Various cultural activities planned in conjunction with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have been canceled or forced to reschedule because of the pandemic.
In response to a state of emergency issued in Tokyo on Monday, the Games organizing committee made the decision to hold all future events scheduled for locations in Tokyo online or without spectators.
The Olympics and Paralympics are seen as a great opportunity for the host country to convey the charms of its modern and traditional arts, but the significance of the cultural events to be held amid the pandemic is being questioned.
The Olympic Charter encourages cultural programs for "exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind." Under this philosophy, the organizing committee, the Cultural Affairs Agency and the Tokyo metropolitan government, among others, have been leading cultural events.
The Tokyo 2020 Nippon Festival -- the committee's official cultural program -- comprises four main events. One of them, "Luminous, The Lord," a kabuki-meets-opera performance featuring kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo and overseas opera singers scheduled for April last year, was cancelled as it was difficult for overseas staffers to travel to Japan.
Elsewhere, an event to be held without spectators is "Rediscover Tohoku – Mocco's journey from Tohoku to Tokyo" at Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo on Saturday. A 10-meter-tall Mocco giant puppet traveled through Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region, making various stops along its trip to Tokyo, and Saturday's event is the finale. It will be held behind closed doors in "a safer and more secure environment," an organizer said.
Many events the Tokyo metropolitan government and other groups planned to hold have been forced to reschedule.
"Pavilion Tokyo 2021," which kicked off in July, was designed to convey the appeal of modern Japanese architecture and art.
Architect Terunobu Fujimori planned to perform the tea ceremony at a tea house he set up in front of the National Stadium, but the event never came to fruition.
"I wanted visitors to take their time drinking tea while enjoying the view from the the window," Fujimori said.
The government will continue holding the Japan Cultural Expo in line with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. However, 112 of the 162 exhibitions and performances selected last fiscal year either held online or postponed, while 27 pulled out after being selected. This fiscal year, 136 projects have made the cut, but many of them are expected undergo a change in presentation.
"We're hesitant to hold cultural events, while the Olympic Games themselves are being debated over -- the pros and cons of holding them or holding them with no spectators," an organizing source said.
Many cultural events are expected to take place online as part of the COVID-19 control. For instance, "Wassai," a singing and dancing event featuring people from all corners of the world, will be streamed online via Tokyo 2020's official social media accounts as a comprehensive online event.
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