We seem to be matching each other when it comes to the weather. It’s hot here in Tokyo but it has been hot at home too.

And just as we prepare for a typhoon here, it’s getting stormy in Ireland too. The surreal atmosphere at these Olympics continues to prevail.

The strict guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain in place.

For 14 days after arrival, all of us non-athletes connected with the Games are being monitored very closely. We sign out of our hotel for 15 minutes to go to the shop but are forbidden from wandering any further. We sign back in and must go to our own rooms.

Use of public transport is strictly off limits. Instead, there are dedicated Olympic transport shuttles to take us from hotel to office to venue. Rinse and repeat. After three days of having breakfast left at the bedroom door in a brown bag, we now enjoy the luxury of a buffet breakfast after we have had our temperature taken at the entrance and we must wear plastic gloves.

Three BBC journalists are still self-isolating for two full weeks in their pokey hotel rooms

Meanwhile, we still continue to participate in antigen testing. We must complete a compulsory daily questionnaire via our smartphones regarding our wellbeing with the realisation that we are all only a ping on our phone away from being told to isolate back in our hotel rooms. Three BBC journalists are still self-isolating for two full weeks in their pokey hotel rooms having been deemed close contacts of a confirmed case which was on their plane coming here.

That in itself was a very eerie affair

It is the price of the Games going ahead in a country where public opinion is split on whether it should be happening or not. Cases in Tokyo are hitting peak numbers although cases associated with the Games are minimal. Still, there was a noisy protest against outside the opening ceremony last Friday. That in itself was a very eerie affair with the parade of countries into an empty stadium. No matter how Ireland do in the competitions, we won many hearts with the bow of courtesy displayed by the Irish team members who took part in the opening ceremony. It went down very well here in a country where politeness and manners is so evident among the locals.

It’s 57 years since it was last hosted here

And it is difficult not to feel sympathy with the locals who had been looking forward to these games for over a decade before COVID-19 hit. There are no crowds, quiet stadiums and a lot of volunteers left standing around without much to do and it will be another generation before there is a chance of this mega event coming here again. It’s 57 years since it was last hosted here.

As if COVID-19 wasn’t enough to cope with, the imminent arrival of a typhoon at time of writing will add to the weirdness of these games

People might be cynical about the Olympics but all you need to do is listen to interviews with the likes of boxer Emmet Brennan or taekwondo debutante Jack Woolley to appreciate what it means for the athletes who have made massive sacrifices to get here.

Brennan in particular was distraught when he lost his fight at the weekend revealing he had taken out a Credit Union loan to help fund his preparations.

As if COVID-19 wasn’t enough to cope with, the imminent arrival of a typhoon at time of writing will add to the weirdness of these games which for many will only really get going next week with the track and field events. The empty Olympic stadium will be the symbol of these bizarre games in bizarre times.

The penny drops

An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has described Twitter as a sewer. I am surprised it has taken him so long to realise that considering that on it, he is arguably the Irish public figure most trolled.