From the Emperor on down: Memories of the '64 Tokyo Olympics

These were the first Olympics broadcast live using satellites and the last to be run on a cinder track; a bridge between older Olympics and the modern.

“I myself have a lasting memory of the closing ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where athletes from different countries paraded together shoulder to shoulder, not divided by country,” the emperor said.American Robert Whiting arrived in Tokyo in 1962, has lived in the Japanese capital for 43 of the last 59 years and has written several books about Japan. The latest is “Tokyo Junkie,” which traces the growth of the city and his own maturity.

“It was about the rebirth of Japan after the war, and how the nation was rebuilding. We couldn’t mess up. We also knew the air forces of the world would be watching. After we finished, we flew up higher and turned upside down to see what we had done. I saw the stadium and the five rings all the same size and all the same shape. Perfect.”MARIKO NAGAI — She was a university student who worked as an interpreter at the swimming venue where American Don Schollander won four gold medals.

“I thought it was the greatest fun I could ever have as a student,” Nagai added. “It was the Olympics, I was working as a helper and I would get paid. I was given a uniform and everything — the blazer coat, the skirt, handbag, shoes and everything. It was fun. It was really fun.”SETSUKO WATANABE — She grew up in the Tokyo neighborhood near the old National Stadium, and she recalls watching the opening ceremony in 1964 from the rooftop of her building.

She also recalled the performance of the Blue Impulse, the aerobatic team that painted the five Olympic rings in the sky. “He looks happy when I ask him questions such as what were you doing then at the Games, because that is like his legacy,” he explained.SHUNICHI SEKIGAWA — A retired elementary school teacher, in his days as a student he and classmates were invited to run with a torchbearer and hold up flags displaying the five Olympic rings.

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