The All Blacks are playing their first-ever away test against Japan in Tokyo on Saturday, but at club level the journey north is becoming familiar for more and more New Zealanders.

The big-money lure of Japanese rugby's Top League has persuaded an increasing number of All Blacks to leave their country in recent years, with 2011 World Cup winners Sonny Bill Williams, Jerome Kaino and Ma'a Nonu all among those making the switch for varying lengths of time.

The New Zealand Rugby Union's central contracts dictate that moving abroad means forfeiting the right to wear the famous black shirt while overseas, but a growing number of players are making the sacrifice as Japan becomes an ever-more attractive destination in the modern professional game.