"Before the match, I tried to calm down and not get too excited about the possibility of being back on the field for the Olympics again," says 39-year-old Yukiko Ueno, who was last present when Japan won the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
In front of empty stands, a schoolgirl from Fukushima threw a ceremonial ball before Japan's Yukiko Ueno seriously kicked off the softball match between Japan and Australia and thus the official competitions.
The sport returns after 13 years
Australia took the very first point, but Japan turned around and won by a clear 8-1.
The sport is back on the Olympic program for the first time since 2008 and Japan is the reigning champion and together with the USA favorite in the tournament - the teams have met in the last seven World Cup finals.
Later on Wednesday, two more matches in softball and six matches in the women's football tournament will be played, including Sweden meeting USA in Tokyo.
The games will not be inaugurated until Friday.
This takes place at 13.00 Swedish time.