A Tour of the Olympic Village (February 15) We made a visit to the Olympic Village today. This is where athletes are housed during the Nagano Games, and it's off limits to the general public. We were able to get in because we had special permission from the Nagano organizing committee. It was a chance to see athletes up close and in person, and we were very excited and nervous. The first thing we saw after passing through the metal detector was a room called Surf Shack. It was filled with computers, which athletes used to read fan letters and write replies. The room had a very Japanese feel, being decorated with wood, bamboo, and "washi," or Japanese paper. "It's a popular place for foreign athletes," our volunteer guide told us. "The smell of wood is probably very comforting for them." We then came across shops selling daily necessities, snacks, souvenirs, pins, and other goods. These shops were exactly like those found in the middle of town. We were struck by the bouquets of flowers and traditional wooden dolls on sale. There was a room where athletes themselves were sewing names into their shirts. We were surprised to find a lot of male athletes there. The TV lounge was filled with athletes from various countries watching different sports. One corner of the lounge was decorated with Japanese furnishings, and this seemed to be particularly popular. Along the corridors were photographs of mountains, arranged cut flowers, and objects made from folded paper ("origami"), which were contributed by Nagano citizens and volunteers. Our guide said that "origami" was most probably the most readily appreciated Japanese artifact by foreign athletes. The hand-folded figures seemed to convey the loving care that went into creating each object. We thought that the Olympic Village would be a very tense place, with athletes huddled in meetings with their coaches. What we actually found was a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We ran into the head of the French delegation and had a chance to exchange a few words. He seemed to like children, and gave us a broad smile when saying goodbye. The Olympic Village seemed to be a really relaxing place. (Reported by Sayaka Fujino and Shun Okuno, Shinonoi Nishi Middle School)

Athletes can check their e-mail in the Surf Shack. Olympians do some shopping at an Olympic Village store. There's even a bank in the Olympic Village.

Olympic reports from our student correspondents TOP