The milestone will officially be marked on Tuesday (July 24), with a wide range of activities expected to take place across Japan as the showpiece occasion draws ever closer.

In the past week the reveal of the competition schedule, ticket prices and public debut of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots has drummed home that preparations are stepping up for the second part of the trilogy of Games in Asia.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have been largely showered Tokyo 2020, led by President Yoshirō Mori, with praise on their recent visits to the Japanese capital.

The IOC Coordination Commission’s last visit came earlier this month and followed what has become a relatively set format. John Coates, the Commission chair, claims he is very impressed with preparations but then repeats his mantra about how organisers need to cut costs.

The importance of the cost cutting drive has become obvious, with the IOC concerned soaring costs will continue the trend of cities backing out of hosting the Games under mounting public pressure.

When bidding for the Games, Tokyo 2020 put forward an initial budget of ¥730 billion (£4.9 billion/$6.5 billion/€5.5 billion). The 2013 figure has since proved an extremely optimistic one, with a panel of Tokyo Government experts in late 2016 predicting costs could soar to ¥3 trillion (£20 billion/$26 billion/€23 billion) unless drastic changes were made.

There have since been revised budgets with a ¥1.6 trillion (£11 billion/$14 billion/€12 billion) figure in early 2017, having been reduced further down to ¥1.35 trillion (£9.2 billion/$12 billion/€10 billion) last December.

Penny-pinching is undoubtably the biggest task facing Japanese organisers as, although the costs have continued to be revised down, the figure remains nearly double the initial estimate.

While the financials are proving one of the largest challengers for organisers, they have also provided arguably the first major achievement of the Games.

A ¥150 billion (£1 billion/$1.3 billion/€1.1 billion) domestic sponsorship target was set in Tokyo 2020’s bid book for the Games, but this target was reached back in 2015.

Tokyo 2020’s domestic sponsorship campaign has proved a remarkable feat, with one observer recently expressing amazement at how organisers have managed create a wide variety of sponsorship categories and somehow satisfy companies when two rivals appear to be occupying the same space on their programme.

Organisers have so far secured 50 domestic partners, with 15 signing on as the top tier Gold Partners, which is believed to have set companies back ¥15 billion (£100 million/$134 million/€114 million) each. A further 30 official partners and five official supporters have also been signed up.

In total, Tokyo 2020 have been estimated to have raised almost ¥334 billion (£2.3 billion/$3 billion/€2.5 billion) along through their domestic sponsorship programme. This has vastly surpassed the previous record achieved by London 2012, which was believed to have come in at around $1.1 billion (£840 million/€940 million).

Coates highlighted the feat last September, the Australian hailing it as a "remarkable achievement".

The programme has clearly highlighted the support from businesses towards the Games and no doubt, the sponsors will benefit from a global audience throughout the duration of the event.

While it is clear the Olympic brand is currently suffering in Europe, the programme does tend to suggest the same in not the case in Asia, with companies having flocked to sign up to be a part of the Olympic Games.

That is not to say there has not been controversy with Tokyo and the Olympic Movement.

Tokyo 2020 were dragged into the fall-out from the International Association of Athletics Federation scandal surrounding its former President Lamine Diack, with allegations of a controversial payment made to the Black Tidings bank account in Singapore prior to the city winning the Olympic bid race, emerging in 2016.

The Japanese Olympic Committee later "cleared" the Tokyo 2020 bid team of any wrongdoing, while bid chiefs also strenuously denied there was any skulduggery associated with their successful effort to secure the Games.

While the payment created concern, it has been fair to say the issue has not delivered any telling impact on preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

However, as an investigation by French authorities continues in the background regarding Diack, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, there still remains the possibility that a bombshell could fall that delivers a negative impact on preparations.

A key difference between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 has been the latter has tended to be viewed as a solid, safe pair of hands when delivering the Games.

In some respects, the fact that the IOC have been able to focus on reducing Tokyo 2020’s budget can be viewed in a positive sense. There appears to be no grave concerns about the progress of venues, whereas with Rio 2016 people would not have been surprised to have turned up to discover a half-completed facilities.

Tokyo 2020 appear to be an example for organisers in that if you are to have issues regarding venues, it is best to get them out of the way early.

It now feels a long time ago that there were major concerns over the rebuilding of the Olympic Stadium from the 1964 Games. The initial design by Zaha Hadid Architects was flagged as being too costly back in 2014, just one year after Tokyo was awarded the Games.

Protracted disputes about whether the Stadium should be scaled back eventually concluded when a decision was taken to scrap the design and restart the design process. The issue and protests from campaigners against the demolition of the old Stadium resulted in delays, causing the scheduled completion of the facility to be pushed back and ultimately seeing the venue removed from the list of host venues for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Since construction officially began in December 2016, updates have proved far more optimistic on the progress of the "wood-rich" stadium. Photos have continued to show the Stadium is rising up, with estimates that the venue has now reached the halfway mark to completion. The suggestion is that the Stadium remains well on track to be completed by the revised deadline of November next year.

Similarly, the construction of the Athletes' Village has continued to show impressive progress, while the eight permanent venues for the Games are also viewed as being on time.

The first of which was delivered last November, with the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza having been unveiled by organisers.

The venue will host badminton and modern pentathlon's fencing round at the Olympics, as well as wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics. Built was a 10,000 seating capacity, a swimming pool, a gym, a multi-use sports area and two fitness studios, the facility has been claimed have been put to use by the public already.

It is worth highlighting that the initial blueprint of venues proposed by Tokyo 2020 was drastically changed as part of an IOC plan to achieve nearly $1.7 billion (£1.3 billion/€1.4 billion) in savings back in 2015.

Venues for badminton, fencing, taekwondo and wrestling, sailing and rugby sevens were among those to undergo changes as part of the drive, while there were protracted discussions between Tokyo 2020 and the International Cycling Union over the location of the velodrome and mountain bike events for the Games.

Then UCI President Brian Cookson had declared the governing body as being "not happy" about a potential move to Izu, which is located 120 kilometres away from the Japanese capital. After some arm wrestling, many have conclude the UCI accepted the decision on the proviso they secured the addition of the madison and BMX Freestyle to the Games as something of a reward.

While Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike also spent some time beating the drum for further venue changes after her election in 2016 - with canoe sprint and rowing the most notable - the alternations did not prove forthcoming.

In addition to the permanent construction projects, organisers have also suggested the 24 existing sites and eight temporary facilities will be on track to host competition at the Games.

With the consistent progress of facilities and the general image of Tokyo has being a safe pick for hosting the Games, setbacks have come as something of a surprise whenever they have occurred.

The mask briefly slipped earlier this year when several International Federations criticised preparations for their sports at SportAccord Convention in Bangkok. The fiercest criticism was delivered by World Sailing, whose chief executive Andy Hunt claimed organisers were one year behind schedule.

"Our challenges include not having a confirmed field of play, with problems involving fishing fleets in Enoshima," he said. "We don't have a security plan that we believe will deliver a safe and secure field of play for competition. We don't have an acceptable test event plan for 2019 or a firm plan for equipment. In addition, there is a serious gap in understanding in the Organising Committee over what is required to deliver an Olympic sailing competition."

Hunt later said a meeting with organisers had "gone well" with progress being made to resolve the issues, but other Federations, including the International Triathlon Union, were among those to raise concerns, although not of the scale of criticism received by Rio 2016 at the same stage.

At the last IOC Coordination Commission meeting, Tokyo 2020 insisted they had made progress towards addressing the concerns raised, while Coates nudged organisers towards making greater use of the expertise of the International Federations.

"Obviously in sports in which Japan is not traditionally strong, and doesn’t have a lot of experience in, then more liaison work with international federations is necessary," the Australian told Kyodo News. "The Federations are not going to have to worry too much about karate or judo or baseball or softball - track and field, great experience there, swimming too. But you go to rowing, canoeing, some of those sports, and it is going to need greater reliance on the international federations, in terms of operational planning."

Tokyo 2020 have largely shown themselves adept at taking on advice, while in conjunction with the IOC they delivered an effective process in first selecting new sports and latterly accepting new disciplines within the existing sports.

The initial process appeared something of a give and take, with the Japanese favourites karate and baseball/softball added alongside the IOC wish list of sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing as part of the organisation’s drive to appeal to the youth of today.

Organisers have earned nothing but praise from the IOC in their preparations for the first ever "Urban Sports Park" to feature at the Olympic Games, although certain parts will no doubt be borrowed from the Youth Olympics.

The IOC have claimed the park will become a symbolic location for the Games and it will be fascinating to see what Tokyo 2020 produce. There are even suggestions that the public may be able to try sample the so called urban sports on the field of play after competition has concluded on a particular day.

Tokyo 2020 have also shown their ability to learn lessons throughout their journey to date, particularly regarding after aftermath of the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsumani.

The disaster-hit prefecture of Fukushima was seen as area of major concern heading into the final stages of the bid race, with Tokyo 2020 having been seen as failing to address the issues surrounding the disaster at Fukushima Power Station. There were suggestions that their failure to reassure members could ultimately prove their undoing, with Istanbul and Madrid potentially stealing a march on their Japanese rivals as a result.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who made a last minute appearance at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires, was believed to have made a telling difference.

"'Let me assure you the situation is under control," Abe told delegates. "It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo."

Having eventually won the vote – allow Istanbul briefly thought they had triumphed by beating Madrid in a first round run-off – it is fair to say Tokyo 2020 have followed Abe’s lead in attempting to play down the issue, but also ensure reconstruction efforts play a central role in the Games itself.

Organisers have confirmed the Olympic Torch Relay will begin in Fukushima to highlight the progress made in the prefecture, along with visiting Iwate and Miyagi, which were also heavily impacted by the natural disaster in 2011.

Baseball matches are also set to be held during the Games in Fukushima, while Tokyo 2020 served IOC officials food from the region at a Coordination Commission visit in December in an attempt to remove some of the stigma associated to the name.

It seems likely Tokyo 2020 will highlight the impact and recovery efforts from the natural disaster during the Games’ Opening Ceremony, which would provide a major platform to show a global audience the progress that has been made, while also remembering the devastation caused.

Organisers have also sought to provide a flavour of what their second staging of the Summer Games could be like. The best example came during the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony, where Tokyo’s segment was arguably the highlight. Technology and humour were as the centre when Prime Minister Abe emerged from a green pipe disguised as Super Mario at the end of a video.

Tokyo 2020 also put early controversies over their logo and emblems behind them and have since delivered an engaging process to decide the Olympic and Paralympic mascots.

While the process at times felt long-winded, the reasoning behind their effort became obvious as attempts were made slowly grow interest.

The decision to allow schoolchildren the opportunity to design the mascots was a smart one, rather than allowing corporate designers to commandeer the process.

Similarly, allowing schoolchildren rather than the Tokyo 2020 executives to decide on the final choice after a nationwide vote made sense. While it removed the possibility of any potential criticism, it highlighted efforts to engage the part of the population that the Games are designed to gain the attention of.

The reveal of the mascots names was announced today, as part of the build-up to the two-years to go celebrations

"Miraitowa" combines the Japanese words for future and eternity, while "Someity" takes its name from the "someiyoshino" cherry blossom variety, which Tokyo 2020 say resonates with "so mighty" in English.

The blue and white checked Olympic mascot is a character which "embodies both old tradition and new innovation", according to its profile. Miraitowa was described as having a strong sense of justice and being very athletic, while it also has the ability to move anywhere "instantly".

Someity, adorned with a pink checked pattern, is a "cool character with cherry blossom tactile sensors and super powers". Organisers claim it embodies Paralympic athletes that "demonstrate superhuman power".

No doubt both mascots are set to feature heavily with the promotion of the Games in the coming months, as preparations and promotions step-up further.

Coates commented back in December that he believed there was a growing interest amongst the Japanese population ahead of the Games, while he reserved particular praise for the promotional efforts of Tokyo 2020.

"You held the [1,000 days to go] events with great success, with a remarkable number of people turning out," he said. "The turnout was indicative over everything we see here in Japan, with the people supporting the national effort. We believe this youth focused and gender balanced Games will be among your great legacies and one people will remember."

Coates has continually warned Tokyo 2020 against complacency when delivering them with praise during IOC visits to the Japanese capital, with small issues potentially arising from seemingly nowhere.

The latest has been the reaction to the recent heatwave in Japan, which resulted in the deaths of nine people, while many more were taken to hospital. Given the close proximity to the time the Games will take place in, there have been concerns about what potential impact there would be on athletes and spectators if similar temperatures occur.

It is an issue that organisers have been told they must be mindful of, while the possibility of traffic congestion is another area which looks likely to be examined as the countdown ticks on towards the Olympics and Paralympics.

If Tokyo’s journey from bidding hopeful to the two-years to go mark has shown anything, it is that bumps in the road should be expected as the Games draw ever nearer. 

So far, Tokyo 2020 have shown themselves to be adept at tackling and learning from challenges, suggesting a successful Games could be increasingly approaching on the horizon.