I always feel a bit apprehensive when going for a run for the first time in a foreign country, as it might not necessarily be well received. With Japan ranking very high in ultramarathon (especially in 24 hours races, but they also managed to put 3 runners in the UTMB's top 8 this year!), I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad. And indeed, quite a few people are running in the streets and along the river.

A path follows the Kamo River for about 10km, offering a great opportunity to run a nearly car-free 23km this afternoon. Maps along the path show you how many bridges are left to go and what's the distance to the next one. Great for time splits! Bonus: there is a water point about half-way on the stretch.



The path actually lies in the river bed, as the banks are actually designed to be flooded at times. Otherwise, the water level is relatively low, with lots of aquatic vegetation popping out of the water, and making it a great hunting place for herons. They are everywhere! A few fords also allow to cross the river without climbing up the bridges.


It's a shame I didn't have time to go to the nearby mountains. Looks like there are quite a few opportunities there too...

As I had low blood sugar and was fairly dehydrated on my return, I bought the first sweet drink I could find, which appended to be a lemonade. Or at least a can with a drawing of a lemon and the word "LEMON" printed. After drinking it in a few seconds, I tried to figure out how many calories I had drank, just to realise that the only other English word on the can was "Alc. 6%"... Great, I don't know if you've ever drunk alcohol when dehydrated, but the head doesn't like that too much...

Ultra most eastern run so far