The 34-year-old says he had offers from Germany, France and Spain, but jumped at the chance to move to Japan after talking to an old team-mate
Fernando Torres says Andres Iniesta encouraged him to move to Japan and join Sagan Tosu.
The Spanish striker left Atletico Madrid at the end of last season after winning the Europa League title and announced last week that he has signed for the J1 League side.
Torres is the second big-name player to move from La Liga to Japan, following in the footsteps of Barcelona icon Iniesta, who moved to Vissel Kobe in May.