The rightfield bleachers at Green Stadium in Kobe are empty now. Only last year, they were the first seats to fill up, as eager fans gathered to watch the rightfielder for the Orix Blue Wave field fly balls, nail runners with a laser throw to third, or even just stretch between pitches.

But Ichiro Suzuki is in Seattle now, and the Blue Wave, who averaged 9,335 fans last year when they finished fourth in the Pacific League, are drawing only 5,000 a game this season even though they're at or near the top of the standings. "Ichiro is such a special player, who has given great memories to Kobe fans," says Hirotaka Okamoto, who covers Orix for Kobe's daily sports newspaper. "For this reason, I think that Kobe fans are more interested in his great play in the United States."

And not just Kobe fans. From Sapporo in the north to Nagasaki in the south, Ichiromania has swept Japan. Each Ichiro at-bat for the Mariners is an event, each stolen base an occasion, each assist a celebration. "It's incredible," says Roger Hansen, a Mariners coach since 1998 who's now on loan to the Blue Waves, for whom he is the catching coach. "I've never seen so many Seattle games. I've never seen so many Mariners hats."

All of Seattle's home games, as well as many of the road games, are on TV in Japan. Despite the 16-hour time difference -- a 7 p.m. Friday start in Seattle comes on at 11 a.m. Saturday in Kobe -- the Mariners games are drawing enormous Japanese audiences. About 20 million fans tuned in to see Ichiro and Nomo face each other on May 2, even though it was midday in Japan.

At the Baseball Cafe in Tokyo, lunchtime is often Ichiro-time, with fans turning away from their burgers at every Ichiro plate appearance. (Between innings, the waiters dance to "Tequila" -- don't ask.) At night, fans who had to work through lunch can watch a replay of the game in condensed form.

All Ichiro, all the time.

"People who never watched major league games now watch Mariners games in the morning," says broadcaster and former Yakult Swallows third baseman Kenta Aoshima. "We used to lead each show with the Tokyo Giants. But now we start with Ichiro."

This article appears in the July 23 issue of ESPN The Magazine.