Another week in exile for Adam Thomson, another stamp in his passport. The latest is that of the British Embassy, following his journey to London where he has joined the Barbarians in their exclusive Park Lane hotel.
His former All Blacks colleagues might be gearing up for next year's WorldCup, but Thomson has no regrets about his chosen path. Last week, he enjoyed six days of downtime on the Greek island of Santorini and next week will be back in Japan, where he will finish the season with the Canon Eagles.
The 32-year-old is enjoying life out of the spotlight. He doesn't get mobbed at his local sushi bar in Tokyo and, as he prepares to move to join the Queensland Reds early next year, there are no plans to return to New Zealand any time soon.
"I'm not really one of those guys who wants to retire at the same place I started," Thomson said. "That doesn't really hold much weight for me. There were options in New Zealand but I didn't really want to go back to something I've done before.
"I'm in that phase where I'm travelling, meeting new people and experiencing new things. Australia was a great opportunity and the Reds play a great brand of rugby. It might be a bit weird joining up with the old foe but it's a good chance to see how they do things."
Thomson has not closed the door on a second stint in Asia and could be joined by an exodus of All Blacks after next year's World Cup. Extensive investment is helping grow the Japanese game and it's unrecognisable from the set-up first experienced when Thomson toured alongside Conrad Smith with New Zealand Universities in the early 2000s.
"It's definitely on the up," Thomson said. "I remember about 10 or 12 years ago during the university tour and we were putting 100 points on all these teams pretty easily. Now university rugby is very strong and it's filtering through into the top league. You can see the national team getting stronger and the game is in a better place.
"The Japanese have a different way of doing things. Tokyo is a vibrant place - you can get out and do the tourist thing and eat the local food. We travel to games on the bullet train and you see some wonderful temples and shrines.
"A lot of players will probably see the World Cup as the pinnacle of their career and then move on. Japan's becoming a more desirable location so I'm sure there will be some big players moving over. But it's not all about the money. There's the attraction of travelling and going to new places."
Thomson admits touring with the All Blacks sandwiched by back-to-back seasons with the Highlanders took a physical toll. The demands in Japan are less. He's the league's leading try-scorer and believes the move has extended his career.
"They play a really attacking style of rugby in Japan. It's like a big game of sevens. My body was starting to get pretty worn down back in New Zealand but now it's starting to feel right again. I've got back the urge to play top-level rugby."
