Overview
Let me write a travelogue for once.
I went to watch the World Athletics Championships. The location was the National Stadium in Tokyo.
(As always, hiding my face as Elden Ring’s Goldmask Lord.)
Tokyo 2025 World Athletics
Since I watched on September 13, this was my hand sign on that day.
- I watched the evening session.
- Opening ceremony. When Yuji Oda appeared, the person next to me got super excited.
- The presence of the imperial family (Prince Akishino) got me excited too. Governor Yuriko Koike’s appearance also stirred the crowd.
- The 3,000‑meter steeplechase was intense. My companion and I had a conversation like, “Steeplechase means there are obstacles, so does that mean there are hurdles?” “Hurdles? If that were the case, wouldn’t it have a name like hurdle‑race?” We really knew nothing.
- The difference in the amount of applause for Japanese athletes vs foreign athletes was obvious and made me feel a little uneasy. I mean, the announcements even said, “Give a big round of applause!” only for Japanese athletes — that kind of thing made me think, is that okay?
- I applauded so much that by the latter half my hands got tired. The seats are really hard. The seats are really narrow. Spending four hours there was quite exhausting.
Yasukuni Shrine
Next up, sightseeing. I visited Yasukuni Shrine, which I’d wanted to see at least once.
- “Yasukuni” apparently means “to pacify/bring peace to the country,” and was named by Emperor Meiji.
- There are easy‑to‑understand points of interest like the sazare‑ishi, the Zero‑sen (Zero Fighter aircraft), and the Sakura ceramic panel, making it enjoyable.
- The building with the Zero‑sen closed earlier than expected, so be careful.
- There are many rest areas, so even in hot weather I managed.
- I saw a statue of a German Shepherd for the first time. I was happy.
Chiikawa Land Shinjuku Store
Well, I thought I might as well go to Chiikawa Land…
- From inside the store I heard “Ah, so cute!” “This is cute!” — it was a very cute space all around.
Tokyo Daijingu
Despite “Tokyo” being in its name, Tokyo Daijingu felt kind of minor — I visited anyway.
This was on September 14, so I made this hand sign that day.
- There were a lot of young women, which made me wonder “why?”, but I found out it’s a shrine related to matchmaking.
- It was modest in size, but neat and well‑arranged, so I liked it.
Nihonbashi
I also made sure to visit Nihonbashi, the starting point of the Five Routes.
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I recently read Nagoya no Torisetsu, and became conscious of the Tōkaidō route. So I wanted to see Nihonbashi.
The End
I seldom travel around a city, but this time I was invited by my companion. It was hot, I sweat a lot, it was tough. Do people in the world do this kind of thing? Hard to believe.
But by seeing many things I don’t usually see… and by moving around in ways I don’t usually do… I felt experiences accumulating inside me, my values expanding. The book Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life floated into my mind.
This book argues that the most important thing in life is memory, and this trip felt like that in many ways.
