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OSAKA, Japan – The 49ers arrived for the American Bowl on Thursday and made a surprising request: They want to hold on to a Japanese player added to the roster just for the game. 

Linebacker Masafumi Kawaguchi impressed Steve Mariucci so much that San Francisco’s coach asked the NFL for a special roster exemption so Kawaguchi can return to training camp after the game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday (Saturday night EDT). 

“We’ve inquired about it,” team spokesman Kirk Reynolds said. 

Kawaguchi joined the 49ers’ camp in Stockton, Calif., last week, signing the usual 10-day contract as part of the NFL’s traditional gesture of giving local American Bowl fans a special rooting interest. The Redskins were assigned receiver Akihito Amaya. 

Kawaguchi, a six-year veteran of NFL Europe, came to camp hoping his teammates would see him as something more than an Osaka tour guide. 

“I told the guys that if I take care of them in Japan, they’ve got to take care of me with a job,” Kawaguchi said this week. 

Any kind of sightseeing would have been a chore for Kawaguchi or anybody on either team Thursday evening after tiring plane rides across the International Date Line. 

“It’s a new experience for everyone,” Redskins coach Steve Spurrier said. “It’s kind of like a college bowl game.” 

The Redskins’ 13-hour flight was a lively affair. Linebacker LaVar Arrington attracted an audience as he played several games of chess, staring at the board with the kind of unwavering intensity that would frighten a quarterback. Kicker Brett Conway, protecting his most valuable football asset, wore long blue compression stockings on his legs and rarely sat. 

Others passed the time with cards, dominoes, DVDs, playbooks — and acts of mild mischief. 

“I was merely a part of one rookie prank,” Arrington said. “I put mustard on Akil Smith’s lips while he was asleep. I got it on camera.” 

After arrival, both teams received a cultural briefing. Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot offered unsolicited financial advice by telling his teammates to “just add two zeros to everything” when figuring out the dollar-to-yen ratio. 

Representatives from the FBI and DEA told the players about Japan’s low crime rate, but they warned them to take precautions and made it a point to mention the country’s tough drug laws: One ounce of marijuana can result in 1-to-3 years in prison. 

“I don’t think you have to give us a little fear factor to deter us from doing those things,” Arrington said. “Unfortunately, for that one person that may need to hear it, we all have to sit through it.” 

The teams will practice at the Osaka Dome on Friday and Saturday. Players and cheerleaders will make public appearances both days, and the coaches will hold a clinic for coaches from Japan’s X League.