Monday, May 3, 2021 | The Japan Times | 7 Produced by The Japan Times Cube Reliving 1964 Tokyo Olympics O!. 23, 1964: The Olympic day that rede"ned Japan Regaining con!dence Olympic special At the end of World War II, Japan had been ROY TOMIZAWA a defeated, occupied nation in ruins. And SPORTS JOURNALIST yet, in only )& years, the nation recovered its economy, its standing in the world and He climbed the steps with the Olympic its con"dence so quickly that it could pull torch in his right hand, the torch’s base at o, the most logistically complex peace- shoulder height and the cylinder sparking time global event at the time, the Summer reddish-white and spewing smoke. Twenty Olympics. steps. Forty steps. Sixty steps. Memories of poverty, disease and despair Yoshinori Sakai held an even pace as he were still fresh in the minds of Japanese jogged up the stairway to the top of the adults. With great anticipation they worked National Stadium. A hundred forty steps. A hard to organize the games, transform the hundred sixty steps. city and ensure a warm welcome for their And "nally, a#er climbing the equivalent guests from far and wide. With great con- of an eight-story building, with nary a slip cern they worried they would be revealed or stumble, Sakai stood next to a large black as a people who could not compete with the Roy Tomizawa poses with the Olympic cauldron, faced the crowd and cracked a rest of the world. cauldron at the Japan Olympic Museum. huge smile. That trying ambivalence bubbled to the ROY TOMIZAWA Was it relief at making it to the top with- surface on the penultimate day of the Tokyo out a spill? Was it exhilaration upon seeing Olympics. nized and respected. Whatever sting lingered the "eld "lled with over $,%%% athletes from from Kaminaga’s loss, whatever shame from &' nations and the stadium with over (%,%%% Resignation in the air the wartime defeat — all negativity evapo- cheering spectators, including the emperor It was Friday, Oct. -', )&*+. The Nippon rated the moment the ball fell to the ground of Japan? Budokan was packed. But resignation in the match’s "nal point. A nation lept in Certainly, those were two of the many wa#ed in the air of this newly constructed Yoshinori Sakai lights up the cauldron marking the start of the "#$% Tokyo Olympics. KYODO unison. feelings all of Japan felt that beautiful autumn arena of the martial arts. a#ernoon on Oct. )%, )&*+, when Japan wel- Even though Japanese judoka Takehide Anton Geesink in the open category. handily, sending the nation into a funk. their television at ( p.m., with nearly every Rock bottom to soaring peak comed the world to the XVIII Olympiad. Nakatani, Isao Okano and Isao Inokuma had A#er all, Geesink had shocked the judo Two-time Olympic swimmer Ada Kok, channel carrying the match, the entire coun- When looking back on )&*+, a monumen- Sakai, who was born in Hiroshima on the already taken gold in the "rst three weight world by becoming the "rst non-Japanese to invited to the match a#er winning a silver try was in extreme anticipation. tal milestone in the history of Japan, you day the atomic bomb was dropped, had just classes the previous three days, there was win the world championships in )&*). More medal for the Dutch team, was a witness. Geesink had just sunk Kaminaga, as well must also look farther back to the start of done what Japan had done: symbolically considerable doubt that Japanese champion relevantly, Geesink had already defeated “I realized I was watching a culture shock as Japan’s hopes of sweeping gold in the only Japan’s arduous journey. Without the rock climbed a mountain. Akio Kaminaga could defeat Dutchman Kaminaga in a preliminary bout. So while of sorts, going throughout Japan,” she said. Olympic sport native to Japan. “Maybe we bottom of )&+$, there is no soaring peak of the Japanese in the Budokan, including “The Budokan was silent. Quiet. I could hear just aren’t big enough or strong enough,” )&*+. Roy Tomizawa with Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko, people crying.” many may have thought. And on Oct. -', )&*+, there was no Olympic athletes on were hoping Kaminaga would exceed Hirobumi Daimatsu, coach of the wom- moment more euphoric than the day the Nov. 6, 2019. From expectations, all they had to do was see The ‘Witches of the Orient’ en’s volleyball team, had worked over the Japanese women’s volleyball team carried a le!: Ed Ferry, rowing the two judoka stand next to each other That was late in the a#ernoon. About )' years to train his players to compensate for nation to the top of the highest mountain. ‘64; Kent Mitchell, to worry — the --meter-tall, )-%-kg Dutch kilometers to the southwest, the Japanese a relative lack of size and strength through On that day, Japan was a nation reborn — rowing ‘60, ‘64; giant versus the )..-meter, )%--kg Japanese. women’s volleyball team was preparing for speed, technique and guts. young and con"dent — celebrated by the Charles Altekruse, Even though judo purists say skill, balance their "nals at the Komazawa Indoor Ball And much to the relief of the Japanese world. rowing ‘80, ‘88; Anne and coordination are more important to Sports Field. They too were going up against nation, the famed “Witches of the Orient” Cribbs, swimming ‘60; winning than size, deep down many Japa- bigger, stronger adversaries: the USSR. defeated the Soviet Union in straight sets: Roy Tomizawa is a leadership and talent Dan Drown, water nese likely felt that the bigger, stronger for- This time, though, there was a sense that )$-)), )$-. and, in a tantalizingly close "nal development consultant as well as a sports polo ‘64; Billy Mills, eigner was going to win. A#er all, the bigger, Japan could defeat the Soviets — they had set, )$-)'. journalist who recently published a book, track ‘64; and Andy stronger Allied soldiers had defeated Japan in previously done so at the world champion- The team of diminutive Japanese, taking “!"#$ — The Greatest Year in the History of Toro, canoe ‘60, ‘64, the Paci"c War. ships in )&*- in Moscow. So when nearly down the larger Soviet women, showed the Japan: How the Tokyo Olympics Symbolized ‘72, ‘76. ROY TOMIZAWA And so Geesink did, defeating Kaminaga every citizen in Japan had settled in front of world they were from a nation to be recog- Japan’s Miraculous Rise from the Ashes.” New games, new stadium Oct. 11, 1964: An inside photo spread in The Japan Times on the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games Oct. 21, 1964: IOC President Avery Brundage, accompa- nied by kimono-clad girls, gives medals to lightweight judo champions at the Nippon Budokan. The front page of The Japan Times on Oct. 11, 1964 From le!: Eric Haenni of Switzer- land, silver; Take- Two athletes look to the Tokyo Games hide Nakatani of Japan, gold; and PAULA PARETO My experiences at the #"") Beijing Olym- managed to achieve the gold medal. That Soviets Oleg Stepa- JUDOKA pics were accompanied by feelings of was proof that if you work hard, you can nov and Aron uncertainty. It was my first time participat- achieve your dreams. Bogolubov, bronze. ing in such a big competition — everything Getting ready for the Tokyo Olympic was new and surprising. Being surrounded Games is a little bit di(erent, as we cannot by the best athletes in the world made me prepare and train as usual; limited contact feel ecstatic, and I told myself I would enjoy with people and constant monitoring are it as much as possible. I won the bronze the new normal, but we are working on medal — the first medal my country won getting special permission to go to Europe, in the Beijing Games, and Argentina’s very as it is very important for us to train with first judo medal ever. athletes from di(erent backgrounds. I have Oct. 14, 1964: Men’s 100-meter qualifying race at the National Stadium I had more experience by the time I great expectations for the Tokyo Olympics, competed at the #"!' Rio Olympics, and and I will bring my best to this competition. ASUKA TERADA I am looking forward to participating in the world of athletics in #"!$. I set a new Japa- 100!METERS HURDLES ATHLETE Tokyo Olympics not only as a !""-meter nese record in the !""-meter hurdles and hurdles athlete, but also as a mother. participated in the World Championships In #""$, I took part in the World Athletics for the first time in !" years. Championship. In #"!%, I retired a&er sus- In Japan, it is common for female athletes taining an injury. The following year I got to retire a&er marriage or giving birth, so married, went to university and gave birth there are very few active female athletes to my daughter. who are also mothers. For me, staying Since I really wanted to participate in active is also a way to break away from this the Olympics held in Tokyo, I returned as a stereotype. rugby player in #"!'. I was lucky to play on My goal for the Tokyo Olympics is to the Japanese team for a few months before make it to the finals and show my daugh- I broke my leg and had to quit. ter my e(orts and accomplishments as an The organizing committee for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was set up at Despite that, I decided to return to the athlete. Oct. 24, 1964: The Japan Times’ front page a!er the Japanese women’s the State Guesthouse, Akasaka Palace, where various designs were volleyball team beat the Soviets to take the gold created.