Firstly, it's the perfect way for Japan to show the world that it's bouncing back from the 2011 tsunami and it's on going economic crisis. The games will no doubt have the same effect as London 2012 and give the nation a great sense of confidence and an "all eyes are on us" attitude.
Secondly, this announcement will see the Japanese government spending over ¥1 trillion (roughly £6.4bn) on new buildings and facilities to aid the 2020 Olympics, including transport and obviously the stadium. Not to mention the huge influx of tourists to the country which will only further it's economy.
On a slightly different note, those anime fans amongst my followers may be aware of an anime called AKIRA which was made in 1988. The cyberpunk film is set in "Neo-Tokyo" in 2019 as Japan prepares for... The 2020 Olympics!
That's right, this manga (originally penned in 1982) and anime correctly predicted that Japan would be the host of the 2020 Olympics. Scary stuff eh? The movie also outlines the events which lead to World War 3, so let's hope that part of the prediction also doesn't follow.
You can check out the trailer for AKIRA below. It's regarded as one of the greatest animes of all time in terms of animation and cult following.
What are your thoughts on Japan hosting the 2020 Olympics? How about AKIRA's prediction? Coincidence or something more? Leave me a comment below!
Strange that. I think I'll have to watch Akira again. I guess the Olympics got the most appropriate city but I didn't really want Japan to have it. Now the government will spend lots of money on it and completely ignore the reconstruction for the next decade. While the athletes lounge in a brand new luxurious village families will be living in their crappy temporary housing for their 9th year....
ReplyDeleteThat is SO freaky! The manga is set around the original 1964 Tokyo Olympic Stadium where the film version climaxes too. Will Tokyo be rebranded as Neo Tokyo to fit the story too? People on Tokyo Olympics Board must have read the original manga serialisation back in the 80s. What does the original mangaka himself, Katsuhiro Otomo say about the timing and does this mean he'll have to write a sequel to the original story (though there isn't that much of his Neo Tokyo left standing)?
ReplyDeleteNeo Tokyo does have a nice ring to it haha (>_<)
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