The Tokyo Olympics has me feeling very nostalgic.
Sydney Olympic Games 2000
21 years ago Sydney hosted arguably the best Olympic Games the world has ever seen. My sons were aged 6 and 9 in 2000. We’re not normally sports fans, but the atmosphere and fun around hosting this event turned us into fans of sports such as swimming, athletics and even wrestling.
Who could forget that iconic moment when Cathy Freeman won the 400m sprint in her full body suit? Watching it still brings a tear to my eye. Our National pride was at an all-time high as we cheered on our sporting heroes.
Attending Olympic Games Events
We lived in the Gold Coast and couldn’t afford to take our sons to Sydney. We were keen to experience some of the Olympic spirit, and were lucky enough to win tickets to two soccer games in Brisbane. It didn’t matter who was playing – we just wanted to experience it. That is how we ended up being in the audience of very rowdy soccer fans – especially the Brazilians!
We watched every minute of the Games on TV, and joined the crowds to see the torch relay when it passed through the Gold Coast. Some of you may remember the comedians Roy and HG – their TV show was an hilarious send-up of the Games. My sons videoed themselves doing a send-up of the show which was so cute and funny.
Brisbane Olympics 2032
I was so excited to hear that Brisbane will host the Games in 2032. We held the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast a couple of years ago. My husband and I went to the opening ceremony, and my son and I went to watch the lawn bowls. I think the Olympics will be our chance to showcase Southeast Queensland to the world, and will bring many benefits to our cities.
Memories of Our Holiday to Japan
Watching the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics triggered memories of our holiday to Japan. We visited in September 2019 while the country was preparing for the Games. Some of the special effects in the opening ceremony were reminiscent of some of the unique places in Japan. There was one part in particular that may have been designed by the same company behind the Digital Art Museum in Tokyo.
Japan is a beautiful country, one which I hope to return to one day. They have the perfect combination of history and culture, and modern technology. We spent three weeks there, traveling only on public transport and shopping in local markets. The language barrier was the only problem we encountered and I blame myself for not learning at least basic Japanese.
I am disappointed for the Japanese people, that they won’t get the benefit of hosting large crowds. I doubt if it will be economically beneficial because they aren’t able to have a boost from ticket sales and tourism. Such a shame considering all the preparation they put into it.
How About You?
Do you have any memories of the Olympics? Maybe your city/country hosted it? Have you visited Japan? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Shared on Weekend Coffee Share Linkup on Natalie the Explorer’s blog and Life This Week Linkup on Denyse Whelan’s Blog
MidlifeStylist 
16 responses to “Feeling Nostalgic Watching The Tokyo Olympic Games”
I have never been in Japan, or Australia, but really enjoy the photos 🙂 Thank you for the coffee!
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Hi Maria, I’m glad you liked the photos. Have a great weekend, regards Christina
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Hi Christina, I’ve been watching some of the Tokyo Olympics highlights of Team Canada. Toronto hosted the 2015 PanAm Games. Montreal and Vancouver hosted Olympic Games before so I have some memories of these big events or visited the sites after the events. I visited Japan a while ago and loved my time there. Thank you for your #weekendcoffeeshare.
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Hi Natalie, that’s one of the best parts of hosting a major event – all the infrastructure left afterwards. Brisbane was totally transformed after Expo 88, and the Gold Coast now has awesome roads, sporting venues and accommodation after the Commonwealth Games. Hopefully the lead up to our Olympics will benefit us in the same way. Have a lovely weekend, Christina
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I’ve never been to Japan, but it’s had me remembering Sydney 2000. My father went to the 1964 Tokyo games & has been talking a lot about it too.
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Hi Jo, was your father a spectator or an athlete? How exciting for him. Japan is such a beautiful country. Enjoy your weekend, regards Christina
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he was there as a spectator. The old Bank of NSW used to have a branch on the cruise ships back in the day and Dad got a few trips staffing it. One was to the games.
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What a lovely working holiday!
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We had a few days in Japan on a trip back from UK a few years ago and loved it. During the 2000 Olympics we were in Europe and enjoyed watching on TV stations we couldn’t understand. So many great memories. Thanks for sharing your memories too and hope to be in Brisbane in 2032.
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Hi Deb, we were in Italy during the World Cup and watched a game while in a pub in Rome. We had a ball because the Italians were so loud and passionate about the game! Japan would have been a lovely stopover for you. Regards Christina
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I’ve never been to Japan – although everyone I know who has, tells me it’s beautiful and they’d go again if they had the opportunity. It would be strange being there atm with the empty stadiums etc. You were also really lucky to have first hand experience of the Games in Qld too – something that I’ve never had (and won’t be likely to have in the future!)
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Hi Leanne, it really would be strange with empty stadiums wouldn’t it? It’s such a shame for the Japanese people and for the athletes. It doesn’t seem to have affected our Olympians though – they’re doing so well. We are lucky to have had the Games here and I’m looking forward to the next one now! Regards, Christina
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Hi Christina, what lovely memories for you and how great that you won tickets to the soccer in Brisbane. I can remember Sydney and I must admit I did a quick calculation as to how old I will be in 2032 🙂 We enjoyed our visit to Japan and one of my favourite places was Nagasaki. Thanks for the memories. #lifethisweek.
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Hi Sue, yes we were so happy to win those tickets and take the boys. Same with the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Let’s hope we’re lucky when the Olympics comes around. Japan is lovely isn’t it? Thanks so much for commenting, regards Christina
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That was a lovely trip down Olympics memory lane! We were in Sydney and of course, bought tickets…I was so in awe of the whole games thing and made memories over the years from the words “the winner is Sydernee” I got up early to watch the Torch relay, my husband and I went to athletics heats days. My brother took my Mum (a champion hockey player in her youth) to the Hockey and she was stoked. I have given almost all of my Olympic memories away but quite a few remain in my head. What a lovely trip to Japan. I hear good things about Japan from all I know who have visited.
Thank you for linking up this week for #LifeThisWeek. Glad you could join in. Hope to see you next Monday. Cheers, Denyse.
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Those are lovely memories Denyse. The Sydney Games were fantastic weren’t they. The whole country got into the spirit of it, not just Sydney. Your mother would have loved it, seeing her sport played at that level. Thanks for sharing your memories, regards Christina
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