"On the field, it's Ichiro's ability to express himself with his body that wows fans, with an unprecedented 10 consecutive seasons of 200 hits, not to mention spectacular defense recognized by 10 straight Gold Gloves, 17 in a row if his Japan years are included.

But on the studio set with a very different challenger in 62-year-old wordsmith Shigesato Itoi, a celebrity in Japan as the longtime creator of popular commercial jingles and advertising blurbs, Ichiro dazzled television viewers as well as the host with a similar aplomb for expressing himself verbally.

"Ichiro is a skilled conversationalist," Itoi concluded. "Just like a baseball player is supposed to be able to hit whatever ball is pitched to him, conversation requires a similar ability. We went back and forth using our minds and our hearts to hit each other's toughest pitches. It was a fabulously exhilarating experience, but it also left me thoroughly exhausted because there was never a lull. The ball was lively and in constant flight."

The show, "Ichiro, My Chosen Road," broadcast on the NHK network, was billed as a commemoration of Ichiro's 10 years in American baseball, but the unscripted, two-hour New Year's Day program often strayed far from the diamond, like when Ichiro offered his advice on love. He insisted the right time to propose is midday because that's when the mind is most rational, not in the romantic darkness of night when it's compromised by other persuasions.

"Ichiro was getting at the importance of rationality over emotions with that remark about proposing in the afternoon," Itoi said, laughing, in admiration of Ichiro's ability to explain it so colorfully. "You're entering into a longterm contract with someone and the propensity for success is greater when it's thought through rationally rather than emotionally. You can see this thinking in his baseball when he's standing out at second base after a big hit and refusing to reveal his satisfaction. We know he must be ecstatic, but he doesn't want to reveal that to his opponents because it's more hurtful to make them wonder, 'What's he thinking out there?' "

Actually, Ichiro's not as stoical as he'd like to be. Elsewhere in the program, he revealed to Itoi how he admires cats for their coolness and stoicism, but thinks of himself more like a sorry dog that is always panting for people's affection.

Certainly, he earned an entire nation's affection by leading Japan to the World Baseball Classic championship in 2006 and again in 2009. Japan has yet to stop celebrating those titles, which are overlooked in America. Not surprising, then, they receive significant treatment in the program.

In a recorded interview, his manager from the 2006 tournament, Sadaharu Oh, put into perspective Ichiro's appeal to the nation.

"He's the only Japanese player to go to America and be completely accepted by Americans," Oh said. "He's accomplished what so many Japanese players have only dreamed of doing for decades but never been able to do themselves."

The comment is powerful, coming from Japan's career home run king, often compared to Hank Aaron during his career but who never wore a baseball uniform outside of Japan until he managed that 2006 WBC team."