How Japan is preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics: 10 interesting facts

The Olympic Games this year will be held in Tokyo in the period from June 24 to August 9. Since there is not much time left before the start, more and more residents of the Land of the Rising Sun are contributing to the preparation, helping the authorities to provide a truly first-class sports show.

The unity and hard work of these guys can only be envied! Here are some interesting facts about the preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games that you should know about.

Such world-famous companies as Mitsubishi, Flash Mob and Toyota are already engaged in training their employees so that they can work remotely on the days of the Olympics without leaving home. According to preliminary estimates, the number of tourists who will come to the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will reach 600 thousand, although perhaps this number can reach up to 1 million.

Panasonic has developed a portable translator "Fukidashi", which looks like a dialog box and has a two-way screen for communication. When talking, the person standing behind the monitor will see the translation of what was written. The same thing will happen when he answers the interlocutor.

The Japanese corporation Asics, one of the leaders in the production of sports shoes and clothing, has made uniforms made of recycled polyester and plant materials for the participants of the Olympiad and volunteers of the event. Athletes must appear in these costumes during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

The government of the Land of the Rising Sun asked its citizens to hand over unnecessary devices — mobile phones, tablets, iPods and so on. 32 kg of gold, 3.5 tons of silver and 2.2 tons of bronze were removed from the old equipment, which went to the production of Olympic medals.

The first project of the Olympic stadium in Tokyo was rejected because the potential costs of its construction exceeded all expectations. In addition, according to the chief architect, his design was too futuristic and did not fit into the landscape. Therefore, in 2015, the government finally abandoned the first project and decided to start from scratch. The construction of the renovated national stadium was completed in December 2019.

The country's authorities have long been considering a plan to eliminate a large number of wires hanging over the streets, and the upcoming Olympics only pushed them to action. Now all the power lines will be hidden underground, thanks to which some areas of Tokyo will again acquire an aesthetic appearance. Over two years, more than $7 billion has been spent on these works.

The Auton exoskeleton reduces the load on the lower back, so that people who have to lift and lower heavy objects will be able to avoid damage to the lower back. Similar devices are used by Japanese pensioners, carrying heavy loads on farms.

This unique furniture is mainly made from a mixture of cardboard and other materials intended for recycling. Despite their external fragility, they are able to withstand a weight of up to 200 kilograms, so athletes can not worry about their sleep and comfort.

ALE-2 is a Japanese satellite that will be launched into space on the eve of the opening of the 2020 Olympics and will cause an artificial star shower lasting from 3 to 10 seconds. "Meteorites" made of plastic will move much slower than ordinary asteroid debris and will burn up at safe altitudes from 60 to 80 kilometers.

Setsuko Takamizawa is one of the selected volunteers. This Japanese great-grandmother is already 92 years old, but she is now diligently mastering computer literacy and learning English, which she never learned before, because during her youth it was "enemy". Setsuko says that the 1964 Summer Olympics, which were also held in Tokyo, she could not visit because she was too busy raising children. But this time the woman plans to pay special attention to this sporting event, and at the same time get new skills, proving to others that it is never too late to learn.