In Japan, mascots typically play a major role in branding campaigns. But Miraitowa and Someity have been a subdued presence at the very event they were made for.
Tag: Japan
Japan’s Diverse Olympic Stars Reflect a Country That’s Changing (Slowly)
Multiracial athletes like Naomi Osaka and Rui Hachimura are helping to redefine what it means to be Japanese. But they are often still seen as outsiders.
Tokyo Olympics Open to a Sea of Empty Seats
While an opening ceremony is usually a chance for the host nation to showcase the best of itself, these Games are being staged with the less lofty ambition of enduring the pandemic.
Your Friday Briefing
A fraught Olympics begins.
The Olympics in 1964 Hailed a New Japan. There’s Less to Cheer This Time.
The country has changed vastly from that hopeful moment nearly six decades ago, and the Olympics this time around have come to represent something different and not entirely positive.
Olympics Covid Cases Raise Tricky Questions About Testing
Frequent screening of healthy, vaccinated people will pick up even the mildest infections. How much testing is too much?
Your Wednesday Briefing
India’s Covid deaths could be in the millions.
‘Anti-Sex’ Beds in the Olympic Village? A Social Media Theory is Soon Debunked
The coronavirus has forced a number of social distancing measures at the Summer Games, but the recyclable cardboard beds provided by organizers are not one of them.
Ugandan Weight Lifter Missing in Japan Amid Olympic Lockdown
Julius Ssekitoleko, 20, an Olympic hopeful, failed to show up Friday for a required coronavirus test. Games organizers have ordered all participants to remain in a “bubble” to prevent the spread of the virus.
Your Wednesday Briefing
Dozens died in a fire in an Iraqi Covid ward.