BOSTON - About two weeks ago, Takeo Nakajima and about 127 million of his countrymen in Japan started doing the math.

Albert Einstein couldn't have been any happier when he figured out that E=mc2.

"If the Red Sox didn't have any more rainouts, I figured out the Red Sox rotation," said Nakajima, who writes for NHK, Japan's version of CNN.

"It is incredible when you think about it. They make up one game and it's (Daisuke) Matsuzaka and Ichiro (Suzuki) again ... so soon. This is definitely a bonus for baseball fans in Japan."

The bonus gets better. This week is a spring vacation week in Japan, which means kids and parents are home. Commerce and education were big winners this time. Nobody had to play hooky from work and school like a large chunk of the country reportedly did when Dice-K and Ichiro first faced off on American soil on April 10.

The 13-hour time difference meant last night's wild 8-7 Boston victory started at 8:08 a.m. back home.

"People love baseball, but this is big because it is the best versus the best," said Sachiyo Sekiguchi, the Red Sox's Japanese player and media coordinator, who was hired by the team before leaving for Fort Myers in February.

"It's a perfect way to start the day," said Sekiguchi, "with Matsuzaka pitching to Ichiro."

Crazy? You don't even know the half of it.

Take Nakajima, for example. He lives in Seattle. He not only covers the Mariners and Ichiro, but he covers the New York Yankees, too.

"Sure, they are not close," said Nakajima. "I have to do a lot of planning. I am lucky after this. Seattle is going to New York to play the Yankees after this game."

While Dice-K mania has subsided around here, it apparently has not in Japan.

Before last night's game, an area was roped off in front of the Red Sox dugout. There were 65 credentialed media members, 60 of which were covering the game for a Japanese media outlet, holding cameras inside the ropes awaiting Matsuzaka's entrance onto the field.

They waited for one hour before he graced the Japanese media contingent with a smile and quick bow of his head.

Nobody complained, though. They apparently understand their superstar athletes' time is precious.

"It really isn't that bad," said John Blake, a member of the Red Sox media relations team. "A few weeks ago, we had 150 to 180 members from the Japanese media. It was crazy. Now we have about 60 or so credentials for the Japanese media. It sounds like a lot, but it's manageable."

Sixty appears to be the number the Red Sox expect to remain with the team for the duration of the season. When the Red Sox play the Yankees, that number will probably be closer to 100 on days Matsuzaka goes against New York's Hideki Matsui.

Last night's contingent included writers from seven sports dailies (newspapers), five major newspapers, two wire services, an Internet outlet and six national TV stations. And then there were the producers, cameramen and photographers.

"I only think it will get bigger and bigger," said Nakajima, who has been covering major league baseball since 2002. "Right now, there are about 12 or 13 players from Japan playing here. It's a big deal. Videotape is sent back on Ichiro every game. The same with Matsui. Every player is followed closely here."

Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima, probably the hottest pitcher on the Sox staff (four hits and no runs over 142/3 innings), is joining this frenzied baseball atmosphere. On Wednesday, he officially was assigned his own translator, Jeff Yamaguchi, a golf teaching pro who left his 600 students to help Okajima.

"Why did I come here?" said Yamaguchi, who had spent time as a teaching pro with David Leadbetter as well as a translator for pro golfers. "I love baseball even more than golf. I could wake up at 7 in the morning (in Japan) and catch a Yankees game. Then an hour later, a Red Sox game. And then another game after that from the West Coast. I know a lot of people in Japan that would pay to do this job. That's why I'm here. I'll go back and teach golf after the season."

As was the case on April 10, the game and the matchups didn't even come close to living up to the hype.

Matsuzaka allowed seven runs through five innings and the Matsuzaka-Ichiro matchup was as exciting as a rain delay. Ichiro walked twice and popped out against his countryman.

And Okajima was announced as a pregame scratch by manager Terry Francona because he had pitched three of the last four days.

It's OK, though. The Japanese people apparently understand that this is a marathon. And Matsuzaka and Ichiro meet again for a three-game series in Seattle June 25 to 27.

Here's hoping Matsuzaka starts one of those games. For all of its efforts, Japan deserves it.