Trail running sends Tokyo hotfoot to the hills

Hilly Japan has long been a nation of alpinists and weekend ramblers, never more so than in recent years, with terms like Yama Gaaru (Mountain Girl) -- young women who prefer outdoor gear to fashion brands -- entering the vernacular.

Now, fitness fanatics who’ve got used to hiking up Japan’s peaks are taking their treks to the next level in the pursuit of fitness -- trail running.

Monkey See, monkey re-do

As the name implies, trail running involves jogging rather than walking up a mountain. Sounds tiring? You’re missing the point.

Trail runners claim their up-and-down sprints take them closer to the heart of mountain climbing.

“It’s a great chance to experience the same trails in a different way,” enthuses outdoorsman Jiro Takikawa, author of a trail running guidebook. “And our wild animal ancestors undoubtedly spent a lot of their time sprinting up mountainsides, so it’s like getting back to our roots.”

Mount Takao, 599 meters high and within easy reach of Tokyo, is one of the epicenters of the phenomenon. Its popularity as a trail running destination is largely due to its being less than an hour from downtown by train.

The Inari challenge

I chose the Inariyama Course, a 3.1-kilometer trail that snakes up the back of the mountain past a picturesque Inari shrine. In fact, the shrine is a perfect place to stretch for the climb ahead, which is exactly what I do after paying my respects.

I’m a regular jogger, but the first thing I notice during my ascent is how much more energy is needed to go forward. Not only the sheer action of powering uphill, but also the need to stay balanced on uneven ground take their toll on the leg muscles.

Making sure to avoid landing on stones is a key point of trail running; it’s far easier to twist an ankle at speed, especially since trail runners dispense with heavy hiking boots in favor of running shoes.

By the time I make it to the peak, close to an hour later, I’m not sure I’m any closer to being in touch with any furry ancestors. But there’s a definite exhilaration in powering one’s way to the top.

Holy hikers

Trail running may seem like a hip new thing, but like I said, Japan is a nation of alpinists. And in fact, a certain group has been running up and down mountains for centuries now -- practitioners of Shugendo, “warrior monks” who lived and trained in mountains throughout Japan.

Running up mountains has been an essential part of their training since 700 A.D. Maybe trail runners are getting back to their roots after all.