Japan was very excited to host the 1964 Summer Olympics. To make sure they were ready, The country decided on a dry run, a pre Olympics to try out logistics and venues. The International Olympic Committee said they don’t do pre Olympics, so this became the Tokyo International Sports Meet. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The Japanese stamp issues around the 1964 definitely give off a Japanese feel with the color choices. Showing the athletes as individuals instead of as part of teams is an interesting choice and I think comports with the original Olympic ideal of a countries best having a chance to show that individually.
Todays stamp is issue A507, a 10 Yen stamp issued by Japan on October 11th, 1963, the first day of the international sports meet. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether used or unused.
Tokyo was originally scheduled to host the 1940 Summer Olympics that did not end up happening. Remember Tokyo was also to host the 2020 games that also didn’t come off. In preparation for the 1940 games, many venues were constructed and were ready for the 1964 games. Japan worried they were not and so wanted a dry run. The International meet was scheduled exactly a year before to match weather and Japanese diplomats sought out prominent athletes from around the world for an expense paid trip to Tokyo.
Japan was very worried about traffic between the hotel hosting the athletes and the spread out venues but extra traffic cops with simple placards reading stop and go worked very well.
The weather was also a worry. It was thought that Tokyo was too hot in actual summertime to host the Olympics and September was typhoon season so October was chosen. Typhoons were the nightmare of the organizers. On the first day of the meet, Typhoon Kit was heading toward Japan and the weather was already wet and windy. There were two more typhoons behind Kit named Lola and Mamie. Thankfully one by one the typhoons changed course and left the games with nice weather.
At the Daiichi Hotel where the international athletes stayed Japan had arraigned for thirteen house detectives to keep the male athletes off the female athlete’s floor. They were not completely successful. 15 year old Swedish swimmer Elisabeth Ljunggren announced that she had fallen in love with 21 year old German swimmer Hans Joachim Klein. He then said that though of course he liked her, he would not describe their relationship as love. Whatever it was, both athletes won gold medals.
It was quite an effort to bring in the world athletes. At the 1952 games in Melbourne Australian Harold Conally hammer thrower had fallen for a Czech discus thrower named Olga. By 1963 they were married, raising a family in Finland. The Japanese delegation visited them in their home to try to get them to participate in the 1963 meet. Harold was still in competitive form. Olga was embarrassed when she was also invited. She told the Japanese delegation that she was no longer in competitive form so it would be wrong for her to go on the free trip to Tokyo. The Japanese discussed it and said that Olga, as a famous Olympic gold medalist should come anyway and tour Japanese schools exercising with the children while her husband competed. She went and it was the impetus for Olga to get back into shape for the 1964 Olympics.
The dry run went off quite well. The ceremonies were timed to the minute except the opening ceremonies running three minutes late. In the dry run for the dry run, the dignitaries had been impersonated by school children and the the children proved faster at getting off the stands for the march out.
Well my drink is empty and heres hoping that the reschedule of the Tokyo Olympics is able to come off. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting