Summer Olympics return to Tokyo next year

Staff

5 years ago

Two children pose for photos with the Olympic Rings in front of New National Stadium in Tokyo, ... — Two children pose for photos with the Olympic Rings in front of New National Stadium in Tokyo, June 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Thousands of candles are arranged in the shape of the Milky Way to celebrate Tanabata, a Japanese star festival, at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, July 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Twins, who go by Kunika and Kuniho, 17, record a greeting for their social media followers in the Harajuku district of Tokyo, June 2, 2019. Harajuku is one of the most popular shopping neighborhoods in Japan. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Commuters fill the street during the evening rush hours in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, June 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Pedestrians are seen through an advertisement as they walk along the busy streets of the Shibuya district in Tokyo, June 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Summer Olympics will return to Tokyo next year for the first time since 1964. The world’s best athletes will be on display, of course, but so will Japan’s sprawling capital — a dense mix of the traditional and the eccentric.

Small shrines and ancient temples nestle alongside gleaming towers and high-tech gadgetry. Pedestrians meander through a labyrinth of alleyways lined with places to eat or drink, while passengers wedge silently into subway cars or ride on sleek bullet trains.

It all seems to fit together in near-perfect harmony, says Associated Press photographer Jae Hong, who is beginning a yearlong assignment to capture the flavor of Tokyo before the games begin.

“It seems like the whole city is run by people reading the same manual, and everybody follows it,” Hong said.