Tokyo from Roppongi’s observatory
Hello everyone!
It is almost the end of summer and in Japan this means typhoon season is officially starting - there is never a dull moment in the Land of the Rising Sun!
The 2020 Paralympic Closing Ceremony should have already happened, marking the end of Tokyo2020 Games..but the reality is that we are 318 days ahead of the start of Tokyo2020+1
After being banned from entering the country since March, foreign residents (gaijin like me!) are now able to come back; this is definitely a good news, as loads of people got stuck in their home country without being able to come back and others were not able to leave Japan at all because they would lose their job if not able to re-enter Japan.
The borders are not yet open for people without a visa, so we don’t know if the Competition Managers or members from the FEI will be able to visit Tokyo before the end of the year. Obviously this is not ideal as, even if we can have calls and virtual meetings, a good old-style meeting in person is still the best option, especially to have a fruitful discussion about plans.
One thing I find very exciting, with competitions running again, is to check how many new combinations are now qualified for the Games. After the postponement the FEI obviously adapted the qualifications rules and the deadline to get the required MERs is the 21st June 2021, with the list of 2021 Olympic Ranking Events going to be published in December.
A nice sunset on Sumida River
Even if I’m very grateful to still have a job and a salary and that all my friends and family are healthy, I have to admit the last few months were tough! I’ve always spent long periods away from home, but being stuck in Tokyo and the postponement definitely took a heavy toll on me. I tried to change my attitude into a more positive one booking the flight to go home for Christmas and I’m now very focused on the countdown: 101 days to go before being in Italy!
I’m so looking forward to seeing everyone and to go to the mountains skiing!
A detail of the Imperial Palace I finally managed to visit
As I don’t think I will be back in Japan anytime soon after the Games, I’m trying to visit as much as possible, especially because places are not very crowded without tourists and it is also good to support the local economy (this is something I tell myself also after spending too much in clothes I don’t really need!).
For the end of the month I’ve planned a solo-adventure to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Osaka and I’m very excited to escape Tokyo for a short while and visit new cities!
Stay safe everyone
Carola
