Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Higashine Sakuranbo Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

JPJun 6, 202721.0975km · 10km · 5km +1 more events

Ebiebi2 · CC0

Race date in 204 days: Jun 6, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Higashine · 21.0975km · 10km · 5km +1 more events
Entry fee: ¥6,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Jun 6, 2027 · Entry Feb 1, 2027 ~ Mar 31, 2027

2026

2026Date Jun 7, 2026

Official website ↗

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D-day as of Nov 14, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Higashine, in Yamagata Prefecture, is Japan's top cherry-producing city.

The race starts inside the Ground Self-Defense Force's Jinmachi camp and loops through the cherry orchards on the "Fruit Line." Every entrant's participation gift includes Sato Nishiki cherries.

The 2027 race is on June 6.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

おくやまはるか(おぐ)Ran in 2025 · Finish time 2:24

“I knew there would be cherries to eat during the race, but I never expected to pick them straight off the trees and eat them.”

Half marathon finished in 2:24 on the second attempt, and running the whole way without walking became a source of confidence. The gentle ups and downs on the course meant it wasn't too demanding.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

レース中にさくらんぼが食べられることは知っていたのですが、まさか木から直接採って食べられるとは思わず……

Read the original on note

51歳で初めてフルマラソンを走って〜サブ3.5を目指す戦略的アプローチ(kawasemi65)Ran in 2023

“It was my first time running this race, and it was good enough that I already want to run it again.”

The hospitality stood out: a welcome reception the day before, iced cherries, chilled towels, and shuttles running between the station and the hot springs. One runner also mentioned being surprised by the farewell banner on the Shinkansen platform.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

初めての参加でしたが、もう一度走りたい思うほど良い大会でした。

Read the original on Ameba Blog(アメーバブログ)

Genmai_17Ran in 2023

“The aid is excellent. There's sports drink and water every 2–3 km, plenty of misting fans along the course, and showers in two places.”

On a clear, hot day, the runner finished in under 2 hours. The course keeps rolling up and down, so it shouldn't be underestimated, but the aid stations were good and made it manageable.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

エイドはとても充実。2〜3kmおきにスポドリと水が用意されていて、たくさんのミスト付き扇風機が置かれ、2箇所にシャワーも用意されています。

Read the original on 旅に出たり、走ったり、旅に出て走ったり(はてなブログ)

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

第２０回果樹王国ひがしねさくらんぼマラソン大会①
View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served

Entry cost TBD

Entries are first come, first served online, and each event closes when its field is full.

Your entry is confirmed only after both application and payment are completed.

Healthy runners who agree to the participation terms and can finish within the time limit

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost TBD

If you make a furusato nozei (hometown tax) donation, you can enter earlier than the general entry period (starting December 2026).

Donation amount and eligible events not yet announced

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 21.1km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 8:05

Time limit2 hours 50 minutes

2 hours 50 minutes (ends 11:30 a.m.)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size
ハーフマラソンの部21.0975km	08:40	2h 50m	¥6,000	5,500
10kmの部10km	09:15	10:50	¥6,000	2,000
5kmの部5km	08:05	08:55	¥5,500	1,500
3km・ファミリーの部3km	09:00	09:30	¥3,500	1,000

START · FINISH

Ground Self-Defense Force Jinmachi Camp

Start · Google Maps

Cutoff
2.8km 08:35 · 5.5km 10:10 · 7.6km 10:30 · 12.8km 10:25 · 16.4km 10:55 · 18.7km 11:12

Runners start · local time — 5 km 8:05 a.m. / half marathon 8:40 a.m. / 3 km 9:00 a.m. / 10 km 9:15 a.m. (planned for 2027)

The Higashine Sakuranbo Marathon is held on a Sunday in early June every year.

Its most distinctive feature is that the start and finish are inside the Ground Self-Defense Force Jinmachi camp.

You can see disaster-relief vehicles inside a base that is normally hard to enter, and after the race you can eat the Self-Defense Force's special curry.

The course is a loop around the "Fruit Line" in the Jinmachi area.

Runner reports describe the profile differently: some say the first 10 km is a gentle climb with the downhill coming later,

others say a 2 km descent at the start is followed by a climb to the halfway point.

Many agree, though, that the elevation difference is around 100 m with no steep sections.

Early June is cherry season, and report after report mentions being handed cherries picked straight from the tree.

An even more common word is hospitality.

Runners describe iced cherries, chilled towels, mist fans and showers, and snacks prepared by high school students along the course.

The 24th edition in 2027 has a total field of 10,000, including 5,500 in the half marathon.

Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi and running coach Tetsuhiko Kim are coming as guests, so it's worth sticking around for the award ceremony and events.

Typical race-season temperature: around 18°C (64°F): Short sleeves — hydrate for the warmth

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Pacers

Medical support

Water stations

Aid stations

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

Bag drop

Start shuttle

Changing rooms

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Bib pickup

There is no separate expo the day before.
Related events, including a welcome reception (Higashine City Indoor Multipurpose Court), are planned for Saturday, June 5, with details yet to be announced.
June 6, 2027, 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (planned)

Race headquarters at Ground Self-Defense Force Jinmachi Camp

finisher's gift exchange

Google Maps Directions

Free public transit

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startさくらんぼ東根駅(Sakuranbo-Higashine Station)
Free public transit

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

さくらんぼ東根駅(Sakuranbo-Higashine Station)

Free shuttle bus from Sakuranbo-Higashine Station and Sakuranbo Higashine Onsen to the venue (details TBA). Runners reported about 10 minutes by shuttle in 2024.

Yamagata Shinkansen stops at Sakuranbo-Higashine Station (about 3 hours from Tokyo; about 30 minutes from Yamagata Station by local train). JR Jinmachi Station is the closest but has no shuttle and is about a 1-hour walk to the start inside the JGSDF camp, so it is not recommended.

No dedicated parking at the venue.

Map

Getting to the finish

さくらんぼ東根駅(Sakuranbo-Higashine Station)

Same shuttle loop runs back to the station and the onsen area.

Map

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The half marathon starts at 8:40, with the 5km at 8:05, the 3km at 9:00 and the 10km at 9:15.

Your bib goes out by mail in mid to late May, so there's no race-day pickup.

If you forget it, a replacement costs ¥1,000 and you have to be there 30 minutes before the start (per the 2025 Q&A).

Free shuttles are planned from Sakuranbo-Higashine Station and Higashine Onsen, but times aren't out yet.

The nearby JR Jinmachi Station has no shuttle and is about an hour on foot, so organizers don't recommend it.

Reviewers report about 30 minutes by local train from Yamagata Station, then about 10 minutes by shuttle from the station.

Bag check is free but doesn't take valuables, and there are no coin lockers, so leave anything expensive at your hotel.

Changing rooms are reportedly cramped, so it's easier to put on your running clothes at the hotel.

The half marathon cut-off point times are 12.8km at 10:25, 16.4km at 10:55 and 18.7km at 11:12, and the time limit is 2 hours 50 minutes.

Every 2 to 3km you get sports drink and water, and runners say the misters and showers helped even in hot years.

Just before the finish there's a gravel path inside the base, and some say it leaves your legs heavy at the end.

Many runners stay at Higashine Onsen, Tendo Onsen or around Yamagata Station.

One reviewer said the hot-spring hotels on the official tour were twin rooms only, so solo travelers should check ahead.

After the race, the classic course is to wash off the sweat in a hot spring.

It's early June and the sun can be strong, so bring a hat and sunscreen.

Times are local to Higashine. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hotel Pearl City Tendo

Hotel · 5.0km

6.9/10(77)

View on Booking.com

Ginzan Onsen 2-Day: The Gaslit Snow Street & Yamagata

¥141,605

Higashine Sakuranbo Marathon

About Higashine Sakuranbo Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run