Rugby: Japanese culture-inspired ceremony kicks off World Cup english.kyodonews.net

Fuji to display the trophy that the teams will be playing for, before Crown Prince Akishino and World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont took to the field.
"This is the moment that we have all been waiting for, Japan's Rugby World Cup -- the first in Asia!"
It is now over to the teams, the fans, and the people of Japan to make this the best Rugby World Cup ever," he said.
Earlier, World Rugby said 96 percent of the 1.8 million tickets had been sold, with more than 30 percent sold to overseas fans.
(Kabuki actors perform during the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony in Tokyo on Sept. 20, 2019, ahead of the opener between Japan and Russia.)