The World Athletics Championships, held in Tokyo for the first time in 34 years, is taking place at the main stadium, the Tokyo National Stadium, which felt so lonely during the spectator-less Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Since it’s a special event being held in Tokyo, I decided to go and surprisingly purchased my ticket just the day before. I had a great time watching the event.
Here we go！
It is the National Stadium. It is located in a place that is easily accessible, just a few minutes’ walk from the Toei Oedo Line ‘National Stadium’ station. One of the advantages of Tokyo is the convenience of having various hubs that can be reached by public transportation. It is a uniquely environment. The wonderful stadium uses forest-certified cedar and other woods sourced from all of 47 prefectures of Japan. Each piece of wood is said to be arranged facing the direction of each of the 47 prefectures.
Advantages of Watching On-ste
You can buy official goods. Items like manju (Japanese sweets) and Baumkuchen might be particularly Japanese.
Merchandise featuring the mascot of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, “Riku-Wan,” is popular. I bought a towel.
Day 1
On the night of the Day 1 of the event, I was also able to observe the opening ceremony. Lucky me. Crown Prince and Princess Akishino were attending to declare the opening. It was surprising that after giving their greetings, they left immediately. I heard voices from the audience saying, ‘Are they leaving already?’ Even if they wanted to watch the competitions, I believe they are in a position that does not allow them to be free, even they want to stay to watch.
Governor of Tokyo, Ms.Koike greeted on behalf of Tokyo, the host city. There was also a national anthem sung. I thought everything summed up nicely in a concise opening ceremony.
Competition
The competition is finally starting. Since I purchased my ticket just a day before the event, there was hardly any choice of seats, and this time my seat had a limited view. However, being in the 6th row from the front made the events I could see with my own eyes very impressive. The water jump for the 3000m steeplechase was right in front of me. I was surprised to see that the water jump was located right next to the pole vault zone.
Runners past right in front of me.
My seat is positioned directly behind the starting line of the 100m race, so I could see the athletes entering. When the Japanese athletes appeared, there was a tremendous cheer.
However, unfortunately, after the start, I could only see their backs. Just watching their backs gave me the feeling of a straight line. I was checking the finish on the monitor in the venue. By the way, the black object in the foreground is a TDK monitor, which was shown in the background of the 100m race start.
What you can understand by watching on-site
It’s impressive to see various people working hard to support the athletes, from maintaining the water level of the water jump, to returning the splashed water, to wiping the lenses of aerial cameras moving around the venue to ensure the players can give their best.
The World Athletics Championships is a 9-day limited event. There are many other events, so if you have the chance, definitely visit and enjoy the opportunity. Also, the National Stadium offers tour visits on days when there are no events. It allows you to enjoy the environment in a calm atmosphere.
Stay tuned for more updates of Japan. See you soon!
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10-1 Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo
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