Event Overview
| Date | Nov 21, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Takao Green Center, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan |
| Format | Backyard Ultra |
| Terrain | Mixed |
| Region | Asia |
| Distance / duration | 6.706 km every hour |
| Course model | Loop |
| Edition note | This is the backyard running race, not the 2025 Netflix drama of the same English title. The organizer’s 2026 schedule lists Tokyo as a Bronze race with general entry; entry is first come, first served, and the 2026 entry window is July 18 to 11:59 PM Japan time on October 20, 2026. The race goes ahead only if at least 20 runners enter. Big’s race page also lists November 21, 2026 at 13:00 and labels the race Bronze, but it still shows a 54-yard course record from 2020 and a 30-runner capacity. Yardlore lists the 2026 edition on November 1. Yards completed here count toward Big’s At-Large list, which takes the best results between August 16, 2025 and August 15, 2027. |
| Cutoff | Each 6.706 km yard must be finished within the hour. Yards start exactly on the hour, with whistles 3, 2 and 1 minutes before, and every runner must leave the start area on the signal. No fixed finish: the race continues until one runner is left. |
| Start | 1:00 PM Saturday, November 21 (Japan time) |
| Field size | 28 places in 2026, down from 30 in 2023 to 2025. Yardlore counts 26 starters in 2023, 15 in 2024 and 23 in 2025. |
| Highlights | Small Field of 28, Course Record: 70 Yards |
Last Samurai Standing Tokyo results by year
Last runner standing and next-best result at each Tokyo race. A shared top result means the leaders stopped on the same yard and there was no outright winner.
| Race date | Winner | Yards | Next best |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 22, 2025 | No winner: Shinya Abe, Hideki Okawara and Akihisa Koike | 62 | Takashi Iwasawa, 59 |
| November 1, 2024 | Masaya Nakamura | 57 | Hiroto Komatsu, 56 (assist) |
| November 23, 2023 | No winner: Tetsuo Kiso and Michitaro Mizuno | 70 | Tomoaki Okumura, 62 |
| November 19, 2022 | Tomokazu Ihara | 42 | Yusuke Inanaga, 41 (assist) |
| November 20, 2021 | Yukinori Yoshida | 39 | Shinichiro Fujita, 38 (assist) |
| November 20, 2020 | Yukinori Yoshida | 54 | Terumichi Morishita, 53 (assist) |
| February 8, 2020 | Hisayuki Tateno | 42 | Akio Ueno, 41 (assist) |
Yards come from the organizer’s result pages, which list 2021 to 2025 in Japanese; names for 2022 to 2025 are spelled as Yardlore romanizes them, and the 2020 and 2021 names follow the organizer’s own 2020 spellings. The 2021 date comes from Yardlore and the 2022 date from Yardlore and DUV; the others are on the organizer’s race and result pages.
Sources: Organizer’s 2025 Tokyo results; Organizer’s 2024 Tokyo results and report; Organizer’s 2023 Tokyo results; Organizer’s 2022 Tokyo results; Organizer’s 2021 Tokyo results and report; Organizer’s November 2020 results; Organizer’s February 2020 results; Yardlore: Last Samurai Standing Tokyo edition history.
Course & Terrain
An out-and-back course on a forest road from Takao Green Center. From the start, runners go back and forth three times between the Jizō turnaround and an arbor, then return to the finish, for 6.706 km per yard. The organizer says the turnaround rules may change. Runners must go around the far side of each turnaround cone; a shortcut means instant disqualification and a ban from future races.
Key course features to know before comparing this race:
- Out-and-back forest road from Takao Green Center
- Three round trips per yard between the Jizō turnaround and an arbor
The forest road stays open to cars, hikers and other users, so runners keep left and give way. Big’s describes the surface as gravel road and lists 515 ft (157 m) of climbing per loop; Yardlore lists about 30 m. The organizer gives no climbing figure.
The organizer says average temperatures at race time are around 13°C, dropping below 10°C at night, and asks runners to prepare for the cold. Yardlore recorded 7°C to 18°C in 2025, and the 2024 race was run in rain.
Entry & Logistics
| Registration and fees | Check the official event website for current availability, deadlines, prices, taxes, and refund terms. |
|---|---|
| Qualification | No qualifying race. Open to men and women aged 18 and over who understand what running through a day and a night involves, have trained for it and can deal with problems on their own. Entry costs ¥33,000 including tax, first come, first served, from July 18 to October 20, 2026. Fees are not refunded after payment, except if the race is called off for too few entrants. |
| Support model | Race aid is water and hot water only. Each runner gets a 2.5 m by 2.5 m deposit area inside Takao Green Center, drawn by lottery at check-in, where tents may be pitched. The organizer enrolls runners in sports accident insurance. The winner gets a Bronze Ticket, a starting place in the series’ Silver Ticket race, with its entry fee waived; there is no Bronze Ticket if the race ends without a sole last runner. Runners who pass 24 hours (100 miles) can buy a Tokyo race buckle. |
| Crew / pacers | Up to two support crew per runner, free and interchangeable. Crew may use only the toilets, kitchen and meeting room at Takao Green Center, and may not sleep in the meeting room. Help is allowed only between yards; any support during a yard means disqualification. |
| Logistics note | There is no parking at Takao Green Center. Drivers use a temporary car park about 1 km away, carry their gear along a narrow forest road in an order the organizer assigns after entry, and walk in. By train it is about 45 minutes on foot from Keio Takaosanguchi Station. Runners must use the toilets at Takao Green Center; relieving yourself anywhere else is a disqualification. Runners who drop out may use all the center’s facilities until the race ends. The organizer names Takao Base Camp and TAKAONE as nearby lodging. Bring your health insurance card. |
Why This Race Matters
Backyard Ultra Last Samurai Standing (BULSS) is Japan’s backyard ultra series, now with Bronze races in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Niigata, Ibaraki, Kyoto and Kanagawa and its own Silver Ticket race. The organizer calls the Tokyo race the first backyard ultra held in Japan: the series began on February 8, 2020, and Yardlore counts that race as the first Tokyo edition. Tokyo produced the course record of 70 yards in 2023, when Tetsuo Kiso and Michitaro Mizuno stopped on the same yard and the race had no outright winner.
Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):
- Course record: 70 yards (469.42 km), Tetsuo Kiso and Michitaro Mizuno, 2023. They stopped on the same yard, so there was no outright winner.
- Most yards with an outright winner: 57, Masaya Nakamura, 2024, with Hiroto Komatsu the assist at 56.
- Women’s best: 48 yards, Tomomi Hara, 2024. The organizer says it beat the Japanese women’s record of 45 at the time.
- In 2025, Shinya Abe, Hideki Okawara and Akihisa Koike all stopped at 62 yards, so there was again no winner.
Preparing for a Race Like Backyard Ultra Last Samurai Standing Tokyo
The backyard ultra race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:
- Backyard ultras explained: Rules, distance math, current records and how a race ends.
- Backyard ultra training plan: A 16-week framework with hourly-loop rehearsals and a printable worksheet.
- Backyard ultra race strategy: Loop pacing, the routine between loops, sleep and knowing when to stop.
- Backyard ultra nutrition: A tested fueling routine for eating and drinking between loops.
Best Fit
- Experienced backyard runners chasing a deep result in a small field
- Runners in Japan aiming for the series’ Silver Ticket race
Planning Notes
- Practice the exact hourly routine: loop, eat, foot check, bottle refill, and back to the start. The format rewards repeatability.
- The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
- Trekking poles are banned
- The forest road is open to cars and hikers
- Water and hot water are the only aid supplied
- No refund if the race is cancelled for weather or other causes
Event FAQs
Is the Last Samurai Standing backyard ultra related to the Netflix series?
No. Backyard Ultra Last Samurai Standing is a series of backyard running races in Japan, and this page covers its Tokyo race. The race series has used the name since its first race in February 2020. Last Samurai Standing is also the English title of a Netflix drama based on the novel Ikusagami, which premiered in November 2025.
When and where is the 2026 Last Samurai Standing Tokyo race?
It starts at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at Takao Green Center in Minamiasakawa-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo, and runs until one runner is left. There is no parking at the venue: drivers use a car park about 1 km away, and the walk from Keio Takaosanguchi Station takes about 45 minutes.
How do you enter the Last Samurai Standing Tokyo backyard ultra?
Entry is first come, first served through the organizer’s race page, with 28 places at ¥33,000. Runners must be 18 or over. The 2026 entry window is July 18 to 11:59 PM Japan time on October 20, 2026, and the race needs at least 20 entrants to go ahead. Fees are not refunded.
What is the course record at Last Samurai Standing Tokyo?
70 yards, about 469 km, set in 2023 by Tetsuo Kiso and Michitaro Mizuno, who stopped on the same yard, so there was no outright winner. The most yards by an outright winner is Masaya Nakamura’s 57 in 2024, and the women’s best is Tomomi Hara’s 48, also from 2024.
Related Preparation
- Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
- Browse the 2026 backyard ultra calendar
- Open the Backyard Ultra format guide
- Compare all race formats
- Use the timed-race pace calculator
- Build a backyard yard and rest-time schedule
- Build a crew and drop-bag plan
- Build a race-specific gear checklist
Verification & Sources
Verification scope: the listed edition's date, location, format, and available logistics were checked against the event-specific official sources below during the directory review dated October 20, 2026. Organizers can revise details after review.
- Organizer’s 2026 Tokyo race page: date, rules, entry and access (Japanese) — https://backyardultra.jp/races/2026tokyo/
- Organizer’s 2026–27 race schedule (Japanese) — https://backyardultra.jp/news/1696/
- Big’s Backyard Ultra race page — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/backyard-ultra-last-samurai-standing/
- Organizer’s results archive — https://backyardultra.jp/result
- Yardlore: Last Samurai Standing Tokyo edition history — https://www.yardlore.com/backyards/last-samurai-standing-backyard-ultra-tokyo
- Multiday Running event directory review scope: October 20, 2026.