Yo Mural – It’s an Opening Ceremony!

Yo! Mural is an ongoing art series that sources work from all mediums from our community around a given theme. Through this series, Yo! Magazine hopes to showcase talent, share inspiration, and encourage dialogue.

The opening ceremony is something that folks always anticipate. Seeing the lighting of the torch and all the countries gathering; uniting in one place for this one special event and moment... it's an exciting and emotional time. When the Prime Minister of Japan popped out at the 2016 Olympic closing ceremony as Mario in Brazil, it opened up a world of magical possibilities to what the 2020 Tokyo opening ceremony could be.

Our friend Tessa Koga illustrated some dream scenarios of what the Tokyo opening ceremony could be (and maybe might just be!)

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Olympic Torch

Totoro, an iconic character from the Studio Ghibli, holds the Olympic torch, a symbol that connects the ancient Greek games to the modern games. Each Olympiad the lit torch travels from Greece to the host nation in a torch relay. The Tokyo Olympic torch concept is "Hope Lights Our Way," which is intended to bring hope to the populations affected by the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Parts of the torch are constructed from recycled aluminum that was used for prefabricated units that housed people displaced by the Japan Earthquake.

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Nintendo – Parade of Nations

Sonic must be playing nice here as he could easily school Mario any day of the week in a race.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is one of the most popular Nintendo game characters. Here they are parading as part of the Parade of Nations around the New National Stadium in Shinjuku, the opening ceremony venue. Traditionally, each group of athletes walks around the venue lead by a representative holding their homeland’s respective flag.

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Terrace House – Olympic Flame/ Caldron

Terrace House, a reality show in Japan, features six strangers living under one roof. Participants from various seasons watch one member ignite the Olympic Flame. The Caldron has the same sakura form as the torch and is known as the flame of recovery to bring reconstruction to Japan’s damaged areas following the natural disasters in 2011.

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Tessa Koga is a recent UC Davis graduate with a degree in design and is pursuing a creative career in visual communications and marketing. She believes that design can influence change. To see more of her work, check out her portfolio here.