A novelty item from 84 years ago (1940). "Novelty" refers to freebies, premiums, and promotional items produced by companies and retailers to increase recognition of their company names, product names, or services, and distributed to customers. Even now, there's a custom where business partners give calendars for the coming year to their clients at the end of the year. The free toys that come with McDonald's value meals are also novelties in a broad sense. The item displayed here is a rare novelty item. It was made for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were scheduled to be held in Asia for the first time, 85 years ago. Even the 1964 Tokyo Olympics are now a distant memory, but it's surprising that the Olympics were planned to be held in a country of color for the first time 24 years before that. Unfortunately, due to the intensification of the Sino-Japanese War and opposition from the military, the government relinquished the hosting rights to the IOC at the time, making the 1940 Tokyo Olympics a phantom Olympics. This regret remained as a long-cherished wish of the Japanese people, leading to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1970 Osaka Expo. It's not hard to imagine how much money, time, and effort were wasted due to the cancellation of the 1940 Tokyo Olympics, but it's almost impossible to trace the remnants now. In that sense, this novelty item is a valuable artifact that conveys the excitement and disappointment of the time. By the way, Yaohei Shoten still exists in Togane City, Chiba Prefecture. The owner of Yaohei Shoten probably distributed this cup to his valued customers, hoping for the opening ceremony of the century's festival. Height 58mm, diameter 65mm. #1940 #TokyoOlympics #TokyoGames #Novelty #Premium #Promotion #YaoheiShoten