TOKYO (AP) — 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.