TOKYO — Thursday night, in a virtually empty stadium beneath a nearly full moon, Japan’s Olympics never began.
At 7:15 p.m., the Japanese men’s soccer team walked onto the field without cheer or cheers. COVID-19 has basically made these a spectator-free Games. Most parking spots around Tokyo Stadium were empty. The pulsing noise outside came from evening cicadas. When the speakers finished playing Japan’s national anthem, the applause did not reach the level you might hear at a middle-school musical. During the game, you could hear camera shutters catching moments that Japan is anxious to forget.
Two years ago to the day, hundreds of local children and their parents gathered on this same field, holding blue placards and forming the words: “One Year to Go.