Here is a photo collection of scenes from the Tokyo Olympic torch relay that ran through nine prefectures from western to southwestern Japan, between April 11 and 28.
The nationwide relay started on March 25 in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima and is scheduled to cover all of Japan's 47 prefectures during its 121-day journey till the games' opening ceremony on July 23.
The latest surge in coronavirus cases, however, has seen the western cities of Osaka and Matsuyama move their relay legs off public roads and onto alternate courses away from crowds.
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant runs in Gojo in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on April 11, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A man in a wheelchair takes part in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay against the backdrop of a shrine gateway in Sakurai in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on April 11, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner passes through a tulip garden at a park in Kawai in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on April 12, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on April 12, 2021, shows the Tokyo Olympic torch relay (upper left) passing by an ancient tumulus in Kawai in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant runs at Horyu-ji temple in Ikaruga in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on April 12, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
London Olympics swimming bronze medalist Aya Terakawa runs in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay at the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on April 13, 2021, without spectators. In light of a surge in coronavirus infections, the torch relay in Osaka is not taking place on roads where large crowds may gather. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
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A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner passes in front of the Tower of Sun at the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on April 13, 2021, in the absence of spectators. In light of a surge in coronavirus infections, the torch relay in Osaka is not taking place on roads where large crowds may gather. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Tokyo Olympic torch relay runners wait inside a bus, wearing masks to prevent coronavirus infection, at Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, on April 14, 2021. The general public was excluded from the park due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant runs on Mima bridge over the Yoshiro River in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on April 15, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner arrives at internationally renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's contemporary art Red Pumpkin on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea in Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan. Naoshima Island is known as a mecca of contemporary art, hosting the Setouchi International Art Triennale with other small islands in the sea every three years. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner holds the Olympic flame on a beach in Mitoyo in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, on April 17, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant runs in Shodoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, on April 18, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant rides a boat on a moat to carry the torch in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, on April 18, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Photo taken on April 19, 2021, in Yusuhara in Kochi Prefecture, shows a Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner posing in front of statues of 19th century historical figures linked to the western Japan town. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Tokyo Olympic torch relay participants pose after handing over the Olympic flame in Kochi, western Japan, on April 20, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura wipes tears during a ceremony to light the Olympic flame in Matsuyama, western Japan, on April 21, 2021. The governor cried as he apologized for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympic torch relay's leg on public roads in the city amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
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Tokyo Olympic torch relay not to run on Matsuyama roads due to virus
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant runs in the Ehime Prefecture town of Tobe, western Japan, on April 22, 2021, with a banner seen behind her reading "Don't give in to the coronavirus." (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner crosses a suspension bridge in Kokonoe in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on April 24, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay participant swims in a river while carrying the Olympic flame in Usuki in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on April 24, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner waves in Shibushi in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on April 27, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
A Tokyo Olympic torchbearer runs in the torch relay in front of JR Kagoshima Chuo Station in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, on April 27, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Elementary school students wait for the arrival of a Tokyo Olympic torch relay runner in the Kagoshima Prefecture city of Hioki, southwestern Japan, on April 28, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
