Running shoe brand with a huge following in the U.S., <BROOKSTo celebrate the 111th anniversary of its founding in 1914, the brand's first pop-up store opened in Harajuku, Tokyo, from February 22 to March 2, 2025.
Brooks' running shoes are known for their honest manufacturing and high quality. Many of the members of our handsome Hui-Nam Running Club are also loyal users. So, in celebration of the first pop-up, we decided to hold a group run at the store.
The participants were as follows. When we invited participants on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of 15, we were inundated with applications. The number of participants exceeded the limit faster than expected, but thanks to Brooks, everyone was allowed to participate. Thank you, Brooks!
All participants wore "Brooks," as well as shoes.
These shoes are the Glycerin MAX. These are road running shoes with the thickest midsole in Brooks' history. The foam material used is DNA Tuned, a next-generation nitrogen-infused foam that is soft and resilient.
Now, let's get started running!
The course for the day was a 6.5 km round course starting from the Brooks pop-up store in Harajuku, passing through the Yoyogi Gymnasium and Yoyogi Park, heading toward Sendagaya from Harajuku Station, and returning to the starting point from the National Stadium through the Uraharajuku area.
While enjoying the cushioning and resilience of Brooks' shoes, we will run through Yoyogi Park at night.
Walking at a slower pace in busy areas such as in front of Harajuku Station, we crossed the intersection of Sendagaya Elementary School and Gaien Nishi Dori Avenue in the direction of the National Stadium.
Finally, back through Uraharajuku to the Brooks pop-up store.
And the finish! The 6.5-kilometer run was completed. The participants must have enjoyed running through the streets of Tokyo at night with everyone else, and were reminded once again of the comfort of Brooks shoes.
The reward for finishing the run is, I don't have to tell you, a thing.
The evening ended with everyone toasting and deepening friendships with beer in hand.
The pop-up store also has an ema (votive votive tablet) corner, where visitors can write their wishes and goals on Brooks' original votive tablet and tie it to a votive tablet.
The words on the ema, such as "complete 100 miles" and "achieve sub-3," are words that only runners can write. After the pop-up store closes, the ema will be dedicated to Kameari Katori Shrine, which enshrines the "god of victory" and the "god of health for legs and feet. We hope everyone's wishes and goals will come true.
Brooks' first pop-up store closed on March 2. Let's hope it will be held again someday. We can only hope that eventually a permanent flagship store will open in Japan.
Photo_Shintaro Mitsui
Text_Issey Enomoto
