Ogawa Washi Marathon

The Ogawa Washi Marathon is a long-running road race held each December in Ogawa, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, a historic town northwest of Tokyo renowned for its traditional Japanese papermaking. The event takes its name from washi, the handmade Japanese paper for which Ogawa has been famous for centuries, giving the race a strong connection to the area’s cultural identity.

Despite the word “Marathon” in its English name, the event does not currently include a full 42.195 km marathon. Its flagship event is a half marathon, accompanied by a 10 km race and several 2 km races for younger runners and parent-child teams. For 2026, the total field is capped at 3,100 participants, including 1,800 half-marathon runners, 800 runners in the 10 km, 300 in the individual 2 km divisions, and 100 parent-child teams.