The World's Best Track?

It has been almost two years since I moved to Tokyo.

A year has passed since we started the DREAM Athletics Class as part of the Ami Athlete Club's activities in Tokyo, and we have reached a point where we can train in a very good atmosphere.

This is a story about Oda Field, which we also use several times a month for DREAM.

Yoyogi Park Athletics Stadium (commonly known as Oda Field) is an athletics stadium that stands prominently within Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo.

For the past year, I have been using this sacred place, which every runner in Tokyo knows, for practice sessions and the like.

It might feel a bit late to talk about this, but I hope to convey at least a little bit of it to those who don't know about that phenomenal sight, just as I didn't.

First, three reasons why I was impressed

1. The number of people

As far as I know, there is no other stadium in the world with such a high population density. During the busiest times, it takes a considerable amount of concentration to get out once you enter the lane. You gain abilities that you can't easily develop just by running, haha. It makes me think it's a miracle that everyone's training works out with almost no accidents, despite having that many people on a 400m, 8-lane track.

2. Free access days

According to the official information, free access days are the first Sunday, the third Saturday, every Wednesday, and every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday night, as well as times when it is not being used by groups. While there are occasionally stadiums in regional areas that can be used for free, it is rare to find a place in the heart of Tokyo that has free access days and is also equipped with night lighting.

3. Wide age range of runners

It was used by runners of all ages and levels, from little kids to the elderly generation. Until now, I thought athletics stadiums were places that were hard for people without a certain level of expertise to enter. However, I didn't feel that atmosphere at Oda Field. When I went abroad for training in the past, I loved the homey feeling of warming up with an elderly person from the neighborhood before starting track practice, and I feel something similar here. And it's even more amazing because it's crowded with such people, haha.

Why do I want to use it?

I was surprised not only by the atmosphere and the number of people but also by the number of teams and groups. Although I haven't counted, there are so many teams doing their own practice, so I think even runners who are just thinking about starting to run can find a team they can enjoy according to their own level and enthusiasm. There are many individual runners, but since so many people are running, you can quickly find runners running at about the same speed, giving you the feeling of training together. It's attractive to find someone to push each other with rather than going to the stadium alone to push yourself. I think there are many repeaters because you can just go to Oda and have discoveries, like 'Oh, there's a team like that,' and it's easy to find friends to enjoy running with.

Also, although there are general rules, they aren't clearly written down, so even I, who initially felt uncomfortable running with such a large number of people, started to notice the wonderful teamwork and the people leading or calling out as they ran after going many times, and I was surprised that it had reached the level of art. The regular users kindly welcome runners like us who are just starting to use it, and they call out to us, so it was really reassuring that I gradually understood the rules while running. It was the moment I felt that I was allowed to use it too.

I always walk to Shibuya Station after the practice session. On the way, we always chat while having dinner. It is a happy thing for many runners to share delicious food at the table with friends right after practice, and regardless of performance level, there shouldn't be anyone who dislikes eating a delicious meal after working up a good sweat. Haha.

The time spent walking during that 10-minute journey saying 'What shall we eat today!' feels very happy and becomes a habit.

Now that I am a repeater because it is an easy place to use, I intend to continue to follow the rules and enjoy running at Oda Field. I think it is a wonderful place where there are many moments when I can think, 'This is the best in the world!'

It was a bit late, but I'm glad I could recommend it in my own words again.

So, with that said, I'm off to Oda for practice again today!