From 2016 to 2019, Echikan held a special gathering on the evening before race day.
At Oguni Kaikan, local residents prepared and served homemade gottsuo—delicious traditional dishes made with care. Runners and local people came together to share a meal, chat, and enjoy each other’s company.
This gathering continued for four years, but it has not been held since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here, we look back at a few moments from those memorable evenings through photos and documents from the time.
“Gottsuo” is a local Oguni dialect word for “feast” or “delicious food,” derived from the Japanese word “gochisō.”
A Look Back at the 2018 Gathering
Documents from the event:
The menu: A selection of gottsuo
Seating plan
Pre-race gathering program
A Taste of Gottsuo
Inside the Gathering
Discovering Oguni
The gathering had a nostalgic, old-fashioned charm, filled with warm hospitality and a strong sense of community.