CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (Kyodo) -- Carrying the confidence of a team that believes its time has come, Japan's women's curling foursome stepped onto the ice Wednesday for official training ahead of its opening showdown with Sweden.

The team methodically went through its preparations, carefully checking the ice conditions, while there were smiles between shots amid a relaxed atmosphere at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.

Skip Sayaka Yoshimura was straightforward about the team's approach heading into Thursday's game against the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic champion.

"We've come this far and now we'll just go for it," she said. "If we all connect our shots, a good result will follow."

Japan's women's team is competing in its eighth consecutive Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano Games and is aiming for a long-awaited gold medal, having taken bronze in Pyeongchang and silver in Beijing four years ago.

Third Kaho Onodera expressed confidence in the group's strength.

"We have our strongest lineup, and I believe each of us can show how much we've grown," she said.

Ten teams are taking part in the tournament, with the top four in the round-robin preliminary league advancing to the semifinals.