, for two adults:

• The marathon does not push Tokyo’s prices up: comparing the same properties, it costs the same as the following weekend.
• For a long-haul trip, a weekend is too short. With a big time difference, arriving on Wednesday or Thursday is sensible: collect your bib, adjust to the time zone and race rested on Sunday.
• Two nights cost less per night than one: a median of €144 against €166.

Five things to check before you pay

1. Free cancellation and its deadline. If you do not have a bib yet, do not book anything you cannot cancel.
2. Room size. Double rooms in Tokyo are small: check the square metres, especially with luggage.
3. The nearest station and its line. The Marunouchi line takes you to the start and brings you back from the finish.
4. Early breakfast: the start is in the morning and the metro will be full of runners; ask whether the hotel serves breakfast earlier.
5. Check-out on your last day: if you fly home that day, ask to leave your luggage at reception.

Accommodation map for the Tokyo Marathon

The map shows what is still available for race dates, with prices. You can change the dates and the number of guests.

How we got these prices

We searched Booking on 1 November 2026 for two adults in one room, for three stays: Friday 5 to Sunday 7 and Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 March, plus the following weekend as a reference. We filtered for free cancellation and a score of 7 or more, and combined the results sorted by price, score, distance and Booking’s own recommendations. The search is for “Tokyo” and Booking sorts it from the centre, so it is a sample of about 270 of the almost 5,000 places available. Prices are in euros, the ones any user sees, without loyalty discounts; the price per night is the total divided by the nights. Walking times are measured along real streets from the start. Prices change daily.

The accommodation map in this guide contains affiliate links: if you book through it, RunningValencia receives a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Date, course and how to get a bib are on the Tokyo Marathon 2027 race page.