Light and shadows are the hallmarks of the #Tokyo2020 Games, the second time Japan's capital is the host.
Half a century earlier in 1964, the Olympics heralded a new era of modernity for a city risen from the ashes of war reut.rs/3d1KgJ6 1/7
But in 2020, residents were asked to stay home as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Japan and the world.
Now, the Olympics are on again, due to start in July 2021. But the anticipated, exhilarating festival of national pride appears to have been muted to a joyless duty 2/7
The COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet. There are still strong calls to cancel or postpone the Olympics.
A quasi-state of emergency remains in place just a month before the Games begin 3/7
They will be held in a 'safe bubble' of vaccinated athletes and delegations, a celebration of sport divorced from the host city and its people.
But life has gone on even as the city lurches in and out of soft lockdowns 4/7
'I can't seem to enjoy myself as much as I did last time,' an elderly woman who saw the first Games says to her husband as they rest during a stroll - in the evening, to avoid the virus 5/7
As the tide of people ebbs and flows, the scenery constantly changes; vary the angle at which you view the city, and it shifts.
Tokyo is like a kaleidoscope with countless geometric patterns 6/7
Tokyo is never boring. It has survived earthquakes and war. It will survive the coronavirus.
Read more on light and shadows being the hallmarks of these Games reut.rs/3gOdbmu 7/7
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