Cue stampedes of screaming Japanese children, a fresh outbreak of Mohican haircuts and a mad rush for all things England, Manchester United and Posh.
David Beckham has expressed a desire to one day play in Japan, and now a tidal wave of hysteria is sure to hit the country.
From the moment news of the England captain's ambition bounces back across the continents of Europe and Asia, the phenomenon that Sven Goran Eriksson calls Beckham Fever will grow to epidemic proportions.
Scores of teenage girls will curse the fact that he has just signed a new contract at Old Trafford, while the Junichi Inamotos of the future will demand that their parents put them down for a place at the soccer school he is proposing to open here once he has retired.
If Beckham has shown a talent for charming an audience in the past, this represents a masterstroke in securing long-term popularity. They love Beckham. Beckham loves them. Almost overnight, a marketing dream has become a mind-boggling reality.
Japan had gone Beckham bonkers before England had even arrived at their Awaji Island base. His appearance here has seen that adulation spread. Now comes the explosion.
'The reception I've received here is something I've never experienced before, ' said Beckham yesterday. 'It's taken me by surprise because while I've got fans in other countries, this has been mad.
'I've often talked about opening a soccer school once I've finished playing and it's certainly an option to do something like that over here. It would be really special.
'The people here are fantastic, I've never seen anything like it. You never know. I might even end up playing here one day.'
The scenes have been extraordinary. The sight of a bus carrying English journalists seems to send the Japanese into a frenzy, so one can imagine how they respond to seeing Eriksson's team on the other side of the glass. On the pitch, a Beckham free-kick is accompanied by the flash of 1,000 cameras.
His timing is usually perfect, and in revealing his affection for Japan he is sure to attract an even greater following for the team preparing for a probable quarter-final with Brazil in Shizuoka on Friday. 'The support has been wonderful,' said Eriksson. 'We perhaps have to thank David for that.'
Beckham also reflected on the depth of feeling for England, as well as the carnival-like atmosphere during Saturday's second-round victory over Denmark.
'The support we are receiving is incredible,' he said. 'Wherever we go, it feels like we are playing a home game. A lot of our fans are out here but to get support from the Japanese as well is brilliant.
'And while I'm sure it was England fans who started the conga at the stadium, I'm sure the Japanese would have joined in. Even we noticed them from down on the pitch.
'It's definitely given us a lift, having so many people behind us. You only had to look up at the number of flags in the stadium to see how well supported we were.'
Driven by such emotion, Beckham says the determination to succeed is stronger than ever within the England camp. 'We got a real taste for this tournament after the Argentina game,' he said. 'We have already performed beyond some people's expectations but we would not be satisfied with losing to Brazil in the quarter-finals.
'We might be a young team, but it is our intention to go further than that. We've had hardly any celebrations after each game. It was the same in the dressing room last night. We are in the last eight, but we haven't done anything yet.
'We have been waiting a couple of years for this and if you get knocked out early in a World Cup, you have to wait another four years to put that right. There's real excitement in the squad. As Trevor Sinclair said last night, he's in the quarter-final of the World Cup when he hadn't even been in the quarter-final of the Worthington Cup.
'We realise how open the tournament is with teams like France, Argentina and Portugal already out. And we realise how exciting it would be to play Brazil. You always want to test yourself against the best players and the best teams, and a lot of people have memories of 1970 and that moment when Bobby Moore swapped shirts with Pele.'
Beckham also understands better than most how to pull at the heart strings.
'I'll feel a bit left out when the players' wives and girlfriends fly out this week,' he said. 'Victoria can't fly because she's so heavily pregnant.
'I have been staying in touch with Victoria and Brooklyn on the webcam, though. That way I've been seeing them every day, and today I got a couple of cards.'
Before the quarter-final, his hairstylist will arrive to give him a new look. 'I'd give it all up to win the World Cup,' said Beckham of his fame.
If he passes as well as he talks against England's next opponents, anything would appear possible.
David Beckham has expressed a desire to one day play in Japan, and now a tidal wave of hysteria is sure to hit the country.
From the moment news of the England captain's ambition bounces back across the continents of Europe and Asia, the phenomenon that Sven Goran Eriksson calls Beckham Fever will grow to epidemic proportions.
Scores of teenage girls will curse the fact that he has just signed a new contract at Old Trafford, while the Junichi Inamotos of the future will demand that their parents put them down for a place at the soccer school he is proposing to open here once he has retired.
If Beckham has shown a talent for charming an audience in the past, this represents a masterstroke in securing long-term popularity. They love Beckham. Beckham loves them. Almost overnight, a marketing dream has become a mind-boggling reality.
Japan had gone Beckham bonkers before England had even arrived at their Awaji Island base. His appearance here has seen that adulation spread. Now comes the explosion.
'The reception I've received here is something I've never experienced before, ' said Beckham yesterday. 'It's taken me by surprise because while I've got fans in other countries, this has been mad.
'I've often talked about opening a soccer school once I've finished playing and it's certainly an option to do something like that over here. It would be really special.
'The people here are fantastic, I've never seen anything like it. You never know. I might even end up playing here one day.'
The scenes have been extraordinary. The sight of a bus carrying English journalists seems to send the Japanese into a frenzy, so one can imagine how they respond to seeing Eriksson's team on the other side of the glass. On the pitch, a Beckham free-kick is accompanied by the flash of 1,000 cameras.
His timing is usually perfect, and in revealing his affection for Japan he is sure to attract an even greater following for the team preparing for a probable quarter-final with Brazil in Shizuoka on Friday. 'The support has been wonderful,' said Eriksson. 'We perhaps have to thank David for that.'
Beckham also reflected on the depth of feeling for England, as well as the carnival-like atmosphere during Saturday's second-round victory over Denmark.
'The support we are receiving is incredible,' he said. 'Wherever we go, it feels like we are playing a home game. A lot of our fans are out here but to get support from the Japanese as well is brilliant.
'And while I'm sure it was England fans who started the conga at the stadium, I'm sure the Japanese would have joined in. Even we noticed them from down on the pitch.
'It's definitely given us a lift, having so many people behind us. You only had to look up at the number of flags in the stadium to see how well supported we were.'
Driven by such emotion, Beckham says the determination to succeed is stronger than ever within the England camp. 'We got a real taste for this tournament after the Argentina game,' he said. 'We have already performed beyond some people's expectations but we would not be satisfied with losing to Brazil in the quarter-finals.
'We might be a young team, but it is our intention to go further than that. We've had hardly any celebrations after each game. It was the same in the dressing room last night. We are in the last eight, but we haven't done anything yet.
'We have been waiting a couple of years for this and if you get knocked out early in a World Cup, you have to wait another four years to put that right. There's real excitement in the squad. As Trevor Sinclair said last night, he's in the quarter-final of the World Cup when he hadn't even been in the quarter-final of the Worthington Cup.
'We realise how open the tournament is with teams like France, Argentina and Portugal already out. And we realise how exciting it would be to play Brazil. You always want to test yourself against the best players and the best teams, and a lot of people have memories of 1970 and that moment when Bobby Moore swapped shirts with Pele.'
Beckham also understands better than most how to pull at the heart strings.
'I'll feel a bit left out when the players' wives and girlfriends fly out this week,' he said. 'Victoria can't fly because she's so heavily pregnant.
'I have been staying in touch with Victoria and Brooklyn on the webcam, though. That way I've been seeing them every day, and today I got a couple of cards.'
Before the quarter-final, his hairstylist will arrive to give him a new look. 'I'd give it all up to win the World Cup,' said Beckham of his fame.
If he passes as well as he talks against England's next opponents, anything would appear possible.
