HELLO TO PLANET FOOTBALL! AS World Cup reaches fever pitch Echo reporter STEVE TUCKER reports on his trip to Japan and the greatest show on earth.

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Welcome to Tokyo. Welcome to Japan. Welcome to Planet Football.

I've arrived with tickets for three games and a wad of Yen that has left my credit card battered, bruised and begging for forgiveness.

First things first - we need a bar with a big screen - luckily my mate is the music writer for The Japan Times and we arrive at Foot-nic (no idea) and the pattern develops.

Sleep until noon, shower, get some food, head to Foot-nic for the 3.30pm kick off and drink the bar dry (we actually achieve it one day).

All football humanity is here. Surly English, boisterous Irish, mulleted Germans and, of course, the optimistic and friendly Japanese.

At a Mexican restaurant at 4am doing tequila shots a guy says: ``Hey you realise these are pounds 10 each?''

So we gulp them down and order more to get over the shock.

On Sunday we awake like children on Christmas morning ahead of England v Sweden with one chap exclaiming: ``I can't believe it man, we're going to a World Cup game.'' We decide against wearing our Cardiff City shirts. Could be like a red rag to a bull as my mate puts it. On the ultra efficient Japanese transport system we travel out an hour to Saitama and get off a stop before and join England fans in a park drinking cheap beers from a convenience store.

A fantastic atmosphere with the riot police keeping their Spiderman net-guns in their holsters and happily posing for pictures.

The stadium is magnificent, massive and it is hard to believe it hasa lower capacity than the Millennium Stadium.

And the England fans are up for it - one guy in a bowler hat and pinstripe pin·stripe also pin stripe
n.
1. A very thin stripe, especially on a fabric.

2.
a. A fabric with very thin stripes, often used for suits.

b. A suit made of such fabric. Often used in the plural.  suit drinking a cup of tea, another dressed as the Queen complete with dress, handbag and pearls.

I think the match ends in a draw, but don't quote me on it.

No wonder the Irish fans make so many friends when they travel around the world.

Drunk as skunks, in fine voice and hilarious. The Japanese commuters look on with bemusement be·muse 
tr.v. be·mused, be·mus·ing, be·mus·es
1. To cause to be bewildered; confuse. See Synonyms at daze.

2. To cause to be engrossed in thought.  on the train to Ibaraki for the Germany game, but everyone's smiling and laughing.

We laugh even harder when Robbie Keane pops up with an injury time equaliser and the train back to Tokyo is one long party, which is just as well as it takes more than two hours.

If there is a ruler of Planet Football then it has to be David Beckham.

If you get sick of reading about him here, avoid Japan at all cost.

On the TV, news bulletins about the England captain come ahead of even those about the Japanese national side.

At one point, a guy's mobile phone rings and he says solemnly: ``That was my girlfriend, David Beckham is shopping in Kobe.''

Somebody says ``wow'' and we all fall silent to contemplate this cataclysmic event.

I head to Hiroshima for a few days to see a mate. There are no games here, but a fine bar called Kulcha (owned by an excellent Aussie bloke) with a big screen and normal service is resumed. I am ashamed to say I don't even make it to the Peace Museum, but do view the domed ruin which was the only building to withstand the atomic blast.

I'm cynically told: ``People say that's because it was the only European built building in the city.''

The epicentre epicentre

Point on the surface of the Earth that is directly above the source (or focus) of an earthquake. There the effects of the earthquake usually are most severe. See also seismology.  of the terrible blast is now just marked by a simple stone on a normal looking street. It makes me shudder.

But then it is up to Osaka to watch what turns out to be an extremely boring goalless draw between England and Nigeria, in sweltering conditions.

All in all an epic adventure to Planet Football. Who knows what lies in store? Maybe only one man - the King. David Beckham.

CAPTION(S):

FAN-TASY FOOTBALL It's a wave of support as Japan fans get behind their team; FEVER PITCH A Senegal fan shakes it all about for his team; HERE WE GO A Japan fan wears England on her arm.; UNLUCKY An Irish fan puts on a brave; face after going out to Spain; CRYING GAME A Sweden fan weeps as his team crash out.; CRAIC Ireland fans bang the drum for their team before playing Spain.; HEART AND SEOUL Korea fans in tears - after 2-1 win!; BRA-ZILLIANT Jubilant fans' carnival after another goal.; CUP OF CHEER England fans hope to land the real thing. COPYRIGHT 2002 MGN Ltd.

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