Former vice president of Mizuno Corp., Jotaro Ueji, has collected Olympic commemorative postage stamps for all of the 16 summer and winter Games since the 1988 Seoul Games, as he has somehow been involved in the events.
The collection of stamps has elaborate designs. Ueji, who currently serves as a counselor of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is known as "Mr. Olympic" among those concerned. "I want people to know that there is such a way of enjoying the Olympics." the 72-year-old said.
In the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, skiers and other athletes are depicted with simple designs in the stamps. The Sydney Harbor Bridge was featured in the 2000 Sydney Summer Games.
The collection includes locally obtained stamps that were issued by the host countries, or participating countries or regions. He also bought stamps for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics when he was young. He said he has so many of them that he "can't count the number."
Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Ueji enjoyed collecting stamps from a young age. Since the 1988 Seoul Games, he has visited Olympic venues where he bought seats of stamps while serving as Mizuno's player support officer and as an officer of an organizing committee sponsor. Sometimes, he sent postcards with one of those stamps to his friends. "I wanted to convey the atmosphere [of the Olympic venues]," Ueji said. Some of the stamp sheets, which were bought to keep, have been kept in good condition by regularly exposing them to air.
Ueji was deeply involved in Tokyo's bid to host the Games next year. He retired after serving as vice president and adviser at Mizuno, and since 2014, he has been actively participating in the organizing committee as a counselor.
"There are many ways to enjoy the Olympics other than participating as a player, watching in a stadium or supporting from behind the scenes," Ueji said. He looks forward to collecting commemorative stamps for the second Tokyo Olympics.
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