Next summer, the air above Ariake, a waterfront area in Koto Ward, Tokyo, is going to be filled with bicycles. Airake is to be the scene of many 2020 Olympic and Paralympic events, including BMX races in which packs of riders go airborne off the tops of artificial hills.
Getting into the spirit of the Games, I recently scoped out several venues clustered in Ariake while touring the area by bicycle -- albeit with both wheels on the ground.
I used a credit card to rent a bike through Docomo Bike Share at docomo-cycle.jp. There are hundreds of self-service pick-up and drop-off points in 11 of Tokyo's 23 wards, including several in Ariake. Various rental arrangements are available, and I opted for an all-day pass at 1,500 yen plus tax. The bikes have electric motors that kick in when you pedal, so you can cover more ground with less effort.
Ariake's flat, reclaimed land is good for biking, with wide sidewalks and bike lanes. The area is mostly surrounded by water, providing views of the nearby Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo skyline.
The first venue I rode past was Ariake Tennis Park. It includes the Ariake Colosseum, a 10,000-seat tennis stadium that opened in 1987 and had a roof put over it four years later. The roof, straddling the stadium on giant metal legs, has two halves that slide away from each other to expose the court to the sky on sunny days.
Two blocks north is the future site of Ariake Urban Sports Park, where Olympic BMX and skateboarding events will be held. A course of jumpable hills was taking shape, but there were not yet any other visible facilities on the site.
Two blocks north of that, across a bridge and technically outside of Ariake, is the Toyosu market, which last year became the successor to the bygone Tsukiji market. It has observation decks above the trading floors, and restaurants where you might stop for lunch.
Back on the Ariake side of the water, facing Toyosu, stands the Ariake Gymnastics Center, which will host up to 12,000 spectators for Olympic gymnastics and Paralympic boccia. It's still under construction, but one can already appreciate its graceful shape, somewhat resembling a wooden platter with a domed lid.
Also on the water, slightly to the west, another beautiful building is taking shape. The shiny white Ariake Arena, whose high-cornered, outward-leaning walls give it a swooping roofline, will seat 15,000 to watch Olympic volleyball and Paralympic wheelchair basketball.
To take a break from cycling, I circled back toward the tennis park to visit the adjacent Ariake Sports Center. Though not a Games venue, it is a place where you can use a gym or a 25-meter lap pool for an adult admission of 400 yen. There's even a waterslide that makes a 360-degree curve on its way to splashdown.
Another spot for a break is the Gas Science Museum in Toyosu, which has free admission. Its two floors of interactive exhibits are aimed at kids but fun for adults. One involves manipulating a flame gun in a darkened chamber, trying to hit gas-filled soap bubbles to make them explode.
Don't be alarmed: Visitors and flames are safely separated by a glass window.
Museum owner Tokyo Gas is an official partner of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, and there is a small temporary exhibit about Japanese Paralympians inside.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
