CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Bret Bielema and Atsushi Saijo met in 1994 in Iowa City, Iowa.

At the time, Bielema was a graduate assistant for the Hawkeyes and Saijo was a member of a team visiting from Japan.

The two have kept in touch since then. Saijo visited Bielema at both Wisconsin and Arkansas. This week, Bielema and the Illini hosted Saijo and about a dozen of his players in Champaign.

“He feels like he’s very grateful that he gets to be in Champaign and actually all those players being able to experience the camp,” Saijo told reporters through a translator.

A language barrier and residing approximately 6,500 miles apart hasn’t stopped Saijo and Bielema from remaining close friends.

“I distinctly remember the first time I taught him a slap upper cut to a counter swim and to see the light bulb go off in his head through an interpreter is really something else,” Bielema said.

The Illini head coach is learning plenty, too. Although Bielema’s Japanese speaking is far from polished, he says seeing the culture and kindness from Saijo and his team is valuable.

It goes back to three things Coach B asks his players to do each day.

“Do what’s right,” Bielema said. “Be respectful of others- those that don’t look like you, talk like you or walk like you, and then the third thing is be the best you.”

It’s a memory Saijo’s players, from Osaka Sangyo University, won’t soon forget.

“It’s like a dream,” Hiroki Yasuda, a junior tight end with Osaka Sangyo, said. “It’s amazing. I pretty much never imagined how American football would be in America. Fascinating. Interesting.”

Bielema says he gets regular messages from his friend from Japan, often late at night due to the time difference.

Saijo’s team, the Lions, also went to a Cubs game on their trip and hope to return to Champaign regularly in the future.