Frizzle-coifed Eriko Arakawa sparkles for Japan and the L-League.

On New Year's Day, she was on the national stage leading her team to a championship. Now it's back to business as usual: working behind a cash register at a Tokyo supermarket.

Eriko Arakawa scored the opening goal for NTV Beleza on Saturday at National Stadium as her team went on to defeat the Saitama Reinas 3-1 in the final of the All Japan Women's Football Championship.

With her signature frizzed-out hairdo, national team forward Arakawa and teammate Homare Sawa are two of the most famous women soccer players in Japan.

After all the fast-paced action on the pitch, you'd think life behind a cash register can be pretty dull. But Arakawa has no problem with it.

``I'm enjoying my part-time job,'' she said. ``Of course, I want to devote myself to playing soccer.''

Except for Sawa, L-League players do not have professional status and often work part time for the parent companies of their clubs or take on other jobs to support themselves.

Added Arakawa: ``I have a lot of freedom as a part-time worker. I typically get to make my own schedule and usually have the day off after away games.''

Her performance in the Asian qualifiers for the Athens Olympics in Tokyo last year were certainly deserving of a day off.

In the semifinal against favored North Korea, Arakawa showed her killer instinct by scoring the first goal of the game. She went on to help lead Japan to the Athens Summer Games.

In the Olympics, she shocked Sweden by scoring the only goal of the match and Japan advanced to the last eight.

``The Japan players are wonderful, but there are two that are head and shoulders above the rest: No. 9 (Arakawa) and No. 10 (Sawa) are really splendid,'' said the Taiwan head coach after a friendly last month that Japan won 11-0.

Despite the attention from fans and the media, Arakawa keeps a low profile and is ambitious to improve her soccer.

``(National team) head coach Hiroshi Ohashi has been a big help,'' Arakawa said. ``I'll keep on learning a lot from him. I'm looking forward to national team training camp.''

In Saturday's final against the Saitama Reinas, Arakawa scored the opening goal in the second minute after kickoff for the first soccer goal of 2005.

``I wasn't aware that it was the first goal,'' she said. ``But I'm pleased I could score.''

After the match Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi congratulated Arakawa for her 2005 first.

``Kawabuchi-san told me: `You won't change your hairstyle for a while.'''(IHT/Asahi: January 5,2005)