Tokyo, Japan, August 1, 2021: Baron Pierre de Coubertin would be proud of the Japanese Olympic Committee for their devotion to the movement through the Japan Olympic Museum.
A statue of the founder of the modern Olympic Games stands in the gardens of the museum, next to the impressive new Olympic Stadium.
Due to the pandemic and restrictions on movement at the Tokyo Olympic Games, a visit to the Olympic Museum is by appointment only – but this has not stopped crowds of people taking in the atmosphere in the sun-baked gardens and leaving with souvenir photos alongside the Olympic rings and other Olympic attractions such as replicas of the cauldrons used on the three previous occasions Japan has hosted the Olympics – Tokyo 1964 and the Winter Olympics of Sapporo 1972 and Nagano 1998.
There is also a steady flow of visitors to the souvenir shop on the ground floor of JOC House as locals show their support for the Olympics, even though they cannot attend the Games.
Inside the Japan Olympic Museum there are exhibitions, displays and inter-active games for all ages. One of the most popular of these is the virtual shooting range, where visitors can test their pistol-shooting skills and check their results against those of an Olympic athlete.
There are also hologram activities testing the synchronicity and dexterity of the visitors and exhibits to show the amazing feats athletes have needed to win Olympic gold.
When life is back to normal, no doubt the Japan Olympic Museum will prove to be a major attraction for families and groups to build on the already strong legacy of the Olympic movement in Japan.
