Japan yet to catch Asian Games fever as Nagoya welcomes athletes

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 18 - Five years after the Tokyo Olympics unfolded to empty stadiums, the Asian Games offer Japan another chance to throw open the gates to fans and enjoy a major multi-sport event with a proper atmosphere.

But a day before Saturday's opening ceremony in Nagoya, the mood was decidedly low-key among some locals.

"I have no real idea about these Games," university student Hinata Koda told Reuters at a cafe on Friday.

"I heard they were on but no-one has really been talking about it."

The Games have already kicked off with soccer and basketball preliminaries, thousands of athletes have filed into Nagoya, and there is no shortage of signage promoting the event.

Advertising is prominent in the inner city, while volunteers and officials are a visible presence at the main train station.

Further afield, though, the event barely registers.

In Tokyo, which is hosting world and Olympic champion swimmers from Sunday, it was a challenge to find any sign of promotion for the Games, which involve more than 11,000 athletes from 45 delegations.

Staff at a tourist information office in Tokyo's bustling shopping district Shibuya were surprised to learn that the Games had already begun and that events were taking place in the capital.

"I haven't really seen any marketing for the Games. Maybe if Japanese athletes start winning medals, people will pay more attention," one staff member said.

Japan has waited more than three decades to host the Asian Games again, having last staged them in Hiroshima in 1994.

Organisers hope the Aichi-Nagoya Games can rekindle some of the communal sporting atmosphere denied to the country during the Olympics when COVID restrictions banned fans.

Athletes hope the fans will turn up even if ticket sales have been sluggish in a number of competitions.

"Many of our athletes carry the experience of competing at the Tokyo Olympics," said Japan's deputy chef de mission and former Olympic champion gymnast Hisashi Mizutori.

"Back then, we were not fully able to let the Japanese public experience that atmosphere directly in person on home soil.

"That is why I believe an extremely vital aspect of hosting these Games here in Aichi and Nagoya is giving the people of Japan the chance to see the athletes compete live."

Yuna Hayashi, a tourist visiting Nagoya from Mie prefecture, had no plans to take in any Games events live but said she would tune in to some on television.

"Tokyo Olympics were held without spectators during COVID-19, so I think the athletes probably felt a bit lonely," she said.

"With spectators allowed this time, I hope people can all come together and make it a great event." REUTERS