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WHERE TO STAY, EAT, AND PLAY IN TOKYO FOR THE 2020 OLYMPICS
The year 2020 may mark the beginning of a new decade, but perhaps most importantly, a new Olympic season. And while the Summer 2020 Olympics is just starting to show up on the radar of gymnastics and swimming enthusiasts around the world, Tokyo has been in preparation mode since they were announced as the host city in 2013
ICHO NAMIKI
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
To Know About Staying In Japan
I
t’s not just Tokyo hosting the Olympics—it’s all of Japan, really. The farthest events, soccer and the marathon, will be 725 miles north of Tokyo in Sapporo—and baseball will be in Fukushima. Apart from those three events, the other 31 sports will happen within the region of Kanto, which encompasses Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, the most Olympic-relevant ones being Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Yamanashi. In anticipation of Tokyo 2020, this guide outlines everything you need to know about the Olympic-centric neighborhoods
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of Tokyo. The Olympic venues have been classified into two zones: The Heritage Zone, which Palma classifies as central and western Tokyo, and the Tokyo Bay Zone, encompassing Odaiba and Tatsumi islands. And in terms of navigating the city, Palma can’t stress enough that public transit is the way to go, “especially during the Olympics when various roads and routes will be closed and causing major delays.” Travelers should expect that popular neighborhoods, restaurants, and attractions will be more crowded than usual, though Tokyo has put in a lot of effort to ensure the city will
