TOKYO 2025 DEAFLYMPICS, an international multi-sport event for athletes with hearing impairments, is being held in Tokyo from November 15 to 26, 2025. Tokyo Gymnasium, located near JR Sendagaya Station, serves as the venue for the opening & closing ceremonies as well as the table tennis events. On the day of my visit, table tennis matches were underway. Admission is free & no ticket is required, but spectators receive a wristband at the entrance. A staff member from overseas assisted me at the gate, giving the venue a distinctly international atmosphere.
Inside the arena, sixteen table tennis tables are arranged side by side, each separated by partitions. Large monitors suspended from the ceiling display the scores of all sixteen matches, making it easy to see which player is leading. Spectator seating is available on both sides of the arena, & visitors are free to sit wherever they like.
Stepping out of Tokyo Gymnasium, you are immediately greeted by the towering NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building. The rows of street trees lining the road near JR Sendagaya Station have already begun to turn color, signaling the progress of the autumn foliage.
Street trees also line the road on the north side of the gymnasium. From the photographs, you can see that the leaves are beginning to change color from the far end of the street.
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, sunset in Tokyo during the Deaflympics period is around 4:30 p.m. About an hour before sunset, the trees are illuminated by strong, low-angle sunlight coming from almost directly sideways, enhancing the warm tones of the autumn leaves.
(Sunset on the opening day, Saturday, November 15, is at 4:34 p.m., & on the final day, Wednesday, November 26, at 4:29 p.m. Sunset becomes slightly earlier each day.)
November 20, 2025