Eintracht Frankfurt have had plenty of joy with their Japanese imports in recent times.
They will be hoping the latest they just signed on will be a similar success story.
On Thursday, they announced the transfer of Japan international Ritsu Dōan from fellow Bundesliga outfit Freiburg on a five-year deal until 2030.
The transfer, which was rumoured to be on the cards throughout the summer, is reportedly in the region of €22 million.
Dōan arrives at Deutsche Bank Park after three impressive seasons with Freiburg, where they twice featured in continental competition in the form of the Europa League.
"Ritsu Dōan has proved his real quality over recent years in the Bundesliga and brings with him the type of skills that will help up achieve our goals," said Eintracht's board member for sport Markus Krösche in an official statement.
"He has gained plenty of international experience in a Japan jersey and his technique, speed and mindset certainly made him stand out in recent years when he was at Freiburg.
"We're delighted that Ritsu has signed with us."
Dōan will now be looking to follow in the footsteps of some compatriots who certainly went on to endear themselves to the Eintracht faithful.
Former Samurai Blue captain Makoto Hasebe played 303 times in all competition for Eintracht including 235 in the league, which -- along with his previous time at Wolfsburg and Nürnberg -- saw him break the record for most Bundesliga appearance by an Asian player.
Hasebe only hung up his boots last summer but the stature in which he is at the club held saw him immediately earn a coaching role with the U-21 team.
During Hasebe's time as a Eintracht player, he shared a dressing room with Daichi Kamada -- a current international teammate of Dōan's - whose final season with the Eagles saw him score an impressive 16 goals in 47 matches despite playing as an attacking midfielder and not an out-and-out striker.
Kamada has since moved on to Lazio and now Crystal Palace, who he won the FA Cup with last term.
Dōan was a highly-rated prospect when he first rose to prominence in Japan as a fleet-footed and highly-skilled winger with Gamba Osaka, and earned a move to Europe as a 19-year-old.
His promising displays with Groningen would see him poached by PSV Eindhoven but, after a difficult first season with the Dutch giants, it was a first stint in Germany -- on loan at Arminia Bielefeld -- that would reignite his career.
Dōan returned to PSV at the start of the 2021-22 campaign and would score 11 goals from 39 games in all competition that season, leading to Freiburg moving for him the following summer.
His ten-goal haul in the Bundesliga last term was the first time he has hit double digits in the league throughout his career.
Now 27, Dōan has also established himself as a mainstay in Japan's starting XI, excelling even when deployed as a wing-back with greater defensive responsibilities in Hajime Moriyasu's 3-4-2-1 system that has enjoyed much success.
Apart from the three co-hosts, Japan were the first team to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup -- doing so with three games to spare in the previous round of the Asian qualifiers.
Throughout their qualifying campaign, the Samurai Blue won 13 of their 16 matches and lost just once, scoring a staggering 54 goals in the process while conceding just three.
With the World Cup on the horizon and Japan assured of their place there, the next year looms as a big one for all their stars, especially given their constant reiteration that the target is to win it.
Having qualified for seven tournaments in a row prior to next year, reaching the round of 16 on four occasions but never going further, Japan are no longer satisfied to just be there.
The form of their key men heading into the World Cup will be a huge factor.
If Dōan spends the next year proving to be Eintracht's latest Japanese success story, that would be hugely welcome.