Japan In Focus

Miyazaki: Cedar Wood Went to the Olympics — and Came Back Home

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:01 JST, June 10, 2023

MIYAZAKI — Timber from Miyazaki Prefecture that was used to construct a temporary building at the athletes village for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games held in 2021 has returned to the prefecture to be repurposed as benches and other items.

According to the prefectural government, the Village Plaza building in the athletes village featured timber from various parts of the country, including about 89 cubic meters of cedar timber from Miyazaki Prefecture used for structural elements such as beams. All of this Miyazaki wood was returned to the prefecture after the Games.

A portion was processed to create about 50 benches that have been installed in public facilities across the prefecture. Each seats two to three people.

A backdrop for the governor’s press conferences was crafted from the timber as well, and it is also used for the corridors and fences at a training camp facility for rugby and other sports that opened in Miyazaki in April.

The timber was also provided to municipalities interested in using it. The city of Miyakonojo, for instance, has crafted 25 benches from the timber and installed them at a Michi-no-Eki roadside rest area that opened in April.