When I visited Tokyo two years ago, excitement was in the air not just in Japan’s capital city, but the entire country, as preparations were underway to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
I was taken by the cranes that dotted the landscape as approximately 45 new skyscrapers were being built in the city for the Olympics in addition to a new train station and stadium. The National Stadium, which cost approximately $1.4 billion, opened last year and was to be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Marriott’s high-end Edition brand opened two locations in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics in the Toranomon and Ginza areas. The Toranomon property, designed by Ian Schrager, has 200 rooms and the Tokyo Edition Ginza, 80 rooms, near the main shopping street in Ginza.
Infrastructure projects included a road being built on the perimeter to bypass central Tokyo, another road being built to better connect central Tokyo to the Tokyo Bay area and its Olympic sites.
Tourism officials were beaming as they explained how tourism would surge as a result of the games. High-end incentive programs were planned not only during the Games but pre- and post-Olympics as well. Access to new venues and the excitement the Olympics ignites were draws.
Sadly, due to the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, the 2020 Summer Olympics have been postponed with the agreement they will still be held in Tokyo no later than next summer.
This morning, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agreed to postpone the Games that were scheduled for July 24 to August 9. The agreement is they will be held no later than next summer. It was also agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan and will still be called Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The original version of this story appeared in sister publication Recommend.
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