Japan Gets Its Sense Of Proportion Just Right

There is a strong appreciation of detail and proportion in Japanese culture, as well as a deep sense of tradition, and thankfully they were reflected in the 2019 World Cup opening ceremony in the Tokyo Stadium on Friday.

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Instead of the overblown marketing hype from acolytes of World Rugby about the millions of new converts to the game anticipated following the ground-breaking decision to hold Rugby Union’s global showpiece in Asia for the first time – including predictions of over 110 million new fans and almost two million new players – we had a Japanese signature at the start of the event which hit most of the right notes.

The ceremony was about an hour from start to finish – unlike the interminable pageant at the start of the Olympics – and the fanfare was spectacular and well-planned.

Instead of pretending that the sport was about to be beamed into every yurt on the Mongolian steppes overnight, it kept its focus on Japan’s role in spreading the Rugby Union message.

That message in Japan’s case still has some way to go, given that baseball and sumo wrestling are comfortably the biggest sports in the country, and that as many as one in five of Japan’s 126 million population – only 100,000 of whom play the game – do not know that they are hosting Rugby Union’s global showpiece.

The bid to win hearts and minds at major sports events starts with the symbolic welcome which is intrinsic to opening ceremonies. This began with the large stage platform on the pitch lit up by a brilliant laser light display as we were taken through an assortment of Japanese tableaus to the accompaniment of Taiko drums, flutes, and traditional Kabuki dance and music.