Japan said 'Konnichiwa' to the world today - as the long-awaited Olympic Games finally opened in Tokyo.
US First Lady Jill Biden flew into the country to be guest of honour alongside Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The athletes' parade and traditional lighting of the torch - normally a star-studded event - is taking place in front of empty stands amid the ongoing pandemic.
In Rio, 75,000 fans cheered as they marched into the stadium; London 2012 saw 62,000; Beijing had around 90,000 with a worldwide TV audience of 1.4 billion.
One of the stand-out moments of Tokyo's opening ceremony has been when 1,800 illuminated drones took to the sky and formed a globe.
As the mesmerising light display took place, singers in the stadium sang John Lennon's iconic 1971 hit 'Imagine'.
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John Legend and other famous singers, who represented different continents, also sang the tune in a montage.
The International Olympic Committee also revealed its new 'Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together' motto for the Games in the ceremony.
Hashimoto Seiko, president of Tokyo's Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, touched upon the pandemic during her speech at the event.
She said: "The whole world has faced immense challenges with Covid-19.
"Now it's time to show the power of sport and of athletes like yourself. The world is waiting for you."
The British delegation at the event was made up of just 22 athletes, including flag bearers Hannah Mills and Mohamed Sbihi, and representatives from sports including slalom, fencing, weightlifting, sailing, and boxing.
Trampolinists Bryony Page, 30, of Nantwich, Cheshire, and Laura Gallagher, of Bridgewater, Somerset, were in the team line up.
"We were really excited to be chosen," said Bryony, a Rio silver medallist.
"We did not think that it was going to happen this year." Laura added: "This is my first Olympics, and to be at the opening ceremony - I was really excited about that as well.
"I feel like Team GB has put all possible safety measures in place."
The theme is the unity of nations - and their joint fight against the global pandemic.
The traditional procession of flag bearers - a man and woman for each team - have been chosen to represent the 'Olympic Values' of equality and diversity.
Sir Hugh Robertson, the chairman of the British Olympic Association, who is among the dignitaries, paid tribute to our 376 athletes for getting to the starting line despite the Covid pandemic.
The rise in cases in Japan has overshadowed the build up to the Greatest Show on Earth. But Sir Hugh said he was confident that the team would not let down their country.
"This is really about the athletes competing at these Games," he said.
"Through all the frustrations they are universally excited about what lies before them over the next couple of weeks. Today should be about concentrating on their achievements.
"It has been a huge job of work just getting them here."
Sally Munday, chairwoman of UK Sport, paid tribute to the 'exceptional' work of the BoA in keeping the athletes safe without a single positive Covid test among almost 800 athletes, officials and support staff.
"We are all looking forward to sport that inspires us all," she said.
"This is the pinnacle of these athletes' careers, it only comes around once every four years, or in this case five years. She said that research suggests 76 percent of the population will follow the Games and we are really excited about what this team can achieve.
The Games - which run until August 8 - will try to toe a fine line between celebrating the feats of the world's best athletes while acknowledging the global hardship caused by Covid.
Postponed for a year, organisers were forced to take the unprecedented step of holding the event without fans.
Regardless, it marks a coming together of the world, with an audience of hundreds of millions around the globe and at various stages of the pandemic expected to tune into together to watch the start of the greatest show in sport.
It will cap a rollercoaster 18 months of preparations for the athletes hoping to realise their career dreams.
Japan had billed the Olympics as an echo of the 1964 Tokyo Games, which marked the country's return to the world stage after its devastating World War Two defeat, but this time showcasing its recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.
When Tokyo was picked as Games host in 2013, crowds screamed themselves hoarse with joy and bartenders served free drinks to jubilant patrons despite the announcement coming in the middle of the night.
But in 2020 the coronavirus struck, with lockdowns forcing the unprecedented postponement only four months before the Games were supposed to open, while scandals and problems plagued preparations.
That didn't stop dozens of people who braved scorching heat and heavy security to get a photo in front of Tokyo's Olympic Stadium hours before the Games' opening ceremony.
"The coronavirus pandemic started, and it was a tough year," said Etsuko Iyazama, a 62-year-old retiree and ticket holder. "I hope people will say in the end that it was good that we held the Olympics."
Tennis star Naomi Osaka carried the Olympic torch to the cauldron at the opening ceremony, finishing the long relay that began in Greece.
A vastly smaller number of athletes marched in the teams' parade today, with many planning to fly in just before their competitions and leave shortly after to avoid infections.
Only 15 global leaders are in attendance, along with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, who will formally open the Games as his grandfather Hirohito did in 1964.
The ceremony is marked by high-profile absences, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wooed the Games to Tokyo.
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A number of top sponsors and economic leaders have also stayed away, highlighting strong opposition to the sporting extravaganza in COVID-fatigued Japan.
In a recent poll, 68 per cent of respondents expressed doubt about the ability of Olympic organisers to control coronavirus infections, with 55 per cent saying they opposed the Games going ahead.
Only a third of Japanese have had even one dose of vaccines, prompting worries the Games could become a super-spreader event.
More than 100 people involved with the Olympics have already tested positive.
About 11,000 athletes from 204 national Olympic committees are expected, along a team of refugee athletes competing under the Olympic flag.
