Tokyo Olympic to open: July 20, 2021

Tokyo Olympic Games will open on July 23.

The event will be unique as most games will be performed without spectators under the COVID-19 pandemic,

Athletes are asked to stay only in the competition sites, training facilities or athlete village. Going out of the village is banned to avoid contacts with ordinary people in Japan.

I visited the Olympic Stadium in the central part of Tokyo, where the opening ceremony and truck and field competitions will be held.

The Olympic ring is places in a space across the road from the stadium. (See als the top photo)

 

People were taking photos.

 

Access to the stadium is restricted. Only accredited people and vehicles were allowed to move in from the checking points. (see also the 3rd photo)

Volunteer staff members were working there.

 

Pictures drawn by kids were displayed on the wall.

 

There is a count-down clock in front of Tokyo Station. (See also the 2nd photo)

The number of visitors were not so many.

We will have the unprecedented games in three days.

A week before Tokyo Olympic Games: July 17-18, 2020

 

The Tokyo Olympic Games will begin on July 23^rd. It is a week from today (June 17).

The Japanese government, Tokyo Metropolitan government and IOC (international Olympic Committee) decided on July 8 to have the games without audience in Tokyo (Precisely speaking, limited number of games held in local prefectures plan to accept limited number of audience). It was, needless to say, due to COVID-19 pandemic.

I visited the Equestrian Park in Setagaya City, western Tokyo. It is a site for equestrian competitions.

The park was surrounded by tall walls. (See also the top photo)

The gates were guarded by the securities.

The facilities, including a temporarily built stadium, are ready, but they will not accept any audience. The temporary seats will be removed soon.

 We could see the new stadium and other facilities only through the gate doors. (See also the 4th photo)

 

Policemen were busy in preventing visitors from taking photos from nearby.

Many special signs to commemorate the Olympic Games have been placed on the road. Horseshoes are used in the signs. See also the 3rd photo)

 

Japan issues the state of emergency on June 12 for Tokyo. The number of COVID-19 cases is on rise.

Many Japanese people give icy looks on the event. An opinion pall by Yomiuri Newspaper, the country’s largest newspaper, held in this month showed that about 40% of Japanese people answered that the games should be “cancelled”; about 40% supported that the games should be done with “no audience.”

People were spending their holidays in a small playing space in front of the he Equestrian Park (the Olympic site).

The athletes as well as their staff members, media persons and IOC related persons started to arrive in Japan.

 Some positive cases have been reported. The Olympic Organizing Committee stresses that they will contain the infection. Many people seem not to believe it.;

 

Summer begins; July 17-19, 2021

 

Now, the rainy season is over; 

and summer has started in Tokyo.

The Japan Meteorological Agency on July 16 announced that the rainy season was over in Tokyo.

It was clear on July 17. The sky was blue and the sunshine was strong.

The trees are increasing their leaves.

Sunbeams came down through the leaves.

 

People looked exhausted with hot waves.

Many people opened parasols in the streets.

(See also the 2nd photo)

Cecadas began to sing (See also the 3rd photo)

We will have hot summer days for more than a month.

 

 

 

Cat train and flowers: June 11-12, 2021

 

It was expected that Tokyo would enter the rainy season earlier than usual (before June 7^th) weeks ago (see the “Hydrangea inRoka Park” article on May 23, 2021). 

The forecast was wrong. The rainy season has not begun in Tokyo.

The hydrangea and hollyhock flowers are beautiful at this season.

I found the flowers at the side of the Setagaya Line.

Small trains with two cars run in the line.

 

One of the trains is painted with cats.

 

They are the lucky cats in the Gotokuji Temple, which locates near the line. (See the lucky cats article.)

 

Please note that the nose of Japanese white cat is pink. The train’s cats are correctly painted. (this photo was taken in April)

 

Other trains are colored with red, blue, yellow and green. (See also the 2nd and 3rd photos)

The rainy season is expected to arrive soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mass vaccination site @ Otemachi, Tokyo; May 26, 2021

About 17 months have passed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection in Japan. Tokyo and other nine prefectures are under the state of emergency now.

The situation is, of course, different from other countries. Some points are better than many foreign countries; some points are worse.

 

Good points: the numbers of confirmed cases as well as victims are far smaller than those in the U.S. and European countries. The numbers are about 720 thousand and 12 thousand, respectively. The levels per million are 5-10% of the levels in the U.S. and major European countries.

Bad points: The pace of vaccination is slow. It is far behind the paces achieved in the U.S. and major European countries.

Around 50 persons in 100 persons have already received vaccination of COVID-19 in the U.S. and U.K. as of May 26, according to “Our World in Data.” The figures are nearly 40% in Germany, France and other major European countries. The number is 6 in Japan.

 (The tightness of beds in the hospitals for seriously damaged patients is another bad points)

 

The vaccination started in February in the facilities of the local governments.

To national government opened mass-vaccination sites in Tokyo and Osaka on May 24 (two days ago). The services are provided by the medical staff in the Self-Defense Agency.

I visited the Tokyo site in Otemachi, central Tokyo. The government building is used for the service.

Temporary tents are places.

There are many signboards near the subway stations to show the way to the vaccination site.

The government plans to finish vaccination for all 350 million people at 65-year old or more by the end of July. Younger people are planned to get the services after the period.

 

Hydrangea in Roka Park: May 23, 2021

 

The rainy season is expected to start earlier than usual in Japan, including Tokyo, this year.

In the Tokai district, which include Nagoya and Shizuoka, it has already started. The announcement was made on May 16 by the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was about three weeks earlier than usual.

It has not yet started in Tokyo, but early rainy season is expected.

I found the hydrangea flowers fully open in the Roka Park in Setagaya City, western Tokyo.

 

I also found hydrangea flowers of various colors – blue, pink, white and purple – and in various shapes in many places in Tokyo.

Izumi-no-Mori Park @ Yamto City, Kanagawa: May 14, 2021

 

More than one year has passed since the restrictions on movement and on some activities, such as gatherings in restaurants and visiting theaters, first being introduced.

Staying home is recommended by the authorities; but some exercises are necessary to keep our conditions well. Walking outside is important for me.

 

I visited Izumi-no-Mori Park and neighboring Fureai-no-Mori Park in Yamato City. The city locates in the center of Kanagawa Prefecture.

 The Izumi-no-Mori Park was developed in the water-source area of Hikiji River in the 1980s. Many trees, grasses are reserved and/or planted.

 

I found many birds, butterflies, insects and other creatures in the park.

Many small white moths were emerging in this deep forest.

 

Aquatic plants are also placed.

Many people were enjoying their walks. 

Small water wheel is built along a creek (See the 3rd photo from the top).

I also met across a small hut for bird watching.

This dragonfly has just caught a small butterfly. It was sucking the butterfly’s body fluid.

I found a dragonfly and a bigger butterfly staying side by side. (See the 2nd photo)

 

There were various kinds of butterflies as well as wasps in this tree. The tree produces sap.

 

The Atsugi airbase locates at the south of the parks. The U.S. Navy and Japan Marine Self-Defense Force use the base.

 

Planes as well as helicopters flew over the parks.