BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A trip of 6,338 miles awaits the Illinois Wesleyan University football team as it embarks on a trip to Tokyo, Japan, for an exhibition game against Waseda University in the Global Bowl Toyko 2017 on Sunday, June 4 at Amino Field in Chofu, Japan.

Go here to watch the game at 11:50 p.m. (Bloomington time) Saturday, June 3. The game will get underway at midnight, which is 2 p.m. in Tokyo.

This is the sixth foreign trip for IWU since 1996, but first in Asia. The others were all in Europe including Germany (1996), Italy (2001), France (2005), Austria (2009), and Finland (2013).

The IWU contingent leaves from Chicago on Wednesday, May 31 for a 15-hour flight. As is typical with foreign trips, the Titans will do some sightseeing in Japan before and after the game prior to returning home June 8.

A total of 50 players, including sophomores, juniors and seniors for the 2017 season and three graduated seniors from last year's team. Incoming freshmen are not eligible to play or practice for the trip. "Our kids are very excited," IWU coach Norm Eash told Jim Benson of The Pantagraph. "This is a little different from Europe where we played club teams. In Japan, American football is very, very organized."

Waseda was one of three universities that began playing American football in 1934. There are 209 schools playing football. Waseda is in the top group, Division I, and lost last year to Kwansei Gakian, 31-14, in the Koshien Bowl, which is the national championship game. Go here for information about the Waseda Big Bears.

"I think they are like a Division II, top Division III type of team when you watch them on tape," said Eash. "They're well disciplined and run basic zone plays and power, but they do a lot of trick plays and give a lot of formations and motion."

Last fall, IWU finished 7-2 overall and 6-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. "All the trips I've taken the team chemistry has been tremendous," said Eash. "You put kids on an airplane 15 hours and tour a foreign country eight straight days, you get to know each other very well."

Illinois Wesleyan 1974 graduate Akito Mizuno will toss the coin before the game and stay on the sidelines as the Titans' honorary coach. He is president of Japan-based Mizuno Corporation, a global sports equipment and sportswear company.