The March 19 ceremony to mark the handover of the Olympic flame in Athens will include a performance that draws on Japanese culture.
A rehearsal for the performance was held Sunday at the Makuhari Messe convention center in the city of Chiba, where the media were given a sneak peek at a portion of the program.
The performance, inspired by Greek and Japanese mythology, portrays a story about how the flame, kindled from the rays of the sun, becomes the light of hope for the future.
Around 140 schoolchildren will combine a variety of dance forms from Japanese festivals, Shinto ritual and modern street dance, while energetically waving red and yellow flags, to present scenes from Japanese mythology featuring the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and multi-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi.
The full performance, which will be about 10 minutes long and has been labeled a "fusion of tradition and innovation," is under the direction of Hiroyuki "Hiro" Igarashi, leader of popular song and dance group Exile.
"The kids have a lot of energy," Hiro said. "I'm really looking forward to the real thing."