ATLANTA -- Kenshin Kawakami is still a few months away from throwing his first pitch for the Braves, but the Japanese right-hander has already gotten a taste of Atlanta thanks to a cheeseburger at The Varsity and the southern hospitality extended by many individuals, including former Mayor Andrew Young.

Hours after arriving in Atlanta on Sunday, Kawakami was introduced to Young during a chance meeting at a downtown steakhouse. The sincere welcome provided by such a prominent historic figure provided a comforting feeling for the hurler, who had only visited Atlanta once before.

Kawakami's comfort increased during Monday night's dinner, when he had his first opportunity to truly get to know general manager Frank Wren, who was equally impressed with his first true introduction to the man who will serve as the first Japanese player to play for the Braves at the Major League level.

"[Monday] night's dinner really sealed the deal," Kawakami's agent, Dan Evans, said. "After we were done, [Kawakami] told me, 'Now I really feel even better about my decision.' "

Kawakami's decision to pitch in the U.S. generated genuine interest from at least four clubs, but Evans said that the Braves were the clear front-runners dating back to the first week of January, when they began promoting themselves and the city of Atlanta to Kawakami.

Kawakami agreed to the terms of a three-year deal last weekend and was officially introduced as a Brave during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at Turner Field.

"We are extremely excited to acquire our first Japanese player to play in the Majors and excited that it's Kenshin," Wren said. "We feel good about the way that he'll represent our organization, and we feel that he'll be an exceptional pitcher."

Attempting to gauge how attractive the city of Atlanta would be to Japanese free agents, Wren and Braves president John Schuerholz had a handful of meetings with the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta. Through these meetings, they gained the confidence that the city's Japanese culture was strong enough to attract a player such as Kawakami, who spent the past 11 seasons as one of the top pitchers in Japan.

"I know Atlanta is one of the biggest cities in the United States," Kawakami said through an interpreter. "I also know the Braves have a good history. I want to pitch for a winner, so Atlanta was very appealing to me."

The chances of Atlanta enjoying a successful baseball team have certainly increased over the past 48 hours, as the Braves have improved their rotation with the acquisitions of both Kawakami and Derek Lowe.

Though Kawakami isn't the ace that Lowe is targeted to be, many scouts believe he is capable of serving as an effective middle-of-the-rotation pitcher in the Majors. Over the past five seasons in Japan's Central League, he has gone 66-35 with a 3.12 ERA.

Known for his competitive nature on the mound, Kawakami seemingly enjoyed his finest professional season in 2006, when he went 17-7 with a 2.51 ERA in a career-high 215 innings. He finished second in that year's balloting for the Sawamura Award -- Japan's equivalent of the Cy Young Award.

He captured the Sawamura Award and was named the Central League's MVP in 2004, when he went 17-7 with a 3.32 ERA.

"Judging by the numbers he put up in Japan, there's no doubt that he can come over here and be successful," third baseman Chipper Jones said.

Kawakami's pitching arsenal includes an effective cutter, a slow curveball and an average fastball. From a style standpoint, there doesn't seem to be reason to compare him with Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka or Los Angeles' Hiroki Kuroda.

In fact, when asked how he would compare him with either of these two pitchers, a member of the Japanese media pointed to his heart in an attempt to say that Kawakami's greatest asset is the fighting spirit he takes to the mound on a consistent basis.

"I would say that my style is that I put all of my soul into all of my pitches," Kawakami said. "I hope to show that while I'm pitching in Atlanta."

Atlanta's projected rotation now includes Kawakami, Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Jair Jurrjens. Candidates for the fifth spot include Tom Glavine, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, Tommy Hanson and James Parr.

Kawakami, who has already informed the Braves that he won't pitch for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, went 9-5 with a 2.30 ERA in 20 appearances (16 starts) and 117 1/3 innings for the Chunichi Dragons this past season. He missed nearly three weeks in September with a strained back and pitched most of the season in a six-man rotation.

The Braves aren't concerned about his back, and they seem confident about his ability to prove effective in a five-man rotation.

While addressing the reality that Japanese pitchers are handled differently than those in the U.S., Kawakami provided the reminder that Japanese pitchers are often expected to throw 130 to 140 pitches per game. The wear and tear on his arm will be lessened this year when he finds himself being removed earlier in games in favor of the bullpen.

For now, Kawakami isn't setting any specific goals in terms of wins, innings pitched or starts.

"My goal is just to stay in the rotation for the entire season," he said.