I jumped ahead and write this post even though I am still in the midst of blogging day 4. The usual trend is I'll gave up writing my travelogue after the first few days but this race is something that I really want to write about, it was so hard for me to find the relevant info when I was researching about this race when I started planning for it in March.
As my friends and I were planning for our Japan trip, I relentlessly looked for a race in Japan that I can take part in, since I'm already here. It was not easy as this is summer period and is considered the off peak for having races. I finally chanced upon this HM at Niigata region, some place named Minami Uonuma to be exact. In Singapore terms, we call it really 'ulu' as its really some remote places and I could not find another blog or info about foreigners taking part in this race although it was featured in quite a few websites for its special theme.. the food!
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| Me when I was done with the race (photo provided by race website) |
There is a race website but not in English, I had to depend on the translation that was provided by my browser. To sign up for the race, I was directed to the Runnet Japan website that was not meant for foreigners. It was relatively easy to sign up for my previous Japan marathons as I registered through Runnet Global, which are meant for 'gaijins' and foreign participants, this also showed that they recognised a huge number of participation from non-Japanese. However, for this race, its more catered for locals as it was not reflected in Runnet Global and I had to figure out how to register an account in Runnet Japan. To register myself with Japan Runnet, I required a Japan address, so I created an account with Tenso, a Japan delivery company that can forward stuff sent to them. I chanced upon
this blog and it gave me some guidance. All these were done in March but I was crossing my fingers and mentally prepared to make other plans if this race does not happen. Another issue with this race is the accommodation, it was really difficult to find anywhere to stay near the race site as its really just a small town, luckily the nearest station Urasa is serviced by Shinkasen and JR trains, so I figured out I can stay at the next station Nagaoka, which is a much bigger city and there are many hotel options.
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| The double decker Shinkasen |
The night before the race, I placed out all the stuff needed but was too lazy to do a flat lay shot. I had to do careful planning as I'll leave my luggage at my hotel in Nagaoka and just bring along a backpack for the race. Anyway, this is just a HM and its summer so overall its still easier to plan than my previous overseas races. Taking the Shinkasen to Urasa station from Nagaoka only took 12min, I decided to wake up at about 6am to catch the 6.56am train, as the next train is about 40-50min later and that will be too late. I've wanted to go down to the onsen for a soak but decided against it as I was running late after all the snoozing. I managed to go down to the reception for checkout at about 6.35am and I was at the station in good time. At Nagaoka station, I saw many runners (easy to spot them from the outfit) and guessed they are from other areas of Japan and they had also decided to stay one station away.
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| I guess this is where the race will start |
It was a 15min walk from Urasa station to the race site 八色公園 (Eight colours park?) and after the SKS arrived at Urasa, many runners alighted. It seems that this race is popular among locals and since I'm walking along with them, I did not have to navigate and find my way around, I just followed the crowd. It was quite early when I reached the park, the organisers and food vendors are just setting their booths. I had to arrive early as Tenso was really strict with identification, I had sent them my scanned I/C copies so that they already verified I am really staying at that address stated. But in the end, they did not forward me the race pack even though they informed me that they received something from the race organiser. I'm registered in English name in Tenso but for this race my name in kanji (Chinese name) was used, they sent me two emails and I tried to explain to them but they insisted I show them the some proof that the race pack was mailed out to me. Sigh... I really gave up.
I read from the race website that runners who forget their timing chip and bib can replace these at a cost of 1000Y, so I believed there will be a booth or a counter for this purpose. I was walking up and down the whole park but I could not find the officials booths to do that. My heart sank when it was already 8am, more people had arrived and I already went around 3 times looking out for the official booths but I could not locate them. As I walked around, I imagined myself ended up not taking part in the run, and I'll walk back to the hotel feeling sad that I've wasted the whole morning here. It also seems like I was the only foreign runner around, there were zero signage in English unlike other races.
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| Finally got my bib number and timing chip |
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| Free fermented drink |
Finally, I walked back to where I started from and saw some booths that looked like official booths, although I was not sure what they do. Someone who could understand English managed to point out a booth to me, after I gestured to her I needed the number tag. Phew! I went to the booth, passed them the email printout to show that I've registered for the race and they were very friendly even though they spoke limited English, they told me to wait around as they radioed someone for help. Finally, someone who spoke Chinese with PRC accent came and I really heaved a sigh of relief, he explained that the kanji system does not have my surname character 张 so he have to manually key it into the system and also issue a new number bib to me. The previous lady who was really friendly saw a 1000Y note in my hand and told me 'no money!'. I thanked her and the really helpful staff and went to find a spot to get myself ready for the race.
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| Baggage deposit |
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| Toilet cubicles only for the ladies |
When I was collecting my replacement number bib, the staff also explained that there's two baggage deposit areas, I remember seeing the other one at the other end of the park as I made my way around looking for the official booth. As my baggage tag was red, I was supposed to attach the red tag on my bag and deposit my bag at the baggage area just nearby. The cute ladies at the baggage area was stuck when she gave me a string of instructions and I asked her 'English please?' She turned to her friend who finally said with much difficulty 'One... thirty...' I guess they were trying to tell me to collect my bag by 1.30pm, so I gave them a big smile and hold up my hand showing the 'okay' sign. With my bag settled, I went to the rows of portable toilets and saw that there a row meant for ladies, a row just for the guys (its without door and only urinals so I thought it would be rude if I snap the guys peeing) and a row of unisex toilets meant for both ladies and men. I went to the toilets early enough that there were only one person queueing before me and I got into one pretty quickly. When I was done, there were already a few people outside and the queue got longer and longer after awhile.
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| Timing chip tied to my shoes, I loved the race motto |
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| Many families set up their tents to wait for the runners |
Other than the vendors setting up all the food, the whole park was full of families who came and set up their tents and mats on the grass. The whole atmosphere was just a like a huge family event instead of the usual running event I experienced. It was already 8.30am but everyone around me seems to be at no rush to get to the Start Line. I had difficulty making out where is the Start Line was as there was no signage and I'd thought of just following people who were ready and seemed to be heading there, but the groups of people around me were just milling around aimlessly. I remember seeing the placards indicating the estimated finishing time at the roadside when I headed to the park earlier, so I went towards that direction. Some runners were gathered at the side of the road, but seemed to be in no hurry to form up. This reminded me of GCAM, where people just casually stand at whatever pace they like and everyone did not seem to be in a hurry to squeeze themselves to the front of the start pen. There were some mini buses ferrying runners from the nearest carpark (which was also some distance away) to the race site, but gradually the road get deserted when the shuttle service for the morning was over and the runners took over the road to get ready.
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| Runners starting to get ready, those who finish after 2h are all in one big group |
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| Took a selfie since there was a lot of time to spare |
Fortunately, unlike the weather forecast, there was no rain today. Unfortunately, its a rather hot day compared to the weather of the previous days and days after the race. I think it got to 23 degree by 9am and the sun was shining down strong, so I took off my jacket while walking around the park earlier. I waited for 20min to 25min and we were off! I can only remember running back towards the JR/SKS station and then we turned left and ran parallel along the tracks. At times we could see the trains racing with us in the distance, there are lots of lots of paddy rice fields that formed quite a scenery as we ran along. More notably, I felt the heat and the warmth of the summer morning and I could see everyone around me perspiring. For the first few kilometres, I tried to keep up with the pace of the people around me but I knew I could not do that for too long as I was kind of panting from the run. Finally, we came to the first water point after 3km point and as expected, it was rather chaotic as everyone felt hot and thirsty. The water station was actually really long and there was no need to stop at the first few tables to jostle with the rest, there was also sport drinks at every station.
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| 4km point with the paddy field behind |
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| The countryside scenery was actually not too bad |
I slowed down quite a bit and even take walking breaks after the first water point as I did not really do any runs in May and June. In fact, this run is even my first HM for this year. Dont ask me what happened, things were really good in January and February but I slowly lost the motivation and did not even attend any local races except for the Star Wars Run. The weather also got much better after the few first kilometres, there was cloud cover so it was not so hot anymore. It was just a straight road for the first 8km or so, so we just kept on going. I was worried that I was going to be one of the slowest but there were still lots of people behind me, so I took comfort in that and slowed down to my usual marathon pace.
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| About 18 mins ahead from the cut off time |
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| The U-turn point for us |
There were salt, salt candies, sport drinks and water at every water station that were about 2-3km apart. Unlike the major city marathons, other than the race volunteers, there were only scattered farmers who came to cheer us along the way. The U-turn point came early at 9km and it is also the first point where all runners have to meet the cut off timing of 1h 30min (I'm not sure if there was a sweeper bus for this event). After that, we headed back towards the direction we came from but the route was tougher than the first 9km. There were some upslopes and downslopes, even going into the tunnel at some point. I was so so glad that this was just a HM and I was wondering how I ever did my FMs in the past. At the 15km to 16km point, there was not one but two steep upslopes and I gave up running altogether when I see those slopes. At the 17km where the second cut off timing was, we ran through the IUJ (International University of Japan) and I could see a lot of foreign students cheering us on at that water point. The cut off time at this point was 2h 30min and I was only earlier by 4-5min at that point. Nevertheless, it was already the last few kilometres so I pushed on.
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| Can see a few cosplayers running just ahead, kudos to them! |
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| The scenery was actually not too bad and it took my mind off from running |
At this point, it felt the same as running through GBTB or the MBS and heading back towards the Float where we usually start and end our local HM/FM. For this race, the ending part after 20km was the most torturous as we had already turned back into the park but the path ahead was still meandering here and there and seemed to be never-ending. By this point, we could see that some runners had finished and they were walking around the park but where in the world is the end point?? Some runners, like me, had tried to run the last stretch but gave up when we turned here and there but we still did not see the finishing line.
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| Very nice volunteer who removed my timing chip |
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| Guy who dressed up as R2D2/ C3PO finished just before me |
There was a cosplaying competition for this race and it is common for runners to dress up in Japan races, but I really take my hats off these people as it felt tiring enough when I just had my normal gear on. This R2D2/C3PO guy won the cosplay competition and I think he slowed down when people requested for photos, so he ended the race just before me.
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| Receiving the bowl |
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| My finisher cert was printed immediately |
I did not know much about the gourmet marathon concept (except for its name) till after the race. Instead of giving out medals, each of us have one special souvenir bowl and after the race, I could see everyone walking around with mountains of rice in this bowl. This bowl turned out to be a magic bowl as anyone with that can go back for unlimited amount of Koshihikari rice, which is a specialty of Niigata region. The whole race site became a joyful picnic event withe people enjoying the rice with the side dishes sold at the other booths.
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| My finisher's entitlements |
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| Everyone enjoying the food post race |
I walked around to take photographs and collected my bag to pack my stuff. Just at this moment, my tummy started to hurt really bad, I guessed something that I took earlier (could be the fermented drink or the gel) did not agree with my stomach. Fortunately, I already finished the race so I joined the queue for the proper public toilet nearby.
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| Everyone enjoying rice out of the souvenir bowl |
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| The food area where our bowls turned into a magic one |
All finishers were also given 300Y to get some side dishes to go along with the rice, I managed to get a soup with various ingredients for 100Y and wanted to get other stuff but my hands were full. I set down my bowl at an empty table to start enjoying my food before I go back for more dishes. I looked around me and saw that there were some bowls left on the tables with the rice and some dishes, I was bewildered as why would these runners leave their precious bowls behind? Then I realised that the place was safe enough for runners to leave their bowls here and go hunt for more food so I did the same. I left my food there and went to look at the stalls again, I got some karaage chicken and vegetable juice for a refreshing drink this time round. Unfortunately, my stomach started rambling and I had to run to the toilet again, so I did not get to enjoy the feast after the run. As expected, the civic minded Japanese left the place clean after enjoying the food, I could see that nobody left any of the wrappers or empty food containers behind. I hope that my home country can truly become a clean country with the residents doing the same someday.
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| All set to start my feast |
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| Very friendly volunteers gave us the rice |
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| This was all I could carry on my hands for the first round |
After another trip to the toilet, I had no choice but to dispose the food that I could not finish. By this time, the crowd has thinned and everyone was getting ready to pack up and leave the place. As I was walking out towards the train station, there was a prize presentation ceremony of some sort and the air got cooler, with some drops of rain coming down.
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| The cosplayers |
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| There was a volunteer to help us sort out the thrash |
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The final ceremony with some group singing on stage
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The walk back to Urasa station seemed shorter this time round as I knew where I was heading to, many other runners walked with me as the race had wrapped up at the park. I looked around and saw the same observation I've made during my maiden Japan race, people do not change into the flip flops like what we do after our HM/FM in Singapore. For this race, I do see that some runners slipped on more stylish slippers like Nike, Crocs, Birkenstock. Even though I have my Havaianas stowed in my luggage, I felt too shy to wear that taking SKS back to Tokyo. My toes were screaming and felt stifled, so I changed into another pair of sneakers while waiting for the train back to Tokyo.
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| Thankful for the good race |
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| Urasa station (quite rural so I probably will not be here again) |
I took the SKS back to Nagaoka to collect my luggage from the hotel and changed my shoes and T-shirt since there was plenty of time before the next SKS back to Tokyo arrived. I felt glad that I had my Japan Rail Pass as these trips could exceed $100SGD if I decide to reserve seats for all the trips. This is the last day of my rail pass validity, so I decided to make good use of that and travel back to Tokyo for the night. Ueno is only three stops away on the SKS, but the ride took almost 1.5h. It's considered speedy enough for such a long distance covered. As I approached Tokyo, I saw that it was raining quite heavily. According to my friends who were at other parts of Japan, I was lucky that the rain did not disrupt any of my plans after Hoshinoya as it had been quite rainy in many parts of Japan.
Hotel Review: Dormy Inn Ueno
After I alighted at Ueno, I looked around and felt that the week had passed too fast. Almost a week ago, we were here to get our Rail Pass, had our lunch before we depart for the temple and getting snacks before my first ever SKS ride. I digged out my umbrella from the luggage and went on my way to my last hotel for this trip. I was really glad that I brought a really good luggage that went through all these stony paths, rain or shine with me. It was also good that I knew exactly where Dormy Inn was as I did not have to check my phone for navigation while holding the umbrella and pushing my luggage along. It's just next to Sardonyx Ueno where I stayed the previous time.
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| After I entered, another sliding door to separate the room |
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| The toilet and shower area |
Anyway, I was doubly glad that this hotel has an onsen as I could not wait to get myself washed up after the SKS ride in my sticky and smelly skin. The reception of the hotel was at the second floor and I got checked in quite quickly. The design and everything about the hotel looked fresh and new as it only started operation in 2015.
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| Good design to make full use of the space |
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| Bed is facing the door so they have another sliding door |
For a single room, the use of space is rather clever. The design was quite rare as I faced a sliding door separating the bedroom and the bathroom once I stepped in. I guess its because of the layout of the room, people do not like to sleep with their legs facing the door so the extra sliding door was a good way to solve the problem.
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| The dry area of the onsen |
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| The indoor and outdoor onsen |
I quickly settled down and changed to go for a good bath at the onsen. It was about 5.30pm so it should be not be too crowded yet. One of the two things that I did not like about this hotel is the ugly pyjamas provided, the oversized and cheap quality tee made me looked like some cleaning auntie. The other thing that was not so good was that there was only one lift serving the 12 floors, so at times there were some waiting around for the lift to arrive.
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| Bathing area at the onsen |
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| Laundry was free of charge! |
One thing that I really loved about this hotel was the free laundry at the onsen, I only had to pay 100Y to use the dryer and that's really cheap compared to the others hotels I stayed at during this trip. I did most of the laundry the previous night, so I only had to drop in the clothes I wore for the race. The dryer was 100Y was 20min, but it seemed to worked longer than that, and the strong powerful dryer was able to dry my clothes really well so I was happy that I could go home with all my clothes clean.
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| Entrance to the onsen |
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| Loved these very fresh meiji milk in glass jars |
It felt really good after the onsen session and I felt lazy to change and go out in the rain to get dinner or snacks after that. I started updating the blog with my race review and decided to just get the free ramen provided by the hotel as my dinner. At 9.30pm, I promptly made my way down to the 2nd floor where the restaurant was, that was the venue where they serve the free ramen from 9.30pm-11pm nightly. The lift got a bit jammed up during this period as the free ramen was popular among the people staying at the hotel.
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