I Ran 42KM Across Tokyo to Find Abandoned Houses

Quick Overview

The creator ran the Tokyo Marathon 2026, covering the entire course across six wards (Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Minato, Chuo, Taito, and Sumida) while documenting abandoned homes (akiya) found along the route, ultimately locating 89 akiya despite suffering from leg pain toward the end of the race.

Key Points: The creator ran the entire Tokyo Marathon course, covering 42.195km, to document abandoned homes (akiya) in six specific wards. The final tally found 89 akiya across the six wards: Shinjuku (29), Chiyoda (3), Minato (12), Chuo (12), Taito (14), and Sumida (19). The marathon race time was 02:56:24, finishing slightly slower than the creator's target time of 2 hours and 53 minutes. The creator encountered several other runners, including notable YouTubers like Miki and Suguru Osako, and received encouragement from spectators. The search focused on finding abandoned homes hidden in plain sight, often in residential or less commercial areas between the major landmarks. The creator experienced significant leg pain after the 30 KM mark (12 KM remaining), stating the pain was 'really bad' by the end. The video was recorded on March 1, 2026, with pre-race footage showing packet pickup on October 5, 2025.

Context: This video documents an ambitious personal challenge undertaken by the creator: running the Tokyo Marathon while simultaneously searching for and documenting abandoned residential properties, known as 'akiya,' across six of Tokyo's 23 wards. The challenge combines endurance running with urban exploration, highlighting the contrast between Tokyo's status as one of the world's most valuable cities and the underlying issue of vacant housing.

Detailed Analysis

The video chronicles the creator's experience running the Tokyo Marathon 2026, which served as the framework for a challenge to find abandoned homes (akiya) across six specific wards: Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Minato, Chuo, Taito, and Sumida. The video begins with pre-race preparation footage from October 2025, showing the packet pickup, and then transitions to race day, March 1, 2026. The creator initially struggles with the pace during the early stages, aiming for a sub-2:53 finish, and passes fellow YouTubers Miki and Suguru Osako. The marathon route takes the runner through distinct areas, marked by overlaid maps showing progression through Shinjuku (Ward 1), Chiyoda (Ward 2), Minato (Ward 3), Chuo (Ward 4), Taito (Ward 5), and Sumida (Ward 6). In each ward, the creator briefly showcases an example of an akiya found nearby, noting that some were harder to spot than others, such as a tiny shack in Taito or an ivy-covered structure in Minato. The physical toll of the marathon becomes evident after the 30 KM mark, as the creator notes severe leg pain, ultimately finishing with a total time of 2:56:24, missing the target time. The video concludes by summarizing the results: 89 total akiya were documented across the six wards, with Shinjuku having the highest count (29) and Chiyoda the lowest (3). The final message contrasts the immense economic value of Tokyo with the quiet disappearance of nearly 9 million vacant homes nationwide, 647,000 of which are in Tokyo's 23 wards.