Tokyo Olympics 2020

[down_to_business]

Got plenty of time on this one, but wondering if any forum members have attended the Olympics before and/or what their impressions of Tokyo are. It is something I am strongly considering (right now) but have neither been to Tokyo before nor attended an Olympic games before. They are adding surfing, karate, baseball, rock-climbing and baseball-- I think. I would be most interested in seeing diving, gymnastics, swimming and maybe something like volleyball and a few random events. Any experiences to share?

[+ nycman]

I've looked into attending the Olympics several times in the past.

 

Although I'm a big Olympics fan...I've never been.

 

In general, the expense is enormous. You will be paying 3-4 times the going rate for EVERYTHING.

 

Not to mention, getting tickets to anything you might actually WANT to see...is basically impossible.

 

If competitive kayaking is your thing...and you don't mind paying a small fortune for travel to

the Olympics to watch said kayaking events....then go for it.

 

Each time I got the itch, I ended up realizing it was better on TV....for free.

[+ Charlie]

Given how crowded the public transport is in Tokyo on normal days, I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get around the city during the Olympics. Tokyo is IMHO an interesting city to visit, but it would be easier to see and enjoy at a different time. I also suffer from seasonal allergies, and one of the worst experiences I ever had was Tokyo in the summer.

[+ glennnn]

I was living in LA during the 1984 Olympics. It was nearly impossible to get specific event tickets so I spent one whole day at the Forum in line and just took what was available when my turn came. I ended up with weight lifting and cycling. We had a ball! It didn't matter that we saw no US athletes compete. It was great to be a part of of it. At the last minute, my boss gave me tickets to the Women's Gymnastic Event Finals, and we saw Mary Lou Retton win her gold with that perfect 10 on the vault. The traffic in LA during the games was horrendous. I was late to work every day, no matter how early I left home.

 

I'd like to broaden this thread a little and make contact with anyone who has done the Winter Olympics which are on my bucket list. Anyone?

[jawjateck]

I have attended events at the '96 and '04 summer games. Really enjoyed the experience of the events. Tickets were available and affordable for non-finals events, early qualifying rounds, and the displayed athleticism was most......appealing.

 

I would not go out of my way (nor the considerable expense) to schedule a trip to a distant host site, without some other travel purpose in mind. My experience was possible because life circumstances made my attendance relatively convenient.

[mike carey]

I lived in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. I had tickets to all the events at the Olympic Stadium courtesy of buying into the company that built the stadium. Beyond that I bought tickets for some other events and the ticket allocation process worked smoothly. Every host city will be different. All of the cautions about how expensive things will be are valid, but the entire city had a smile on its face for the fortnight of the games. If Sydney is anything to go by, there will be big-screen TVs around the city to watch the main events, and they will be as captivating as the venues themselves.

[+ Axiom2001]

Given how crowded the public transport is in Tokyo on normal days, I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get around the city during the Olympics. Tokyo is IMHO an interesting city to visit, but it would be easier to see and enjoy at a different time. I also suffer from seasonal allergies, and one of the worst experiences I ever had was Tokyo in the summer.

 

Charlie, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment! I abhor crowds, crowds, and more crowds. Strangely, this did not bother me when I visited Tokyo many, many moons ago! Guess I was at a different place than I am now!