Compete in Tokyo Olympic Games with Google
This year the world’s best athletes assembled together, and competed for medals. For us, regular folks, we can just sit back and watch… but not so fast. Google has surprise for you. You can compete as well!
Google in cooperation with Japanese animation and movie making company Studio4°C created Tokyo Olympics themed game, for everyone to play with! The game is accessible as Google Doodle and can be played in a browser. What is Google Doodle? Glad you ask… to simply put, It is a special content, which you can see instead of Google’s logo during some special event, or memorial day, etc.
This time, Google Doodle was a game to honor Japanese Olympic games in Tokyo 2021. What is special about the game? Good question. The game puts you in Google Doodle Champion Island where all animals assembled in order to compete in sport disciplines.
Google Doodle Champion Island
Game is starting with you sailing to sea and docking in Google Doodle Champion Island. But you are not human… you are a cat! A Cat named Lucky. Your mission is to win in as much sport disciplines as possible. There are total 7 disciplines you can became champion at – Mountain Climbing, Archery, Table Tennis, Marathon, Skateboarding, Water Dancing and Rugby. Each discipline has it’s own dojo and the champion. All waiting for Lucky to win over.
In order to do this, you should become member of one sports team, that can be found on the island. Also, in the mid of Island you can see statues with champions and track your achievements. By defeating a champion, he will give you a special scroll… For what purpose is this scroll? Well… for sake of not spoiling the story, take it as a medal. They will have play they part in nice ending animation.
While the gameplay is interesting and all good, the Google’s message underneath is much more lovely. Hold your hats now.
Honoring Japanese culture
Think about it. Google had to find a way how to honor culture of Japan and Tokyo. What is Japan best known for? Video games! That is why whole game is made in pixel-retro style, with features, which are typical for Japanese video-game industry.
Not only that! Japan is known for anime movies, architecture and the rich folk culture & mythology. During playing the game, you can encounter various characters which can be found in Japanese folklore. Among others, you will encounter Oni giants…
Oni giants and japanese folklore
Believe or not, Oni giants are very popular characters in Japan. Often depicted as big, bulky notorious villains having treacherous intentions. They usually have one or more horns on their head. While on Champion Island they are masters playing rugby, in the folklore, they are violent and crude, wielding spiked iron club. In current japan language, there is a phrase “鬼に金棒” – Pronounced as oni-ni-kanabō. This is means to be powerful or invincible.
Interesting is also the root of word Oni – Which translates as to hide or to conceal. And this is also a way how Oni giants behave in japanese folklore – They hide behind things, trying not to be seen. To this day, there are numerous depictions of them in architecture and there are festival customs where people use beans as a way to keep Oni outside of the house.
Oni giants in Google Doodle game 
Oni giant in old japanese painting
Archer so strong, he can sink a ship
Among the Champion Island challenges, you can find archery. You have to hit as many moving targets as possible. Targets are constantly moving, because they sail on the sea. That makes it much more harder to hit them.
You may be thinking now – Why are those targets on a water? That is not how it is played at Olympic games! And that is very much true. However, Japan has tales of named Minamoto no Tametomo (源 為朝). He was a real samurai, and a real historical figure. He is famous for his archery skills – Namely it is said, that he sink the whole ship by a single arrow shot.
Starting Archery Challenge 
Historical depiction of Minamoto no Tametomo
While it is not known much about Minamoto, some written historical sources are still kept up to now. From these, we know, one of his arm was severed, as a punishment for sinking the ship, so he cannot sink ships no more. Minamoto is also one of the first characters known to commit suicide out of honor called Harakiri (腹切り). A suicide by cutting his abdomen.
It is also worthy to mention, that hand-fan used by Minamoto looks like targets that Lucky was shooting on – a simple hand-fan with a circle as a sun symbol.
Owl sees it all
During adventures on Google Doodle Champion Island, you will have to face a Futoro – The grand champion of the mountain climbing. One of characters in game will tell you that nobody, even birds are able to reach him. Futoro is a reference to old god from japanese folklore called Cikap Kamuy. This god is thought of as sitting on the higher reaches of the mountains, where he observes humans and the land.
Cikap Kamuy is thought to be a god of wealth, knowledge and prosperity. There is one legend associated him, where he saved humanity from famine – He attempted to send messengers into heavens, to find out, why gods punished humans with famine. When the messenger returned, he Cikap Kamuy discovered, gods are angry because humans were not thankful enough for their gifts. Cikap Kamuy showed to humans how to properly do rituals. From this point, gods were peaceful again, and famine disappeared.
What about our Lucky the (C)athlette?
Core idea of Olympic games is to put aside differences for a moment, and compete in sport. This also raised a question… who will be the main hero a player can play for? Creators had a plenty different ideas. Initially, main hero was supposed to be a fox. But fox in Japanese folklore is thought of to be a sly trickster, not a good fit for a hero.
Instead, creators decided main hero will be a female – a Calico cat, which is in Japan very well known and liked by public. On the other hand, this cat spreaded all over the world, even thought, originating probably from Egypt or Arabian Peninsula. This highlighted international character of Olympic games as well as something about Japan culture, where cats symbolize a good luck.
The combination of Olympic Games in Tokyo and Japan is indeed legendary. It is amazing how you could be able to experience the olympic atmosphere thanks to simple game made by Google. As someone who is not very interested in sport, I think Olympic games in Tokyo will always for me, by far, the most rememberable! Let’s see what Google brings for another Olympics event.