The 2020 Olympics will be in Tokyo! I watched the announcement on television this weekend, smiling as Japanese officials celebrated, literally sobbing with joy. I like the colorful wreath logo made from the sakura (cherry) blossoms on their poster.
When I was in elementary school, I swam in the swimming pool built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The pool building was an enormous modern building unlike any structure I had ever seen, with a roof that swooped down and rose up again in the arc of a ramen noodle bowl. The two Olympic buildings built side by side in the Olympic Park stood out from among the other Japanese buildings that were made from the straightest of lines, squares and rectangles.
In 1967, the arena still had the Olympics sparkle in it, the roar of the crowds faintly echoing from the walls. At six years old, I didn't even know what the Olympics were, but I still could feel a power and energy surround me by just being in the building. The pool was like the ocean - enormous. I don't think at that time I was even able to swim from one side of it to the other, (even the short one) but my friends and I knew we were having a special day as we hung off the side of the pool and chatted. After we swam, we had an ice cream cone before we rode the train home together.
I think I will start saving now to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment