Kanagawa · Odawara, Kanagawa
Odawara Castle & Coast Course
Facilities at This Course
Course Highlights
- ✓A reconstructed castle keep with stone ramparts and pine trees, minutes from the station
- ✓Sagami Bay seafront within the same run — castle and ocean in one loop
- ✓Shinkansen access: 35 minutes from Tokyo Station
- ✓Gateway to Hakone, so it pairs naturally with an onsen afternoon
- ✓Kamaboko and seafood along the old castle-town streets
About This Course
Odawara was the seat of the Hojo clan and one of the great fortified castle towns of feudal Japan, and the reconstructed keep still dominates the town from its stone ramparts. For a runner it offers something unusual: a genuine historic landmark and an open ocean seafront within the same easy loop, reachable from Tokyo in about half an hour by Shinkansen. The natural route runs from the station into Castle Park, loops the moats and ramparts beneath the keep — the grounds are open, the paths are gravel and stone, and there is enough gentle climbing around the walls to make it interesting — then heads south through the old town to the Sagami Bay shoreline. The coast here is a long shingle beach facing open water, with the Hakone mountains rising behind you and, on clear winter days, Mt. Fuji visible inland. Returning along the seafront and back through the town gives roughly 8 km. What makes Odawara worth the trip is what surrounds the run. It is the gateway station for Hakone, so a morning run here fits naturally before an afternoon in the hot springs — see the Hakone Lake Ashi course if you want to make a full day of it. The town itself is known for kamaboko fish cake and seafood, and the old streets between the castle and the sea have the kind of long-established shops that castle towns keep. Two practical notes: the castle keep interior has an admission fee and set hours, though the park grounds you actually run through are free and open; and the seafront road can be exposed and windy, which is bracing in winter and hard work in summer.
How to Get There
Take JR Tokaido Line / Tokaido Shinkansen / Odakyu Line to Odawara Station. The course start is a 8-minute walk from the station.
Nearby Running Stations
Facilities for changing, storing luggage, and showering before and after your run.
Odawara Station Coin Lockers
小田原駅コインロッカー
Plenty of coin lockers at Odawara Station, a Shinkansen stop with good luggage capacity. Toilets and water are available in Odawara Castle Park and along the seafront.
Official websiteFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about running Odawara Castle & Coast Course.
