The delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics took place in 2021 across 43 venues; 8 new permanent ones, 25 previously existing facilities and 10 temporary places. Some of the new constructions included Japan National Stadium, Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Oi Hockey Stadium, Ariake Arena and Tokyo Aquatic Centre. Due to the pandemic very few people actually got to step foot inside these places though. Just over two years later and I finally went to the latter. Twice!

The search for new sports this year has unearthed some interesting experiences which are largely unknown by people closely associated with that particular sport. As I began to check out water sports in Tokyo (there was almost nothing in English on the internet) I came across a couple of events at Tokyo Aquatic Centre in Koto Ward so purchased some tickets and, feeling in need of some exercise, I decided to take the 80 minute cycle ride option for the first event.

#1. Swimming

This Aquatic Center was completed in February 2020 and consists of a swimming pool, diving pool, sub pool, practice area and 15,000 seats. There were a couple of hundred people there at best for this event yet the seats either side of me and around me were all taken meaning I couldn’t spread out.

The 65th Japan Championships 25m swimming competition included a multitude of races covering all styles; freestyle, front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and medley. The races at the start of the session saw the competitors announced rapidly with very little time to know who anyone was taking part. Not that I would have known anyone anyway!

My allocated seat was on the front row level with the starting blocks which did provide me with some great shots of the race starts.

Watching how various competitors prepare for the start was quite interesting and no doubt there was some superstition involved in terms of deciding when to step up on the blocks.

Having pretty much only ever watched swimming on TV during the Olympics it was  interesting to see how it was all presented in terms of the swimmer introductions (which did happen for all the finals) as they came out from behind the screen before bowing and  waving to the camera operator stood in front of them. My vantage point also allowed me to take a peak behind the curtain and see what was happening before the intros as someone with a clipboard or tablet tried to organise them into the right order for entering the fray.

There were a couple of medal ceremonies throughout the afternoon and, as ever in Japan, a silly mascot or two has to always be on hand for such an occasion.

Overall there were around 20-25 races of various distances throughout the afternoon and it was fun to see them but without the TV graphics you see when watching at home it was actually far more difficult to see who had won each race.

There was a giant TV screen above the pool but the winners names were not shown the instant the touch pad sensor timing devices were touched at the climax of each race.

#2. Water Polo

Five days later I was back at the pool but this time I went by train. The Aquatics Centre is just ten minutes on foot from Tatsumi station on the Yurakucho Line which is home to Octopus Square of Interesting Japanese Playground Structures fame! Unlike with the swimming, there wasn’t anyone around outside and I wondered if the place was even open! Thankfully the doors automatically opened as I approached them and there were a couple of people inside taking the tickets who were most surprised to see a foreigner arrive. They even confirmed if I was really there to see the water polo!

Tokyo’s number 1 gaijin water polo fan??

No sooner had I found a seat and it was the start as a swimmer from each team raced to the centre to get the ball first and pass it back to their teammates who followed behind.

I had no idea how a water polo match began beforehand so this was something of a surprise I guess and made me realise how much energy must be used playing this game.

As someone who is not such a strong swimmer this looked like an incredibly difficult sport to play. I always just assumed water polo players’ feet (or at least their toes!) were on the floor but they are actually treading water in a deep pool the whole time.

It was an entertaining game of end to end action not too dissimilar to basketball (not that my knowledge of that game is too great!) where it seems like one team scores and then the other replies and so on. It was pretty much neck and neck throughout the four eight-minute quarters with no team ever going more than two goals clear. I was sat with the NSSU (Nippon Sports Science University) fans and “we” eventually came out on top!

She shoots! She scores! All the 5-metre penalties were scored in this match

This was the 99th Japan Championship Water Polo Competition but little did I know that  all the teams were university ones. Female ones too (the male competition was in the afternoon) so I don’t know what the other spectators must have thought when they saw a foreign man of my age watching alone, and through binoculars at times too!!

The teams line up post-match to bow as is customary in Japanese sport

My ticket also allowed me to watch the other semi final match between Shumei University WPC and Fujimura Water Polo Team but I had to go and meet a friend so had to pass on that. With very few casual water polo fans inside the centre, the majority of spectators were only there to support their team meaning the crowd changed between the two matches.

It was great to have visited another Tokyo Olympic venue and when (if!) I watch the sports taking place at the pool in Paris 2024 I will have a better understanding and appreciation of them.

Click here to read ‘What It`s Like To Be A Spectator At The Tokyo 2020 Olympics’

Click here to read ‘Reignite Your Passion For The Olympics At This Tokyo Museum’

Click here to read ‘Hockey! Hockey! Hockey! Oi Oi Oi! Finally Watching Live Hockey In Tokyo After My Tokyo 2020 Setback’

Click here to read ‘The “Other” Olympic Museum In Tokyo’