箱 根 駅 伝(はこねえきでん)

はこねえきでん

noun (proper)

Hakone Ekiden (New Year university relay race)

1. Hakone Ekiden, the New Year university relay race

A two-day university relay road race held on January 2 and 3, in which teams of ten runners race from central Tokyo to Lake Ashi in Hakone and back, about 217 kilometers in all. Broadcast live for hours, it is a fixture of the New Year holidays.

箱根駅伝(はこねえきでん)を見(み)る。

Watch the Hakone Ekiden.

お正月(しょうがつ)は家族(かぞく)で箱根駅伝(はこねえきでん)を応援(おうえん)する。

At New Year our family cheers on the runners in the Hakone Ekiden.

箱根駅伝(はこねえきでん)の山登(やまのぼ)りの区間(くかん)で活躍(かつやく)した選手(せんしゅ)は「山(やま)の神(かみ)」と呼(よ)ばれる。

A runner who stars on the Hakone Ekiden's uphill mountain leg is called a "god of the mountain."

First held in 1920. The teams come mainly from universities in the Kantō region.

Common expressions

往路(おうろ) / 復路(ふくろ): the outbound race (January 2) and the return race (January 3)
山(やま)の神(かみ): the star runner of the fifth, uphill leg
たすきをつなぐ: to pass on the relay sash — also used figuratively for carrying on someone's work

Cultural note

Watching the race on TV between New Year meals is a family ritual for many households, and a strong Hakone showing raises a university's profile with prospective students.

general

Added 2026.9.24 21:22 · Revised 2026.9.24 21:24

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