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Japan marks 3 years to go until 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

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33 Comments
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Oh god, they really are going to be like this for the next three years. I'm already sick of hearing about the Olympics.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Many Japanese media and ad corporations instigate positive impression for Olympics,

and have featured young olympian everyday.

on the other hand,

same generation's young Japanese became "sacrifice" for Olympics business.

it is exploitation under the name of Olympics.

since "under control" speech by Shinzo Abe,

Olympics 2020 is full of deception.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Work-from-home day.

In Japan.

That's hilarious.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

boost excitement in the buildup

I'll be excited if they DON'T go 3 times over budget.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The central government has designated July 24 as a day for telecommuting in a bid to ease traffic congestion on the day the Olympics opens by encouraging people to work at home.

Or they could make it national holiday so's everyone can stay at home anyways? Let's face it, anyone 'working from home' is going to spend more time in front of the box watching the Opening Ceremony than they are going to spend working.

Aren't they?

I'm lucky, every day is work-from-home day for me.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

In Chiba Prefecture, professional surfers showed off their skills Monday at the Tsurigasaki Beach, the site selected as the Olympics surfing venue. Masaya Mabuchi, mayor of Ichinomiya town, which hosts the beach, collected trash at the site together with event participants, saying, "Let's welcome people from around the world."

Don't bother trying to get a glimpse of this event. There is next to no parking there and the closest train station is miles away from the beach. It will be a good time to go surfing in Ibaraki.

August is notoriously the worst month in Japan for surf. It will most likely be flat or just small and mushy onshore dribble. Or, if there is a typhoon, it will be an unsurfable whitewash.

This is definitely going to be a terrible debut for Olympic surfing.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Masaya Mabuchi....collected trash at the site together with event participants....

Presumably because they don't have regular trash collection at this recreational beach in summer. Is this how it's going to be during the Olympics? The garbage will only get picked up when politicians decide to drop by for photo ops?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

That's the plan according to the Japanese news.

Sport Day will be held that day for the Olympics instead of October that year. (Also hiding the fact that people were much smarter in Japan in the past and held this event in October.)

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Those are going to be long three years of downs and apologies until they culminate in a major failure, if not overall, then at least once during the ceremony. Unless the whole government and people responsible are reshuffled.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

There is so much Japan in this photo!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

A one second glance at the included photo summarizes the mindset here. You have a never ending list of problems with logistics, costs which aren't even fully realized still, housing shortages for athletes AND visitors, and on and on it goes - and what are these people doing about it? Stretches and exercises. God help this country.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

One participant is not blending in very well in the pic. What happened to teamwork?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Whoop de do.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'd better start planning where to spend two weeks in summer of 2020 'cause it won't be in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It's a good time to visit Australia. Or Uruguay.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Yep I agree about the surfing event..Too bad cause it's what I'm most interested in, as a surfer.

Anyway, I too plan to not be in Tokyo during that time.. It's gonna be a mess, and there's no way I'm commuting in that on top of the usual crowds and hot weather.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I'm so glad that here in Massachusetts, we told the Olympics to go pound sand.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Criminal waste of money. Are the displaced of Fukushima still living in "only for 2 years temporary housing" cheering??

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I can't wait to be waiting in lines for endless hours in sweltering jungle heat to get into events, get a drink, go to the bathroom so I can cheer professionals running and jumping.

How exciting! And I can see mascots. Kawaiiii!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wow Thats good waiting...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

i'm lucky, every day is work-from-home day for me.

Plus one, an intense social situation can seem almost impossible to navigate.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I've managed to avoid seeing or hearing anything from the last 2 Olympics - gonna be tougher to avoid it now it's here, but darn I'll try my best to avoid anything to do with this one, too.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Oh boy! Only three years until the still lingering Piko Taro puts out his hit theme for the Olympics "Where Are From?" and it becomes the bane of everyone everywhere.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Kids stuff. That doesn't help. This is an Olympic Game.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Work from home for one day a year to ease congestion? I bet that idea came from the same person who came up with "Premium Friday".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Disillusioned

I totally agree with you on the challenges of trying to watch Olympic surfing on location!

Though, I've found August and September to have some of the best surf Japan has to offer. Surfers here, live for Typoon season! The problem is, each year is different and Japan is notoriously not known for its consistent surf. That's problematic for any surfing event, especially on a Olympic forum.

If I'm not surfing at the time, I'll happily whatch the event on TV.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Stewart Hayward - Though, I've found August and September to have some of the best surf Japan has to offer. Surfers here, live for Typoon season!

Yeah, the east coast of Japan does get some good swells in August, but there is nowhere around kujukuri, torami that will hold the swell. Even onjuku won't hold it. There are places in the far south of Chiba that do hold the swell, but this event won't be mobile like the WSL. They will be fixed at the one venue and the surf is never good in August. I've surfed the Chiba and Ibaraki coasts for over 15 years and March/April/May or Sept/October/November are the months to get waves.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm dreading the horror and toe curling embarrassment of the inevitable mascot overload. Not kawaii, just infantile.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cultural superiority anyone?

No, my personal opinion.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah, like you didn't get that opinion from your culture. I believe you. I really do.

Unless you live in isolation, you are influenced by loads of different cultures. Maybe you live like that, although I doubt it as you have access to the internet, but these days most of the world is multi-cultural.

I hate the cult of kawaii and infantile mascots. God forbid I have an opinion that differs from yours.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I hate the cult of kawaii and infantile mascots.

And again, the claim of infantile.

So what exactly makes it infantile? Adults in Japan like mascots, so by definition in Japan, they are not infantile. Yet you are claiming they are. What exactly defines them as infantile? Your opinion? Where does this opinion come from? What specifically makes them non-adult, even though adults are clearly into them?

Face it. You come from a culture where adults aren't interested in mascots, and therefore in your mind, they are not appropriate for adults and/or to be used at the Olympics. Fair enough that you hold that belief, but trying to claim that Japan should not be into, or have them at the Olympics, them simply because your culture is one in which mascots are things for kids rather than adults, is cultural snobbery.

I'm not into mascots (or the whole kawaii thing) either. But the Japanese are, so I say live and let live. They have as much right to their culture as others have to their own.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Which one will be a top ad money spender? Nintendo? Toyota? Nissan? Tokyo will benefit in anyway. Just make sure American tourists do not bring their guns to Japan.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I'm dreading the horror and toe curling embarrassment of the inevitable mascot overload. Not kawaii, just infantile.

Not infantile in Japan. Or does the state of things in Japan not matter? Cultural superiority anyone?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

No, my personal opinion.

Yeah, like you didn't get that opinion from your culture. I believe you. I really do.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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