Olympic Railway pass for the 1964 Tokyo XVIII Olympics: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An Olympic Railway pass for the 1964 Tokyo XVIII Olympics issued to Wyomia Tyus by Japanese National Railways in November 1964. The pass is a folded booklet. The front and back covers of the pass are gray. On the front cover, in the center, is an outline of a silver rectangle. Inside is a red disc, the sun symbol on the Nisshoki, the flag of Japan. Below are the Olympic Rings printed in silver ink and silver text that reads [TOKYO 1964]. At the top of the front cover is printed black text in Japanese, French, and English that reads [CARTE DE CIRCULATION / RAILWAY PASS]. Inside the pass are instructions printed in French and English on the left page and a map, valid dates, and a stamp on the right page. The texts overlays an image of the Japanese countryside with Mount Fuji in the background. On the back cover is black printed French and English text that reads [Chemins de fer Nationaux Japon / Japanese National Railways] below a circular logo with a flower in the center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1964
• Issued by: Japanese National Railways, Japanese, 1949 - 1987
• Used by: Wyomia Tyus, American, born 1945
• Type: passes (tickets)
• Medium: ink and metallic paint on paperboard
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Closed): 4 5/16 × 3 1/8 × 1/16 in. (11 × 7.9 × 0.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Open): 4 5/16 × 6 1/4 × 1/16 in. (11 × 15.8 × 0.1 cm)
• Place used: Tokyo, Japan, Asia
• Place made: Tokyo, Japan, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Olympics
• Topic: Sports
• Topic: Transportation
• Object number: 2017.52.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Wyomia Tyus
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.