TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s brief but show-stopping appearance at the Olympic closing ceremony as the Nintendo game character Super Mario offered a tantalizing glimpse at Tokyo’s plans for the 2020 games.
The organizers for the Tokyo games crammed the works into a brief 2-minute film presentation before Abe’s appearance. Tokyo Tower, cherry blossoms, a bullet train, Tokyo Bay Bridge and the famous “scramble” intersection in Shibuya — and scores of sports.
Pac Man and Hello Kitty and the beloved blue Doraemon cat, who pulls from his pocket of magic gadgets a green warp pipe to whisk Abe from his limousine in Tokyo straight to Rio after he dons Super Mario’s big red cap.
Abe’s gig much upstaged, at least on Twitter, other highlights of the Olympic finale. – AP