Tokyo, Japan · Rookie
Tokyo Marathon 2027 Entry: Charity and Qualifying Times Are the Ways In Without the Lottery
General entry for the 2027 Tokyo Marathon opened at 11 a.m. on August 14, 2026, and applications exceeded capacity that same day. Two early rounds are drawn from the same pool on September 11 and 16, and general lottery results come out on September 18.
What if you don't get in? That's the first worry for runners entering the Tokyo Marathon for the first time—and the 2027 race answered it unusually quickly.
General entry opened at 11 a.m.
on August 14, 2026, and applications exceeded capacity that day, which meant a lottery. The field had just been expanded from 39,000 to 40,000 for the 20th-anniversary race.
But Tokyo doesn't hold just one lottery. From the same pool, ONE TOKYO members who have missed out in three straight lotteries are drawn first on September 11, followed by Tokyo residents on September 16.
General lottery results come out on September 18, drawn from the spots left after those rounds.
1General Entry Is a Lottery, Not First-Come, First-Served—and Closes August 28
General entry for the 2027 race opened at 11 a.m. on August 14, 2026.
The organizers posted an announcement that same day: applications had exceeded capacity, so entries would be decided by lottery. The window stayed open for two more weeks, until 5 p.m.
on August 28, but those two weeks weren't a race for spots. They were simply more time to get your name into the pool. Once you understand that, there's no reason to sit at the screen when entry opens.
It isn't first-come, first-served. The opposite mistake is more likely: putting it off because two weeks remain, then missing the 5 p.m.
deadline on August 28. When you apply makes no difference to the outcome. Only not applying does.
Tokyo Marathon 2027Sun, March 7, 2027 · D-114 · Tokyo, JapanSee race details
2Three Lottery Rounds—and Overseas Applicants Are in the Last One
The three-round lottery isn't obvious on the entry page. It shows up only as three result-notification dates: September 11, September 16, and September 18. The first round is for ONE TOKYO members who entered the 2024, 2025, and 2026 races and missed out all three times.
The second is for Tokyo residents who applied through the Japanese domestic site. The third is the general lottery for everyone else. The order sets the odds.
The final round draws from whatever spots remain after the first two rounds. Runners applying from outside Japan don't qualify for either of those first two doors, so they automatically land in the last—and most crowded—of the three lines.
3Selected Runners Have 12 Days to Pay: ¥19,800 or $230
A notification alone doesn't secure your spot. You also have to pay. For the 2027 race, the payment window opens at 11 a.
m. on September 18 and closes at 5 p.m.
on September 30. The rule is short: if payment isn't received by the deadline, the entry is void and considered forfeited. The fee depends on how you applied.
Runners who entered from within Japan pay ¥19,800; overseas applicants pay $230. Both amounts include handling fees and taxes. Twelve days may seem generous.
Even so, this is the last point in the process where runners lose their spot. Miss the deadline after being selected, and the rules offer no way back. Pay on the day you see the notification, and that risk disappears.
4Charity and Semi-Elite Entry Close Before General Entry
The lottery isn't the only way into Tokyo. Every other route opens and closes before general entry. Charity entry comes first.
In 2026, applications ran from 11 a.m. on June 24 through 5 p.
m. on July 9. Runners had to donate at least ¥100,000.
Those donating without running could give from ¥1,000, with that option open through August 31. Applications for semi-elite runners and ONE TOKYO Premium members opened together at 11 a.m.
on July 31 and closed at 5 p.m. on August 13.
Results were announced on September 1, with payment due by September 11. Line up the dates and the race's real calendar comes into focus: charity entry closed on July 9, semi-elite entry closed on August 13, and general entry opened on August 14. By September 18, when runners find out they missed out in the general lottery, the other routes into Tokyo have been closed for more than a month.
If you start looking after the results, you're too late.
5Semi-Elite Qualifying Time: 2:28 for the Men's Marathon
Semi-elite entry runs under the name RUN as ONE. The standard is an officially certified time set between July 2024 and June 2026. For the marathon, the standard is 2:28:00 for men and 3:06:00 for women.
You can also qualify with a half marathon time: 1:05:00 for men and 1:20:00 for women. The field is capped at 200 runners, 100 men and 100 women. Two hundred spots out of 40,000 tells you just how narrow this door is.
If your time is close to the standard, it's worth factoring in. If you're still training for your first marathon, you'll have more peace of mind leaving it out of the plan.
6Tour Packages With Race Entry Are Sold Only Through Official Partner Agencies
Tour packages that include race entry do exist. There's one condition: only Kinki Nippon Tourist, the official partner, and its affiliated travel agencies are allowed to sell tours that include entry. Applications made through any other travel agency are invalid under the rules.
If discovered, the entry is canceled, and no money already paid—including donations—is refunded. There's one useful reference point when comparing prices. The official entry fee is $230 for overseas applicants and ¥19,800 for applications from Japan.
With a tour package, the key question isn't how far above that amount it runs, but whether the agency is part of the authorized channel. Whether you're on the start line on the morning of March 7, 2027, ultimately comes down to that one point.
7Earn a 2028 Entry Through a Virtual Run
Every route to the 2027 race has closed, but two doors to the next edition remain open. Both are virtual runs. The RUN as ONE GLOBAL Virtual Run Series 2026/2027 runs from April 2026 through March 2027.
Participants complete a virtual half marathon through the app, and runners from any country can take part. Thirty finishers from each round receive entry to the 2028 race. The ONE TOKYO PREMIUM VIRTUAL RUN Series 2026-27 runs from April 2026 through February 2027 and is open to premium members.
Entries to the 2028 race are also awarded to runners selected from among the finishers. Thirty spots isn't many. Still, these aren't doors that closed because a deadline passed—they're doors that open when you run.
For runners who entered the 2027 lottery and missed out, these are the only routes they can act on right now toward 2028.
8Bib Pickup at Tokyo Big Sight Runs 3 Days—No Race-Day Pickup
Even with a confirmed entry, you can't start without picking up your bib. The Tokyo Marathon enforces this rule strictly. Bib pickup is at the Tokyo Big Sight South Exhibition Hall.
It's open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.
m. on March 4 and 5, and from 10 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. on March 6.
There's no pickup on race day, March 7. Runners must appear in person, and staff will check a photo ID. Proxy pickup isn't allowed.
The wristband issued at pickup must stay on until the finish. The rule has a bigger effect on travel plans than many runners expect. In practice, 5:30 p.
m. on March 6 is the arrival deadline. Anyone reaching Tokyo after that can't make the start line, even with a valid entry.
Book flights around that cutoff, not just the race date.
Editor's pick
For runners targeting their first race abroad, the 2027 Tokyo Marathon is already out of reach. The realistic move is to shift the plan to 2028. In that case, June—not August—goes at the top of the calendar.
Charity entry opens first, and for anyone who can cover ¥100,000, it's the only way to lock in a spot without going through a lottery. If your time is close to the qualifying standard, look to late July. The men's standards are 2:28 for the marathon and 1:05 for the half; for women, they're 3:06 and 1:20.
The field is limited to 200, but it's the only route where your own result earns the entry. If neither option fits, sign up for the virtual series and wait for general entry to open in August. The three routes don't rule each other out.
Looking into charity entry in June and still entering the August lottery is the widest net you can cast in a single year.
For the 2028 race, the first date to mark is late June, not August. That's when the charity application window opens, and once it closes, the options narrow in the same order.
Whichever route gets you to the start line, build your schedule around reaching Tokyo Big Sight before 5:30 p.m.
on March 6.
Entry period · Accommodation
| Races | Itinerary | Entry period | INFO. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Marathon 2027 | Sun, March 7, 2027 | Fri, August 14, 2026 ~ Fri, August 28, 2026 | Accommodation · See race details |
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