We ring in the new year with some new kids on the Tokyo jazz kissa block, and a fair bit of coughing.

Thanks as ever to Brian for audio assistance.

All the Ks (and a 'P') as Philip wraps up the last day in Tohoku alone and finally (!) heads home to Tokyo as a special guest makes hi presence felt.

Planes, trains and taxis assist Philip's epic 1,500km odyssey to check out the incredible Elvin to see if James was overstating how incredible it really is.

Thanks as ever to Brian for assistance with sound.

A mixed bag in Miyazaki with windswept Sonny Rollins photos to die for and a rather melancholic end to the visit, before Philip sets off on an epic one day journey north.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.

The band breaks up to pursue solo careers, as James heads home with a man and and a squid, and Philip takes off across Kyushu in a search of four more highly-rated joints.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.

We go bananas before a bowl of lemon (yes, lemon) ramen and making it at last to two deeply different old school joints in Nagasaki. Some top Japan travel hacks, and James finally reveals at last that he's a 'two t-shirt a day' man.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for assistance with sound.

We take a fast boat ride across the bay as we head for Nagasaki and Philip mistakenly masquerades as Japan's greatest living photographer.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound

James continues to alienate local tourist boards as we suffer further frustration in Saga, and finish the night with an utterly surreal stop in US Navy-town Sasebo. Not every day can be better than yesterday!

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for assistance with sound.

We finish our first full – and utterly epic – Kyushu day with 3 more joints, burnt records, posted kimonos, tiny whisky shots, some unexpected royal family action and our regular late night konbini run. Oh, and James offends an owner’s son.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.

Still making our way around Kyushu, it's an emotional return for us both as the project comes full circle.

Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.