Robert Whiting
Author of The Chrysanthemum and the Bat, You Gotta have Wa, and Tokyo Underworld
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Robert Whiting
“A first-rate look at the landmark Tokyo 1964 Olympics. Olympic historian Roy Tomizawa has delivered a well-crafted and authoritative account of what LIFE Magazine has described as the greatest Olympics ever. Should be read by anyone interested in the postwar development of Tokyo and the stunning transformation of Japan's capital that the 64 Games brought about, as well as those looking forward to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympiad. It's a real winner.” (from Amazon)
by Roy Tomizawa·You?
Japan was a physical and psychological wasteland at the end of World War II. With over 3 million dead, 39 percent of city populations homeless, 40 percent of all urban areas flattened, 80 percent of all ships destroyed, and 33 percent of all industrial machine tools rendered inoperable, the country was devastated and demoralized. And yet, just 19 years later, Japan stood proud--modern, peace-loving, and open--welcoming the world as the host of the 1964 Olympics, the largest global event of its time. In 1964--The Greatest Year in the History of Japan, Roy Tomizawa chronicles how Japan rose from the rubble to embark on the greatest Asian economic miracle of the 20th century. He shares stories from the 1964 Olympics that created a level of alignment and national pride never before seen in Japan, leaving an indelible mark in the psyche of the Japanese for generations.