Tokyo Gate Bridge (Looking Towards Sea Forest)
Sea Forest, or Umi no Mori is a relatively new island in Tokyo Bay. Located just outside Odaiba, it was a grand scheme to create a beautiful park for Tokyo citizens to enjoy. The only problem with the entire Sea Forest area is that is it currently not accessible by public transport as far as I know. You can’t even cycle there as the bridge and tunnel that provides access is limited to motor vehicles only. It is a shame but hopefully they will allow people to walk over or provide good transit links by the time the games start. After the games, I would suspect bus service will be relatively regular, but with no easy way to get off the island, I suspect it won’t be profitable and the “forest” will be underused.
*The Sea Forest is projected to be completed (mostly) by 2016, but fully realized by 2037
Sea Forest Cross-Country Course
The Sea Forest Cross-Country course will be a purpose built venue. The Sea Forest area consists of 2 separate islands with parks located on both islands, but not occupying all of the land on both islands. On the northern island, next to Odaiba, they will construct a cross country course for the equestrian events. These events will not drastically change the original plan of the Sea Forest but I imagine it does create a different feel to the park than what the original designers and landscapers imagined.
Sea Forest, North Island is on the Left Side of this Photo
The Sea Forest Cross-Country Course will hold the equestrian events for the 2020 Olympics.
Sea Forest Waterway
Between both main sections of the Sea Forest, there will be a waterway that will hold the Rowing and Canoe/Kayak sprint events. It is a good location as both islands protect this area from major waves from the bay. Once the games end, the coasts will become recreational areas and the waterway will continue to be used for various rowing events. I would assume Tokyo will have canoes and swan boats available for couples to enjoy a leisure cruise similar to the boats around Chidorigafuchi.
The Sea Forest Waterway will host the rowing, canoe, and kayak events.
Sea Forest Mountain Bike Course
The Sea Forest Mountain Bike Course will occupy an area of the Sea Forest Park on the southern island. Mountain bikes don’t require a lot of space so I assume the trails they create will remain and people will be able to walk along them after the games. I couldn’t find information on whether the trails will remain exclusive for mountain biking. I would imagine they would be useful for mountain bikers and create a good legacy but the most logical answer would be to let people hike around it for an afternoon only.
Tokyo Gate Bridge With Sea Forest in the Background (circa 2010)
The Sea Forest Mountain Bike Course will be used for the mountain bike events in 2020.
Update (July 2016): It appears that the mountain biking course has moved to Izu. There is no information on what the route will be at this moment.
Wakasu Olympic Marina
I have been to Wakasu several times now and it has grown a lot in the last 6 years. It may not be part of the Sea Forest area but it is just across the river. In the Wakasu area, a new Olympic Marina will be built to host the sailing events and provide a new sailing harbour for Tokyo. The area is still primarily a recreational area with camping, barbecues, and fishing being very popular. I doubt this facility will cost a lot compared to the other venues and the legacy may provide a decent revenue stream for the city.
Future Wakasu Olympic Marina
The Wakasu Olympic Marina will hold the sailing events.
Update (July 2016): Sailing has been moved to the Enoshima Yacht Harbour. This was due to two reasons: 1) Building a new sailing harbour was too expensive 2) Wakasu was under the flight path of Haneda Airport so helicopters were not available to film the event at the start and finish
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Sea Forest Venues is part of a series detailing the venue locations and what will happen in the future. To read more, follow the links below:
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Meiji Jingu Venues
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Central Tokyo Venues
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Ariake Venues
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Odaiba Venues
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Yumenoshima (Dream Island) Venues
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Venues Outside the Heritage Area
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venues – Other Venues
Information
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Venue Plan (Official Site – English)
Horses, boats and bikes? Wheee! So how do I get there?
Oh. Wait. I wanted to go to Tōhoku. Hmm. I’m sure I could somehow fit in the horse festival and these equestrian events. Hmm.
When I learn how to get there, I’ll let you know. Right now, you can only go by car. 🙁 Unless you want to play chicken with the cars… …
I’m sure you can come back for a couple days only to see the events. That would be fun. I still think running to Fukushima is not necessary. It won’t be that bad.
Kayaks?! Did somebody say kayaks?!
U and I have already decided that is the one event that we might have a chance of getting tickets for (that Canada actually does well) so I’m interested in seeing how they manage access.
You should check out my Yumenoshima post. Kasai Rinkai Koen also has Kayaking.
I’m not sure what events I will try to see. I just want to go to anything. I think I’ll try to see the marathon though. Maybe the bike race too as you don’t have to pay and it only takes a few minutes to watch it.
Maybe I should go to the kayak event with a genuine Canadian so that I can finally figure out the difference between a kayak and a yacht. Canoe. Container ship. Or what-have-you. 😀
You forgot about a dinghy, a schooner, outrigger… dunno if there are anymore. Actually, I like dinghies the most. Just like the name. 😉
Oh, can we play with military ships too? Aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and… dunno the other names.
We can play military ships! I declare an African AIDZ and an EEZ over Sea Forest! You are NOT allowed to enter!
Fine. I declare your ADIZ and EEZ as invalid. I fail to recognize it. I’ll just drive over there anyways. 😉