Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto looks set for his first national team callup when Takeshi Okada names his squad for next week's tour of the Netherlands on Friday, but don't expect many more new faces.
With such a rare opportunity to test his formula against genuine top-level opposition, the manager is unlikely to be in the mood for experiments.
Japan plays the host nation in Enschede next Saturday before taking on Ghana in Utrecht four days later, and after a diet of Asian World Cup qualifiers and friendlies against second-string also-rans, the experience should prove invaluable.