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Tokyo Olympics

80% Of Japanese Residents Oppose Hosting The Olympic Games Due To Covid-19 Concerns 

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As Japan continues to battle a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, citizens are making their voices heard and telling authority figures that they don’t agree with hosting a worldwide event that will prompt individuals traveling from all over the world to one contained stadium location/ Olympic village. 

The latest survey comes just 10 weeks before the Games are projected to begin, Japan also recently expanded their coronavirus state of emergency to combat the fourth wave they’re currently enduring. 

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Medical professionals in Japan have repeatedly warned government officials that the healthcare industry is being overrun; not to mention the fact that healthcare workers are also getting sick which means there’s less professionals in the nation to help combat the new cases. 

Asahi Shimbun is the paper responsible for the survey, which found that 43% of the respondents want the Games to be totally cancelled, while 40% want it to be postponed again. The paper performed the same survey one month ago, and the most recent results show a 35% increase in those who want a postponement or complete cancellation. 

The poll surveyed a little more than 1,500 residents, of which only about 14% still supported the Games being held in Tokyo this summer. If the Games continue as planned, 59% of the respondents claim they want the event to enforce no spectators, while 33% said they would be okay with a limited capacity policy. 

Ever since it was announced that Tokyo rescheduled the 2020 Summer Olympic Games to this summer the citizens of Japan have been adamant about their disapproval, especially since the world is still battling the Covid-19 virus despite the rollout of multiple vaccines. 

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Kyodo News is a separate paper that also polled Japanese citizens, and they found that about 60% of all respondents want a complete cancellation of the Games; Kyodo News didn’t offer “postponement” as an option either. 

Olympic organizers have claimed multiple times that they’re taking all of the necessary anti-virus measures to protect all parties and athletes involved in the Games. However, the Kyodo poll found that about 88% of respondents worry that the presence of thousands of athletes and staff members from around the world will only further spread the virus and its multiple variants that now exist. 

Japan has seen a much smaller virus outbreak when compared to other countries, with only experiencing 115,000 deaths, however, the country is relatively smaller than the other nation’s that have experienced heavy waves of infections and death. 

The Kyodo Poll also found that 85% of respondents think the Japanese government’s rollout of Covid-19 vaccines has been slow, and 72% said they were unhappy with the government’s handling of the entire pandemic.

Professional Swimmer

Singer Cody Simpson’s Unexpected Bid To Compete In The 2021 Tokyo Olympics 

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Cody Simpson is gearing up to compete at next month’s national championships for swimming in his home country of Australia. The singer will be going up against the nation’s top swimmers before June’s Olympic trials. 

The international singer has always been a competitive swimmer, however, his career as a teen pop icon obviously distracted from that fact. Simpson claims that Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe are among his biggest mentors. His 6.9 million Twitter followers and 3.9 million Instagram followers only recently discovered that one of their favorite performers was also a junior Queensland state champion for swimming. 

According to sources close to Simpson, he began competitively swimming again around five months ago, and has been training non stop in the United States with former Australian Olympian Brett Hawke, who also posted daily updates of Simpson’s progress to his Instagram. 

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Simpson went public with his re-entry into the competitive swimming world back in December, when he revealed to fans his 100 meter butterfly time of 54.7 seconds. That time is below the 56.87 second qualifying mark for the Olympic trials and would have been the 11th fastest time if Simpson competed at the 2019 Australian championships. 

“I just qualified for my first Olympic trials. I’d love to share this personal milestone and let you in on my current journey as an athlete that I’ve kept relatively low key until now. Growing up competing, and then inevitably having to cut my career short as 13-year-old Australian champion when I received an opportunity in music that I couldn’t refuse,”  Simpson wrote on Instagram in December.

Simpson continued to discuss how after years of “touring around the world, releasing albums, performing as a leading man on Broadway, publishing a work of poetry, travelling with and speaking at the United Nations on environmental and oceanic matters, I was fuelled by the silent fire in my stomach to return to swimming.”

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Hawke also recently spoke with the media regarding Simpson’s return, claiming that they “kept it under wraps” for a while so he wouldn’t feel any additional pressure from his millions of fans to succeed. 

“We could’ve said something a little bit earlier but we just didn’t have any swim meets because of Covid … when a swim meet popped up on the radar we thought, ‘let’s go down and have a splash and get off the blocks for the first time … ’ and first swim he gets a qualification for the Olympic trials. It kind of took us all by surprise,” Hawke claimed. 

Hawke then went on to discuss how this is just the beginning for Simpson’s swimming career: “Our goal is to be as fast as we can possibly be this year and just keep building on that. He’s looking at this as a four-year plan, he’s committed to four years. He had a conversation with Michael Phelps, and Michael told him, ‘you can’t do anything in under four years, you’ve got to commit to that’ … so he’s looking at from the age of about 23-27 here, and that’s prime for anybody. I think that’s the best chance he’ll have, to try and make an Olympic team four years from now.”

Olympics

Another Tokyo Olympic Official Has Resigned After Making Sexist Comments 

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The 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games creative director, Hiroshi Sasaki, resigned this week after he made demeaning remarks about well-known Japanese celebrity Naomi Wanatabe. This is now the second Tokyo Olympic official to resign after making offensive comments directed at women; nearly one month ago the president of the organizing committee was forced to resign after making sexist comments. 

The Tokyo Olympics are currently scheduled to begin in four months from now with the Olympic torch relay set to start next week in northeastern Japan; 10,000 runners are set to move across Japan for the next four months. 

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Last year, Sasaki suggested to staff members that well-known entertainer Naomi Watanabe could perform in the ceremony as an “Olympig,” an obvious play on words to the word “Olympic,” and an offensive remark regarding Sasaki’s inappropriate, and uncalled for, view of the entertainers body. 

Watanabe is a major female fashion icon in Japan, and is one of the most famous celebrities in the country as well. The story regarding Sasaki’s remarks were initially reported in the magazine Bunshun, and eventually it was everywhere. Considering this story broke less than a month after the organizing committee’s president was forced to resign for commenting that women talk too much in meetings, it makes sense that Sasaki would be just as ostracized just as quickly. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike spoke on these comments to the press this week as well:

“Sasaki’s comments are extremely embarrassing. When we are talking about what we deliver from Tokyo, or from Japan, we shouldn’t be sending a negative and hateful message.”

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Sasaki released a statement this week announcing his resignation: “For Ms. Naomi Watanabe, my idea and comments are a big insult. And it is unforgivable. I offer my deepest regrets and apologize from the depth of my heart to her, and those who may have been offended by this. It is truly regrettable, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

Current president of the organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, also released a statement this week in a news conference following the resignation. “Sasaki’s replacement would come quickly. I did feel that way but he explained, and his intention was very strong. That is how I felt. For those reasons I decided to accept his resignation. The IOC also received the (magazine) article and they were quite concerned.”

This is yet another hurdle in the multitude of things that the IOC and organizing committee have had to endure when it comes to organizing these Games. Both groups believe that the Games should still go on despite the fact that we are not out of the woods with the Covid-19 pandemic yet, while Japanese citizens have been pushing back. This is officially the most expensive Olympics on record due to the delays and adjustments made within the past year. 

Tokyo Olympics

Japan Confirms Tokyo Olympics Will Happen This Summer Without Foreign Fans

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Japan has officially decided to move forward with the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games without foreign spectators, according to government officials who recently spoke with the Kyodo national news agency. The decision comes after weeks of pressure from Japanese citizens who are worried about the multitude of individuals coming into the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Although there are now multiple vaccines being distributed throughout the world, the new variants and lack of consistency regarding vaccine distribution throughout the world tells us that we’re not totally out of the woods yet with this pandemic, so we have to be precautious. Kyodo is the national news source that typically gets its information directly from the government, who reported this week that no spectators would be admitted from abroad to witness the Games this year. 

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Japan overall has handled the Covid-19 pandemic well. The nation in total has registered less than 450,000 cases and 8,000 deaths total; for reference they have a population of about 126 million. Tokyo, where the Olympics will be occurring, accounts for about 37 million people in that population. 

The Japanese public have been voicing their overwhelming opposition to hosting the Games this summer since the end of last year. Many citizens don’t even want them to be postponed again, and instead just want them to be cancelled altogether until the world has truly returned to a sense of normalcy and Covid-19 isn’t even a part of the conversation when it comes to the Olympics. 

About 80% of citizens who were polled stated that they think the Olympics should be rescheduled, moved, or cancelled altogether. The Games were already postponed after last year when the Covid-19 pandemic was first hitting the world. Ever since that initial postponement, Tokyo Olympic officials and the International Olympic Committee have been debating how to pull off the Games this summer, if at all. 

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Tokyo Olympic officials released a 33-page playbook last month that’s full of fuels for behavior for every party involved in the Olympics. This release was to show the public that they’ve prepared adequately to host the event safely. 

“The document offered guidelines for behavior for certain groups of people who are going to attend the Olympics, including athletes and their entourages, but it made no mention of foreign fans, specifically.”

There have been no conversations so far regarding vaccine requirements for athletes, fans, and other parties who will be present at the Games. Japan itself has only just started rolling out vaccines to its citizens as well, with reports of the first doses being administered in mid-February. 

For now it’s still unclear what the 2021 Summer Games will look like, and with a few months and hundreds of millions of vaccines left to be distributed throughout the world, the guidelines are surely subject to change. 

Tokyo Olympics

Postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics Will Likely Not Allow Fans From Abroad To Attend 

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Tokyo Olympic organizing committee President Seiko Hashimoto recently hinted at the possibility that no foreign fans would be allowed at the Tokyo Games this year after talking with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and other Olympic executives. Hashimoto didn’t directly say that this rule would be enforced, however, it’s likely that in the coming months the announcement will be made official. 

Japanese newspaper Mainichi cited unnamed sources that were apparently “involved in the discussions” in which Olympic organizers claimed that foreign fans would be excluded from the Games this year due to safety concerns and the uncertainty surrounding where the world will be at with the Covid-19 pandemic by this summer. 

“If the situation is tough and it would make the (Japanese) consumers concerned, that is a situation we need to avoid from happening,” organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said after discussing how the decision on foreign fans will be officially made by the end of the month. She specifically is wanting one by March 25th, when the torch relay is projected to begin. 

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The Olympic Games are currently expected to open on July 23rd, and according to the Mainichi newspaper, “unnamed government officials already know that in the current situation it is impossible to bring in foreign spectators.”

80% of residents in Japan have claimed that they want the Games to be postponed again, or fully cancelled this year due to the pandemic and health and safety concerns. Japan has overall controlled the pandemic much better than most countries, however, they still experienced 8,000 deaths. 

The subject of fans was a key part of the five-party talks with Bach, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa, according to Hashimoto. 

“We will focus on the essentials. That means mainly the competitions. This has to be the clear focus. In this respect we may have to set one or another priority.”

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The exclusion of fans is nothing new to the conversation surrounding the Olympics this year. The Japanese public has adamantly opposed the Games overall, claiming that allowing outsiders from dozens of countries to come into a small arena sounds like the last thing anyone should participate in during a global pandemic. 

According to Bach, “the games will involve 11,000 Olympic athletes, and later 4,400 Paralympians, and tens of thousands of coaches, judges, sponsors, media and VIPs. I was encouraged at the number of national Olympic committees that were getting athletes vaccinated.”

It’s important to note that the IOC said it encourages vaccinations but will not require them. The general plan as of right now is to isolate athletes in an Olympic Village located along Tokyo Bay. Once they arrive they will be placed in a bubble until they leave the nation; kind of like the NBA bubble at Disney but at a much larger scale. 

“A decision on venue capacity will be made by the end of April. We need to look at the overall situation before we decide on any percentage rates. We believe we will not be accepted unless the citizens feel confident that sufficient countermeasures are taken. Having fewer fans will be costly. The organizing committee has budgeted income of $800 million from ticket sales. That shortfall will have to be made up by Japanese government entities,” Hashimoto explained. 

Only time will tell if and how the 2021 postponed Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be possible. 

Legendary Olympic Athlete, Seiko Hashimoto, Named President Of Tokyo Games 

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Seven-time Olympian Seiko Hashimoto made history as the “multi-season” athlete who appeared in four winter Games and three summer ones. Now, she’s breaking barriers and making headlines again after it was announced that the 56-year-old legend will be president of the Tokyo Olympic organization committee. 

In Japan it’s still rare to see women in executive positions of political power. In fact, the committee that Hashimoto is joining is 80% male. She’s replacing Yoshito Mori, the former Japanese prime minister who was forced into resignation last week after making sexist comments regarding women. Hashimoto spoke with the press recently about her excitement to take on this role. 

“Now I’m here to return what I owe as an athlete and return back what I received.” 

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Hashimoto has been serving as the Olympic minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and also has a ton of experience dealing with issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment. She claimed that Tamayo Marukawa will be filling her role as Olympic minister while she transitions into her new position. 

“Of course, it is very important what Tokyo 2020 as an organizing committee does about gender equality. I think it will be important for us to practice that equality,” Hashimoto said according to the translator present at the conference she spoke at this week. Hasimoto made these comments and discussed issues of gender inequality as she sat between two of the most powerful men on the committee. 

She discussed how organizing committees are always male-dominated, and of the ones she’s seen have never had any female vice presidents, citing that the executive board is currently 80% male; for reference there’re around 3,500 employees working for the board. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach recently spoke with the media about how Hashimoto was “the perfect choice” for taking on this role. 

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“With the appointment of a woman as president, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee is also sending a very important signal with regard to gender equality.” 

For some background, Hashimoto competed in cycling in the 1988, ‘92, and ‘96 Summer Olympics, and then transitioned to speedskating for the 1984, ‘88, ‘92, and ‘94 Winter Olympics. She only won one medal, a bronze at the 1992 Albertville Games in speedskating, however, her seven Olympic appearances are the most from any “multi-season” athlete in Olympic history, according to historian Dr. Bill Mallon. 

Polls are currently showing that about 80% of the Japanese public want the Olympics to be postponed or cancelled due to concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, the thought of bringing tens of thousands of athletes from all over the world to one contained city seems like the worst idea in the middle of a global pandemic, however, it’s unclear whether or not the Games will be moved again. 

Japan ranks 121 out of 153 on the World Economic Forum’s annual gender equality ranking when it comes to women in positions of power. Naming a woman as president will hopefully be the breakthrough Japan needs to rank higher on that list, and bring more women to the forefront of executive leadership.

Olympic Rings

Florida Official Wants 2021 Olympics To Take Place In His State Amid Cancellation Rumors 

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Jimmy Patronis is Florida’s chief financial officer who recently wrote the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in an effort to get them to move the upcoming summer Games to his state should they be canceled in Tokyo. 

Patronis wrote the IOC this Monday, requesting that they relocate the 2021 Games to Florida should they be canceled or postponed again; the Summer Games were initially meant to happen in Summer 2020 but obviously the Covid-19 pandemic postponed that. 

In his letter he cited a recent report from Japanese officials that apparently already decided they would be canceling the Games this year completely due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The IOC adamantly denied the legitimacy of that report, however, and claimed that the government in Japan has made no such announcement yet. 

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“There is still time to deploy a site selection team to Florida to meet with statewide and local officials holding the Olympics in the Sunshine State.”

Patronis continued on to claim that he would greatly “welcome the opportunity to pitch Florida and help the IOC make the right contacts to get this done.” He argues that Florida’s “ample hotel capacity and well-maintained transportation network” would allow it to successfully hold the Games and that the “12 major universities that have existing sports facilities” could be used as well. 

“I think most importantly, we have a state with leaders who are willing to get this done,” Patronis claimed. Unfortunately for him, it’s going to be pretty much impossible for the 2021 Games to be held in the Sunshine State. The IOC has not only already committed to holding the Games in Tokyo, but with only six months until the projected start of the Games, there’s literally no way for the committee to start from scratch and plan a worldwide event during a global pandemic. 

IOC has also made it very clear that there is no “Plan B” in place in regards to a new location to hold the Games, and even if they were interested in moving them to Florida, it would take the entire support of the federal governments from both Japan and the US to get behind it. This would also never happen as both government bodies are currently busy dealing with a global health crisis. 

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Victor Matheson is an economist who is considered an expert in Olympic economic impacts for local communities. Matheson recently spoke with the press about Patronis’ suggestion, calling the plan “batsh*t insane.”

“The idea that just because Florida has a lot of hotels that they could organize an entire Olympics event within six months is absolutely crazy.”

The coronavirus also is obviously a major reason why the Games would never come to Florida of all places. Within the US Florida is number 3 in terms of states with the most Covid-19 cases. The state has been a hotspot for the virus on multiple occasions, and the state government has pretty much ignored every social distance rule, mask mandate, and any other health and safety policy meant to curb the spread of Covid-19; you can currently go out to clubs and bars in Florida without a mask. 

Regardless of any further efforts from Florida officials to try to get the Games to move locations, the IOC will continue to move forward with having the Olympics in Tokyo. The Games could potentially be postponed or cancelled all together this summer again pending how much worse or better the pandemic gets. 77% of Japanese citizens are in favor of canceling or postponing the Games again, so only time will tell if the world will see and Olympics this year or not.

Japn Covid-19 Lockdown

Japan Enters New State Of Emergency To Contain Spread Of Covid-19 

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Japan has entered into a “light” state of emergency that is projected to last a month, however, public health experts in the country already believe that it will take longer to sufficiently slow down the rate in which the Covid-19 virus is spreading. 

Japan has reported record breaking new daily infections for at least two days in the last week, and the capital of Tokyo is facing some of the worst rates it’s seen in months. Hitoshi Oshitani, a professor of virology at Tohoku University and a member of the expert panel advising the government, recently spoke with the press regarding the current timeline the nation has set up in regards to curbing the spread. 

“I’m not sure if the situation can become better within a month. It’s certainly much more difficult to control the current situation compared to the outbreak in summer.”

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Japan has entered into a more limited state of emergency, meaning remote work is being encouraged, and restaurant hours have been reduced. Movie theaters, gyms, karaoke bars, and theme parks are all set to remain open as well with reduced hours, and large events are still permitted with a reduced capacity; for reference in their initial state of emergency all of those businesses were completely shut down. 

For the time being, these measures only apply to the capital of Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures. In order for the emergency status to be lifted these regions must emerge from their current “Stage 4” rankings; stage 4 is the highest stage an area can be in Japan, and is determined by hospital capacity, positive test rates, and weekly increases in new infections. 

Shigeru Omi is the head of the panel of experts that is advising the government on these states of emergency, and recently spoke with the media about how initially he believed it would to be “next to impossible” for the nation to emerge from their state of emergency in just a month, however, after analyzing the recent data he seems more hopeful for the future. 

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“It’s not very easy but I believe it’s possible to reduce the infections to a Stage 3 level within a month if everyone does their best.” 

Omi went on to explain that residents need to fully follow the suggested measures by staying home and avoiding all nighttime dining, drinking, and partying; which as we’ve seen here in America, is quite difficult to do when the government keeps these establishments open. He also explained that the government will need to push for legal changes so that establishments that refuse to follow these rules will be punished through fines. 

Japan last entered a state of emergency in the spring which began in just seven prefectures, but eventually expanded to be nationwide. The state of emergency slowly began being phased out in May of last year. 

While Japan was highly praised in the beginning of this pandemic for its success in containing the virus without imposing strict lockdowns, after a while a slew of challenges began appearing. Cases initially began increasing across the country in November, and have remained on the rise ever since. Tokyo being the city hit the hardest, Omi and other experts are hopeful that the nation can return to a greater sense of normalcy by February.

Tokyo Olympics 2020

Tokyo Olympic Organizers And IOC Conflict Over Who Pays For Postponement Of Games

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Tokyo Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are in the middle of an intense financial feud over who will cover the costs for the “unprecedented yearlong postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.”

A spokesperson for Tokyo’s organizers, Masa Takaya, recently said that the organizing committee has asked the IOC, which is based in Switzerland, to remove a specific statement on the IOC’s website that suggests the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, has agreed that Japan would pay for a majority of the postponement costs. This is what began the initial conflict. 

“It will now be the work of the IOC to assess all the challenges induced by the postponement of the Games, including the financial impact for the Olympic Movement. The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting successful Games. At the same time, the IOC has stressed its full commitment to the successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The IOC and the Japanese side, including the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, will continue to assess and discuss jointly about the respective impacts caused by the postponement,” according to the IOC.

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For context, media reports in Japan have estimated that the yearlong postponement brought on by the coronavirus pandemic will likely cost up to $6 billion when all is said and done. That’s an estimation, as the actual cost of postponing and rescheduling an Olympics isn’t something that’s ever had to be calculated. In fact, the Olympic games have never actually been postponed before; they have been cancelled three times though, all for war related reasons.  

“It’s not appropriate for the prime minister’s name to be quoted in this manner,” Takaya said. Within IOC’s Frequently Asked Questions page, the organization went on to also claim that Japan “will continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs.”

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After the initial complaint from Tokyo, the IOC removed Abe’s specific name from any questions regarding financial obligations. The edited version is what’s quoted above: “The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfill its responsibility for hosting successful games.”

Regardless of the feud between Japan and the IOC, technically and legally, it’s up to the Japanese government to pay for a majority of the costs for the postponement, however, it’s a relatively sensitive time to be mentioning the costs of a sporting event while there’s a worldwide pandemic that’s already greatly impacting the economy. 

Under the terms of the Host City Contract that Tokyo signed in 2013, the city of Tokyo, the Japanese Olympic Committee and local organizers are obligated to always pay most of the costs. Section 68 of the contract reads: “Unless expressly stipulated otherwise in this contract, all obligations of the city, the NOC and/or the OCOG pursuant to this contract, shall be at their expense.”

The Tokyo Olympics are projected to begin on July 23rd 2021, and as of right now the Japanese Olympic Committee and government itself is focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, and rehabilitating their country/economy. Only time will tell how much this olympic postponement will further affect their economy as well.

Olympics

Japan Offering Virtual Tours In Light Of The 2020 Olympic Games Being Postponed

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The coronavirus pandemic has obviously put a lot of major annual events on hold. Coachella, the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and now, most recently, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been postponed until 2021. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the world’s biggest sporting competition that brings millions of individuals from all over the world together for two months was postponed due to health and safety concerns regarding the very contagious nature of COVID-19, however, many fans are still left extremely disappointed. 

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were originally scheduled to begin on July 24th, but they will now be postponed 12 months as a part of a greater effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Before the final verdict was even announced this week, countries began pulling out of the Games for the same health and safety concerns, including Germany, Canada, and Australia. 

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“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the World Health Organization today, the International Olympic Committee president and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community. [We] wish for the world to see Tokyo as a beacon of hope and will leave the Olympic flame in the city until the Games commence next year,” Japan’s Prime Minister and IOC president said in a joint statement from the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee.

The Japan National Tourism Organization is also passionate about maintaining the image of Tokyo being seen as a “beacon of hope,” so they’re offering something special for all disappointed spectators who now have to wait another year before they’re able to explore the wonders of Japan. The organization created a 360-degree virtual tour for the entire country. 

The tour itself, according to the website, will include some of Japan’s most notable attractions, such as the Tokyo Tower, Kyoto’s Sagano Bamboo Forest, Nara Park, and so much more! One of the experiences offered takes the form of a documentary style film titled Japan: Where Tradition Meets the Future, and can be viewed on YouTube from any of your personal devices. If you have Virtual Reality goggles you’ll be able to watch the film as if you’re in every part of Japan that’s being explored. 

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The film isn’t the only immersive Japan experience being offered; if you’re taking a more laid back approach to your time in quarantine, there’s a 24-hour live-stream of Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, which is one of the most famous metropolitan crosswalks in Asia because of how mesmerizing it can be to watch, and if you don’t believe me, just see for yourself.

Other live-stream services that Japan’s National Tourism Organization provides includes a live-stream of the Nihondaira Zoo, which is perfect for anyone in need of some wholesome wildlife content. Along those same lines the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park also set up a webcam for onlookers worldwide. 

Cat cafes have become synonymous with Japanese culture, specifically in Tokyo where they initially became so popular. Now, customers can make a cup of their favorite hot beverage at home and tune into the live-stream of Neko Café, one of Tokyo’s most famous cat cafes, where you’ll be able to relax with some furry friends all through your computer screen. 

Finally, one of the hottest tourist attractions in Japan would have to be viewing the blossoming of their iconic cherry blossom trees. Luckily, there are now several 360-degree virtual reality videos featuring the pink flowers in full bloom in some of Japan’s most beautiful parks such as Ueno Park in Tokyo, Miharu Falls in Fukushima, and Hirosaki Park.

So while we may have to wait another year to watch the world’s most powerful athletes come together to compete for gold, we can still take a virtual trip from the comfort of our own home and experience a whole new culture.