Interview: Motoko Rich, New York Times Tokyo Bureau Chief on the 2020/21 Tokyo Paralympics

Burn It All Down

Sports

4.5 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2021

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Amira Rose Davis talks with Motoko Rich, New York Times Tokyo Bureau Chief, about reporting on the 2020/21 Tokyo Paralympics. They discuss Japan being the first and only nation to host the Paralympics twice, the impacts of Covid-19 on the games as well as on the country and what disability activists in Japan want from these games. This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network. For show notes, transcripts, and more info about BIAD, check out our website: www.burnitalldownpod.com To help support the Burn It All Down podcast, please consider becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/burnitalldown For BIAD merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/burn-it-all-down/ Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/BurnItDownPod; Facebook: www.facebook.com/BurnItAllDownPod/; and Instagram: www.instagram.com/burnitalldownpod/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So I now have a setting you up and I spit you out because I'm playing with your babies to the screaming shout.
0:08.4	Oh yeah.
0:09.8	Oh yeah.
0:09.9	So I now have a, you know, setting on my phone that tells me what time it is in Tokyo because
0:15.8	it has been like the most useful thing this summer because time has confounded me.
0:22.5	But it was really helpful this week because I called up Motoko Rich, who's the New York Times Tokyo Bureau Chief. And she's
0:27.5	reporting on the ground. She's been covering the Olympics and Paralympics games. And I wanted to
0:32.2	talk to her after the opening ceremonies. And I was trying to figure out when that would be.
0:36.9	So now I know at the time
0:39.0	that I recorded it, it was that morning and it was still at night for me on that same day. But for
0:43.7	her, it was already the next morning because Tokyo is 13-14 hours ahead of us. So I chatted with
0:50.0	Motoko the morning after she went to the Paralympic opening ceremonies, and we chatted,
0:55.3	of course, about the Paragames and also lingering ongoing COVID concerns, Japan's imperial
1:01.6	and in long history of Paralympics support, and a few other things that we had on our minds.
1:07.8	So it's here.
1:09.3	The Paralympics have started. Yes. And Matoko, you are at the opening
1:13.7	ceremonies. You're covering the open ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. And I know you went to the
1:18.6	opening of the Olympics as well. What were your takeaways from the opening of the pair games?
1:24.6	So, I mean, I think this is a very small sampling of friends and family and other
1:29.2	journalists who are watching with me, but I think that just as an actual ceremony, the Paralympic
1:34.3	ceremony was more vibrant, creative. There was a lot of vital energy in the performances.
1:40.8	A lot of people with disabilities who were, you know, very talented artists, musicians, dancers, participated.
	...

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