5 Things Japan Is Doing In Order To Make The 2020 Tokyo Olympics An Experience Like No Other

In five months' time, Japan will be hosting the global extravaganza of Olympics. The biggest global sports event will find its home in capital Tokyo.

It has been almost 22 years since the last Olympic Games were held in Nagano, Japan. Similar to previous games, there will be no holding back any expenses to make it a smoothly run operation.

The Asian country is doing everything in its power to make the Games fan-friendly and more convenient for all the people traveling to the country. The organisers are also using innovative new means to make the Olympics eco-friendly.

Let us look at the five thins Japan is doing differently for the event:

1. Creating uniforms from recycled clothes.

Tokyo Olympics has made a commitment to keep the environment in mind and make the event eco-friendly, in whatever way possible.

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From the use of strictly renewable energy to power the games to the use of recycled clothing to create athletes' uniforms, significant steps are being taken to conserve the environment.

The official Tokyo 2020 Olympic athlete kit is the responsibility of the sports firm Asics. They are hoping to collect 30,000 articles of clothing to make the uniforms.

2. Medals made of e-waste.

Last year, the organisers revealed that the medals will be made from recycled electronic waste, including discarded smartphones, digital cameras and other handheld games and laptops.

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The concept has been implemented in the previous games, most recently at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where an estimated 30 per cent of the silver and bronze medals were wrought from recycled materials. The recycled metal has been collected from the Japanese public as well as businesses and industries.

It is a very impressive side to the Olympics and Japan is continuing to make the right moves.

3. Increased education in English.

A good proportion of Japan's population speaks English, but in order to get rid of the communication gap during the Games, the government is providing language courses to all the volunteers.

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Some Japanese citizens have no intention of volunteering but simply wish to be able to help and interact with foreigners if the occasion arises. Some more services are being introduced, such as a recent twenty-four-hour English hotline for the benefits of foreigners in need of some assistance.

4. Changes in rules when it comes to smoking.

Currently, there are very few regulations in terms of smoking inside restaurants. Many restaurants allow smoking in their establishments, including most chains. For the upcoming Olympics, Japan is mulling changes to accommodate those from abroad.

There are already many restricted areas in big cities, especially the main shopping streets that prohibit smoking. Usually, this means that individuals who do wish to smoke, have to go out of their way or are confined to small smoking areas.

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Obviously this seems quite reasonable especially in areas with high traffic of kids. One concern, however, is that having to regulate so many smokers to one area is incredibly inconvenient.

5. Renovating cultural heritage sites.

There are currently quite a few cultural heritage sites and major tourist attractions under renovation at the moment. Himeji Castle, The Hiroshima Peace Museum and Tosho-Gu in Nikko are some such sites.

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It isn¡¯t uncommon for these sites to undergo maintenance every few decades as Japan is known for having natural disasters that contribute to the erosion of these places.