Japan confirmed their place at Rugby World Cup 2003 in style with four emphatic victories, in which they scored a total of 420 points and conceded just 47.
The highlight for the Cherry Blossoms was their record 155-3 defeat of Chinese Taipei in Tokyo on 7 July 2002, and they showed no mercy in the reverse fixture with a 120-3 victory.
The Japanese game is based on high levels of individual fitness, staunch discipline and speed above all. What they lack in size and strength is made up for in a constant willingness to recycle ball quickly to avoid too gruelling a confrontation and spread the ball wide.
The Japanese are a very proud nation and their record of only one win in 12 matches, a 52-8 defeat of Zimbabwe in Belfast in 1991 is something they will be desperate to address in Australia.
A development programme instigated after the last tournament is starting to bear fruit as Japan look for a return to the success they experienced in 1999 with the Epson Cup title and dream of a Rugby World Cup showing like their football counterparts enjoyed last year.
The strengths of the Japanese game lie in their fast, fit forwards and speedy backs, not to mention their commitment to the cause, and the likes of captain Takuro Miuchi, Naoya Okubo, Yuya Saito and Daisuke Ohata appear certain starters.
Another name to watch out for is prop Ryo Yamamura, who turned down a career as a professional sumo wrestler to concentrate on rugby.