The National Stadium was built in 1958 for the 1964 Olympics and today serves as a venue for soccer and rugby matches. The Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum opened in 1959 and is dedicated to the memory of Prince Yashuhito Chichibu (1902-1953), commonly referred to as the “Sporting Prince” by the people of Japan, who was a lover of sport and an honorary head of many athletic organizations after WWII.

“The purpose of this museum is to exhibit the history of sport in Japan as well as the Olympic Games. If you visit here, you will get closer to sport and when you leave you will be inspired to do more sport.” said the museum’s librarian and exposition officer, Kei Ito.(source)

Exhibits at the museum include the winner’s podium from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, torches, athletic uniforms, tickets, scale models and posters that in combination provide an impressive overview of the history of the Olympic Games. There are also displays covering baseball, archery and soccer.

Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum is a 5 minute walk from Sendagaya Station or a 2 minute walk from Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station (Exit A2) – access map. Admission is Y300 and the museum is open daily from 9:30 to 4:30 (closed on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month).

Visit the Japan Olympic Committee website to learn more about Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic bid.

Image Credit: Flickr, P1050455

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

At a traditional sendoff ceremony and gala party held for Japan’s Olympic Team last Monday, Crown Prince Naruhito, a member of the Japanese royal family and next in line to become the Emperor of Japan, passed on some words of encouragement to the athletes:

“At such a memorable event, I hope for everyone to deepen friendly ties through sports by competing with strong rivals from around the world, I entreat all of the athletes to prepare yourselves well and bring out all that you have built up in training to the fields of competition.”

In the Ginza area of Tokyo, Matsuya, a local department store, has teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Omega, the Games’ official timekeeper, to present an more high tech send off for the athletes.  An impressive illumination of Olympic athletes sprinting across the face of the Matsuya building can be seen between 6PM and midnight through August 24th, the last day of the Olympics in Beijing. 

Photo Credit: Personal Collection

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler