Today, March 3rd is a day of Tokyo marathon, one of the largest runners’ race in Japan. The number of participants exceeds 35,000. Because it is held in the largest city of Japan, also because running is booming all over Japan recently, it is so difficult to draw the winning ticket to participate the race. Today’s runners are all very lucky! The course starts at Shinjuku and goes through major sightseeing spots in Tokyo, then finishes at the Imperial Palace near Tokyo railway station. Some major streets in the center of Tokyo are blocked for several hours due to this event.
But unfortunately, it was raining and very cold today. The runners put on rainwear and supporters along the course put up umbrellas to avoid getting wet. I really appreciated a lot of volunteers who prepare drinking water, help runners in trouble, and keep cheering runners up for hours. Besides, I saw many policemen did traffic control far behind the main course, so that the cars do not come in by mistake. The big event cannot be achieved without the efforts of many people behind the scenes.