Aino Tsuchiyama Marathon

The Aino Tsuchiyama Marathon is a long-established Japanese road race held each autumn in Koka (Kōka), Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Unlike many Japanese events that use “marathon” generically despite offering only shorter distances, Aino Tsuchiyama features a genuine 42.195 km full marathon as well as a half marathon, with both contested on courses officially certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF). The race takes place in the historic Tsuchiyama area of Koka, east of Lake Biwa and close to the border between Shiga and Mie prefectures.

The event has a distinctly rural character. Rather than running through the centre of a major Japanese city, competitors travel through the countryside surrounding Tsuchiyama, an area of forested hills, agricultural land, reservoirs and small communities. The setting gives the race a very different atmosphere from large urban marathons such as Tokyo, Osaka or Kobe, while the terrain adds a meaningful challenge. The official race material itself highlights the course’s notable steep sections, and the event has a reputation among Japanese runners for being undulating rather than a flat, straightforward PB course.