Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics

July 24, 2020 Tokyo was set to host the world's largest mega-sports event: The Olympic summer games. Due to the pandemic, the games have been postponed to begin on July 23, 2021. Since May 2018, the DIJ has researched about social, economic, and political aspects of the Olympic and Paralympic games. In the center of this research project stands the open-access book Japan through the lens of the Tokyo Olympics. Editors and authors are the DIJ's current and past researchers, as well as cooperation partners. The book addresses both the academic community as well as the general public, with short, highly accessible chapters.

Tokyo 2020 was constructed to embrace diversity and inclusiveness in society, foster sustainability, boost Japan's economy, improve social cohesion, create a feeling of unity and pride for the country, and increase citizens' active participation in fostering the well-being of society. By using the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a lens onto city and country, the book offers hidden insights and new perspectives on city planning, cultural politics, financial issues, language use, security concepts, education, volunteerism and construction work. It explains the many stakeholders, institutions, average citizens, interest groups, and protest groups involved, and features the struggle over Tokyo's extreme summer heat, food standards, the implementation of diversity in regard to disabilities, sexual minorities and technological innovations.

The book is now available in paperback, hardcover and as open access book.

Watch our author interview series featuring fifteen of our authors who introduce their chapters in short videos on the DIJ YouTube channel. They also address the impact of the postponement (and potential cancellation) of Tokyo 2020 on Japan, their chapter topic, and on their research.

“This is the first – and possibly only – book which explains contemporary Japan through the prism of the Olympics and the Olympics through the lens of Japanese society. Full of fascinating insights and information, it is sure to become a bible for anyone intending to attend (or even just watch) the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Definitely a winner.” -- Roger Goodman, University of Oxford

“This book is the perfect companion for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Its short, readable chapters by Japan specialists are full of intriguing information about past and present Olympics in Tokyo, and how hosting the Olympic games reshapes the city of Tokyo. [...] Take this book along as you ride the trains and explore the city. It will be valuable long after the last medal has been awarded.” -- Patricia Steinhoff, University of Hawaii,

“This comprehensive collection by experienced Japan researchers offers highly informative and smartly written commentaries on the social, political, and economic ramifications of Tokyo 2020. [...] This is an essential briefing for anyone wishing to know what is at stake as Tokyo hosts this global sporting mega-event.” -- William W. Kelly, Yale University and author of The Sportsworlds of the Hanshin Tigers: Professional Baseball in Modern Japan

“This volume assembles scholars with a broad spectrum of expertise who provide a thorough overview of the key topics surrounding the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Most impressive is that it blends keen analysis of the major issues for Japan with equally keen analysis of the major issues for the Olympic Games. This insightful overview of the intersection of Japan with the Olympics has something for everyone, whether academics, journalists, fans of Olympics or fans of Japan.” -- Susan Brownell, St. Louis University and Author of Beijing Games: What the Olympics Mean to China

“Written by leading experts on Japanese sport and society, this is the perfect guide for anyone – sports fan, tourist, or armchair viewer - wanting to know the inside story about the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Tokyo, and Japan in the 21st century.” -- John Horne, Waseda University and author of Understanding the Olympics,

“The 34 chapters cover a wide range of topics—including politics, economy, society, culture, media, cinema, architecture, and, of course, sports—to provide the reader with keen insights into how, in leading up to 2020, Japan is shaping, and being shaped, by the Olympics. An outstanding guide for those seeking to understand contemporary Japan and its future direction.” -- Glen S. Fukushima, Former President, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Understanding Japan through the lens of Tokyo 2020
   Barbara Holthus, Isaac Gagné, Wolfram Manzenreiter, Franz Waldenberger
2. Olympics and the media
   Wolfram Manzenreiter
3. Skateboarding: “F*** the Olympics”
   Wolfram Manzenreiter
4. Political games
   Axel Klein
5. Number games: The economic impact of Tokyo 2020
   Franz Waldenberger
6. Climbing: New sport on the block
   Wolfram Manzenreiter
7. Advertising the Games: Sponsoring a new era
   Isaac Gagné
8. Karate: Bowing to the Olympics in style
   Wolfram Manzenreiter
9. Herculean efforts: What the construction of the Olympic Stadium reveals about working conditions in Japan
   Steffen Heinrich
10. Tokyo 2020 and neighborhood transformation: Reworking the entrepreneurial city
    Ralph Lützeler
11. Ho(s)t city: Tokyo’s fight against the summer heat
    Jan Lukas Kuhn
12. Tokyo’s architecture and urban structure: Change in an ever-changing city
    Florian Purkarthofer
13. Success story: The 1964 Tokyo Olympics
    Torsten Weber
14. San’ya 2020: From building to hosting the Tokyo Olympics
    Hanno Jentzsch
15. Baseball/softball: One more homer for Japan
    Wolfram Manzenreiter
16. Outdoor sports in the periphery: Far from the compact games
    Daniel Kremers
17. Surfing: Taken with a grain of salt
    Wolfram Manzenreiter
18. Tokyo’s 1940 “Phantom Olympics” in public memory: When Japan chose war over the Olympics
    Torsten Weber
19. Upgrading Tokyo’s linguistic infrastructure for the 2020 Games
    Peter Backhaus
20. Sexual minorities and the Olympics
    Maki Hirayama
21. The Paralympic Games: Enabling sports and empowering disability
    Katharina Heyer
22. Sex in the city
    Maki Hirayama
23. Games of Romance? Tokyo in search of love and Unity in Diversity
    Nora Kottmann
24. The 2020 Olympic mascot characters: Japan wants to make a difference
    Jan Lukas Kuhn
25. Olympic education: How Tokyo 2020 shapes body and mind in Japan
    Wolfram Manzenreiter
26. Sex in the Village
    Maki Hirayama
27. Volunteering Japan-style: “Field cast” for the Tokyo Olympics
    Barbara Holthus
28. The difference between zero and one: Voices from the Tokyo anti-Olympic movements
    Sonja Ganseforth
29. Beyond 2020: Post-Olympic pessimism in Japanese cinema
    Jan Lukas Kuhn
30. Tokyo 2020 from the regional sidelines
    Isaac Gagné
31. Olympic leverages: The struggle for sustainable food standards
    Sonja Ganseforth
32. Security for the Tokyo Olympics
    Sebastian Polak-Rottmann
33. The Olympic and Paralympic Games as a technology showcase
    Franz Waldenberger
34. Tokyo 2020: Connecting the past with the future
    Round table discussion with Munehiko Harada, John Horne, Wolfram Manzenreiter