Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay route to ignite enthusiasm across Japan
Around 98% of Japan’s population live within one hour by car or train of the proposed route of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay, which will start in the host nation on 26 March 2020. The Relay will get underway at the J-Village National Training Centre in Fukushima Prefecture before passing through all 47 prefectures and some 857 local municipalities over the ensuing 121 days.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay route will take in World Heritage Sites such as Mount Fuji and Itsukushima shrine and other historic locations and popular places, including favourite local community spots, with the charm of each being showcased during the Relay. The Relay will also take in areas that are continuing to recover from natural disasters, such as the Tohoku region, which was struck by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The route has been designed to ensure people can line the roadsides in support, acceptance and encouragement with the Relay coinciding with the bloom of Japan’s famed cherry blossoms and the Torch itself resembling a traditional “Sakuramon” cherry blossom emblem.
Flames are generated from each of the five petals of the flower which then intersect at the centre of the Torch which contains material recycled from the aluminium waste from the temporary housing that was built in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Details of the route and celebration sites are available on Tokyo 2020’s official website.
The presenting partners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay are Coca-Cola Japan, Toyota, Nippon Life and NTT Communications.