Tossed it around some more and, barring unforeseen circumstances, I will give Europe a miss this year. It was a great plan. Still is! However, it would be hampered by my attempts to put in the amount of shakuhachi practice that I am now doing and want to continue for the immediate future. I’m at a stage in my learning/playing where I feel the need to be more stable. The beauty of the Europe Cycling Plan is the movement and exploration.

So, I have decided to do a Brisbane- Tokyo- LAX- Tokyo- Brisbane trip. I will do some travelling; hitching in Japan, train trips in the US, however, these will be of shorter duration with the northern summer mostly spent at my brother or sister’s.

That’s how it’s looking. I just need to settle on the dates.