3,716 views
17 comments

Tokyo 2016 Olympic Parade

  Sep 24th, 2009

Tokyo is bidding for the 2016 Olympics. With 9 days to go before the decision in Copenhagen, a parade was held in central Tokyo between Harajuku and Omotesando to mark the occasion. The last time Tokyo held the Olympics was in 1964.

Wonderful composure in the dance here by this lady

Wonderful composure in the dance here by this lady

You can't start a parade without some horses

You can't start a parade without some horses

There are bound to be some fine horses in Tokyo if the Games arrive in 2016

There are bound to be some fine horses in Tokyo if the Games arrive in 2016

Plenty of flags and uniforms showing the University groups

Plenty of flags and uniforms showing the University groups

There was a bit of cosplay support being shown for the Games as well

There was a bit of cosplay support being shown for the Games as well

I'm guessing this might be a part of the opening ceremony in 2016 if Tokyo wins

I'm guessing this might be a part of the opening ceremony in 2016 if Tokyo wins

Good precision being shown here. Interesting to see these are not rifles

Good precision being shown here. Interesting to see these are not rifles

3 Drummers in a row

3 Drummers in a row

The conductor almost lost in the band

The conductor almost lost in the band

Probably the best seat in the house

Probably the best seat in the house

The lanterns looked spectacular against the greenery of Omotesandori

The lanterns looked spectacular against the greenery of Omotesandori

This Canon IXY camera fires off a shot of the parade. There will be plenty of Canons and Nikons at the Games

This Canon IXY camera fires off a shot of the parade. There will be plenty of Canons and Nikons at the Games

More lanterns adding their color and tone to the parade

More lanterns adding their color and tone to the parade

The Black on White is equally striking

The Black on White is equally striking

A cheering smile from this participant

A cheering smile from this participant

The mikoshi gets carried down the parade route

The mikoshi gets carried down the parade route

Some good facial reactions to the weight of the mikoshi

Some good facial reactions to the weight of the mikoshi

This mobile phone tries to snap a golden moment

This mobile phone tries to snap a golden moment

The mikoshi works its way through the crowd

The mikoshi works its way through the crowd

This display of lifting up lanters was amazing

This display of lifting up lanters was amazing, like a circus juggling act with the pole being balanced on ones head

The small kids were particularly adorable

The small kids were particularly adorable. How old will they be in 2016? High School?

A lot of rehearsals had obviously gone into some of these moves

A lot of rehearsals had obviously gone into some of these moves

... and these

... and these

Color and style in this performance

Color and style in this performance

The red and black were a great contrast

The red and black were a great contrast

The young kids blended in with the adults to provide a great performance

The young kids blended in with the adults to provide a great performance

As the flag unfurls the performance goes on beneath it

As the flag unfurls the performance goes on beneath it

Good to see the Police on top of the job making sure things go smoothly

Good to see the Police on top of the job making sure things go smoothly

The flag flies high as the parade goes down Omotesandori towards Harajuku

The flag flies high as the parade goes down Omotesandori towards Harajuku

The next group of dancers wait in line for their turn to begin

The next group of dancers wait in line for their turn to begin

Plenty of concentration on the faces here

Plenty of concentration on the faces here

Spectular outfits allowing the color and shape of the dance to change instantly

Spectular outfits allowing the color and shape of the dance to change instantly

Young and old participating and showing some great talent

Young and old participating and showing some great talent

Nice use of color with these pink kasa

Nice use of color with these pink kasa

Mixing up the variety of dance with some modern style

Mixing up the variety of dance with some modern style

When you have lived in Japan for a while, you learn sometimes it is best not to ask

When you have lived in Japan for a while, you learn sometimes it is best not to ask

More vivid colors with the red and gold

More vivid colors with the red and gold

The flags were great and this pink one made an interesting contrast

The flags were great and this pink one made an interesting contrast

Cheerleaders take center stage

Cheerleaders take center stage

The Tokyo 2016 Olympic Candidate City Flags

The Tokyo 2016 Olympic Candidate City Flags

After watching an event like this it is hard to remember all the different floats and participants. Looking back on these photos I felt like I had seen the event twice.

Which photo or scene above did you like the most? My favorites are #1, #17 and #29

You can see more information about Tokyo’s Bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games at Tokoyo2016Today.com

Reblogging: you may use up to 4 of these photos if you wish to blog the article on your site. Please provide a link back to this article also.

Related posts:

  1. Tokyo 2016 Olympic Vote Tokyo has been bidding for the 2016 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games....
  2. Tokyo 2016 Project Recently I have been busy working with 3 fellow J-Bloggers on a...
  3. NHK Olympic Concert Sunday night, I attended the Olympic Concert 2009 hosted by NHK, at...

WP Greet Box icon
Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Help others find this page

If you enjoyed this post you might consider submitting it to one of the social networks on the left or following Shibuya on Twitter.
If you are a shibuya246 member you can in your account profile.


  1. RT @Shibuya246: Tokyo 2016 Olympic Parade, Japan Photo-Post | Shibuya246 http://bt.io/EP3 All the photos are great, Tokyo Ganbaette !
    My faves are # 34 #36 and # 39. Photo # 28 looks like she is talking on her cell phone, but at further review, it’s just the way her hand is placed on her face. All the great sights and sounds, a great time for all that participated.

  2. Amazing colors… Not to say that every single person is smiling and enjoying the moment.

    In #20 only one person is holding that?…they are lucky to do that event in a windless day… :P
    In #28 she looks like “Oh, why he is taking photos of me?, maybe he likes me” (and scratch her face like a moe embarrassed character) ^^;

    Definetly my fav is the #29…

  3. Great photos. I really hope Tokyo wins the Olympics bid!

  4. Great photos AGAIN. Thanks for letting us in “Japan”. Another amazing experience felt like I was there. Well one day haha

  5. great photos! it will be interesting to see if japan wins, how will cosplay fit into the Olympics. (‘~’)

  6. My favorite is #5, nothing beats a Hatsune Miku cosplay^^ But #39 was particularly amusing because of the guys in the front, I won’t blame them though, I’d probably stand right there myself if I had the chance!

  7. A lot of beautiful photos!! I like them so much^-^
    Japanese traditional culture is fantastic.
    But I think there is another interesting culture in Japan ….
    It is PACHINKO!! PACHINKO is a NEW sightseeing spot!
    It’s like casino but more casual one.
    If you got interested in PACHINKO, please check http://pachinko-play.com

 

           

 New Users click here to register      Forgotten Password?

 

Latest Posts

 

Other Posts being Read

 

About shibuya246

To find out more about the story behind shibuya246 click on one of the pictures below.
In Shibuya Center gai
Shibuya Streets
Japan Photo Articles

Latest from Japan Blogs

Become a Member



mem: 50 Mb
db: 164 que, 0.407 secs