1964 Summer Olympics

The Games of the XVIII Olympiad were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Detroit, Vienna and Brussels also made a bid for these Games. Tokyo had already been awarded with the organisation of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honour had been passed to Helsinki because of Japan's involvement in China. The 1940 Olympics were eventually cancelled because of the outbreak of World War II. This marked the first time the Olympics were held in Asia.

Venues

• Olympic Stadium, now known as "National Stadium," was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, and for track and field events.
• Nippon Budokan, or Japan Martial Arts Hall, was built to house the judo events, and is now one of Tokyo's best-known concert venues.
• Yoyogi National Gymnasium, adjacent to (and originally part of) the Meiji Shrine, houses swimming and gymnastics venues designed by architect Kenzo Tange. The Olympic Village, a redeveloped United States Army barracks originally called "Washington Heights," is located on the north side of Yoyogi Park.
• Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya hosted cycling events.
• Enoshima and Lake Sagami hosted yachting, canoeing, and rowing events.
• Karuizawa, in Nagano Prefecture west of Tokyo, hosted equestrian events.