Tokyo 1964 Exhibition – Embassy of Japan, London

The Japanese Embassy are currently hosting a Tokyo 1964 Olympics exhibition filled with both exciting memorabilia kept from the games itself, and an excellent bank of information and facts about Tokyo at the time of the games. Invaluable items such as the bag used by one athlete to carry his running shoes when making the journey into Japan, the bibs worn by torch relay runners, and a selection of phrasebooks accompanied by a label describing the large increase in the production of such books, anticipating the welcoming of many tourists with no experience of the Japanese language.

One particularly fascinating display was the section on graphic design from Tokyo in 1964. The use of pictograms to represent the different Olympic sports was first introduced at the Tokyo Games. Pictograms were also used to communicate general information and services, and would have proved especially useful in conveying information to the many visitors and athletes without knowledge of Japanese. Alongside these, the posters designed by the highly respected Yusaku Kamekura for the Tokyo Games also caught my eye instantly. The main symbol of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics appeared simple, yet powerful, whilst the other posters captured the strength and dynamics of the competing athletes in action.

Japan was originally awarded the organisation of the 1940 Olympic Games, but the Japanese Olympic Committee was forced to resign as hosts of the Summer Games. The games were then eventually cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. The Games of 1964 were the first to be held in Asia, but this was just one of many unique and original aspects of the Tokyo Olympics. 1964 was also the first year for the games to be telecast internationally, and I found myself able to sit and watch some of the captivating performances of the athletes in Tokyo – another great opportunity to take advantage of by visiting the Embassy’s exhibition.

For Japan, the 1964 Olympics proved an excellent opportunity to show its progress and transformation to the rest of the world. This was done incredibly well with a huge improvement in Tokyo’s infrastructure and some impressive displays of Japan’s technological advancements. Beautiful venues were produced for the games and many projects for highways and train and subway lines were swiftly completed in time for the games. Another interesting fact I discovered at the exhibition was that the Tokaido Shinkansen was also completed in time for the games and had its first run just 9 days before the start of the games.

Having always loved watching the gymnastics at the Olympics, I was in awe when told about the immaculate gymnast Kohei Uchimura and his Olympic hopes. I was therefore intrigued further when, at the Japanese Embassy, I came across the plaque of information surrounding Yukio Endo, a hugely successful Japanese gymnast. Having made his Olympic debut 4 years earlier at the 1960 Rome Olympics as a member of the Japanese team that won Japan’s first team Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, Endo earned 6 individual medals at the World Championships in 1962 and followed this up by helping to hold the team title and winning Olympic gold medals in the all-around event and parallel bars at Tokyo in 1964. By the end of the games in 1968 he had won 5 Olympic gold medals and 2 silver medals.

Another hugely impressive competitor at the Tokyo Games was Osamu Watanabe. At the age of 24, he won gold in the freestyle wresting, without giving a single point away. He spent a total of just 10 minutes on the mat and retired afterwards to hold an unbeaten record of 186-0.

For anyone who has any interest in the Olympics or in Japan, the Embassy’s exhibition is definitely worth going to see before September.

Text by Azfar Rahman (Whitgift School, South Croydon)