Japan fans caught a dose of samurai fever on Friday, celebrating in big numbers after the national team earned a rare trip into the knockout stage of the World Cup.
The national team, dubbed Blue Samurai for their navy uniforms, beat Denmark 3-1 in the final game of the first round to advance to the round of 16 for the first time ever outside Japan.
Little was expected of Japan, a football power in Asia but a team ranked 45th in the world which had been in mediocre form in warm-up games.
Fans turned out en masse Friday morning, despite the 3:30 a.m. local kickoff time.
Thousands went to stadiums around the country to watch public showings, while Tokyo pubs and sports bars were open and packed. Despite the early time slot, the live broadcast drew strong ratings, according to Kyodo News agency. After the win, the normally sedate streets of the capital erupted in impromptu celebration.
``I was screaming when we scored, but then I remembered it was early in the morning and the kids were asleep,'' said Ai Koizumi, 22, who watched at home with her husband in Tokyo.
At dawn Friday in Tokyo's central Shibuya district, normally a showcase for youth fashion, the streets were a sea of blue-clad Japan fans. Revelers in face paint chanted ``Nippon,'' the country's fighting name, and blew their vuvuzela horns, as police formed cordons to keep traffic flowing.
In southern Osaka, hundreds packed the streets and some jumped into the murky Dotonburi River, a tradition normally reserved for victories by the local baseball team.
National newspapers had special editions ready for morning rush hour Friday, and Japanese TV showed the team's three goals repeatedly, with one station replaying the entire game from scratch. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku specifically called the team's third goal ``amazing'' in his morning press conference.
Japan, which last advanced when it hosted the World Cup with South Korea in 2002, will face Paraguay on Tuesday in the second round.
-----
Associated Press writer Jun Stinson contributed to this report.
