After the 17-day extravaganza of the London Olympics, the Japanese delegation — which gave the country excitement and insomnia on a daily basis — made a triumphant return home on Tuesday.
At a welcome ceremony in Tokyo, Japan Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda proudly stated that the athletes and staff gave their all in their respective events at the games, giving the nation its all-time best total of 38 medals and 80 top-eight finishes.
"You impressed not just the Japanese people, but the rest of the world as well," Takeda told the delegation. "You unified the Japanese people."