Now heading into this huge challenge, the countdown to the start is finally on.

I haven't been able to keep this challenge blog updated much, but behind the scenes, preparation keeps steadily moving forward, day after day. The other day it was applying for the visa to enter China, the starting point…

My challenge isn't ordinary tourism, so the embassy screening was strict — preparing for the interview, and
once inside China, they demanded detailed documentation too, tracking my location and whereabouts along the route.

There's still some confidential information here I can't fully share, so the real, full report will have to wait until after I'm safely home. There's a lot happening behind the scenes I can't put out publicly, but I'm clearing each hurdle, one at a time.

But!! The China application… that was genuinely tough.
And right in the middle of all that, yet another new problem showed up.

Just how many trials does God intend to throw at me…

War broke out between Iran and Iraq, and suddenly the route I'm driving sits right next to real danger.
My route crosses the Caspian Sea, just north of Iran, so there is some distance between us,
but there's no room for letting my guard down.

There's something I find myself thinking about, day after day, while preparing for Peking to Paris.

They say 80% of preparation is what matters most, but I've been choosing to bring only the bare minimum I actually need.
The last thing you get to carry with you is “memories” — and for a challenge riding this close to real danger,
you need the resolve to be staking your life on it.

There was plenty going on during the twelve-day Spain-Morocco warm-up too, but this time the border crossings are countless —
what kind of hardship is waiting for us this time!

Things I've always thought I needed, it turns out, you can't carry any of it once your life is genuinely on the line.

I've experienced plenty of resolve to lose things, up to this point.
Money, people, things… fighting the fear of losing them in exchange for this challenge,
I've let go of so much to get to where I am now.

What is it, exactly, that people fear so much?

I've come to feel that a life free of fear and dread is a life that isn't bound by anything, a genuinely free one. Chasing a dream always meant living right beside fear, and needing the resolve to let go.

I can't stop this war myself, and world peace is a huge, lofty ideal, but
the small acts of kindness and tolerance we practice in daily life are what create harmony and understanding among the people around us.

Through this challenge, I've learned a great deal about resolving conflict and confrontation.
I've walked, one step at a time, toward realizing peace within my own heart.

For people all across the world to build a society where they understand and respect each other, I believe each of us, individually,
needs to treasure the relationships right in front of us, not fight over them — I want to build a world where we can cheer each other on instead!

I've made my resolve, and I'm going to keep pushing this challenge forward.

This dangerous adventure was never just a challenge to me — it was also a journey that expressed my own will to live. It's also a place that tests my inner strength and courage.

My heart still wavers plenty, but my resolve never wavers — all that's left is moving forward!
I hope whatever I learn and experience through this challenge reaches the hearts of as many people as possible!

※ With less than 30 days left until the challenge, I've been broadcasting every morning on standFM.
No script — just my raw feelings, left as they are.

I'd be glad if you gave it a listen. Today marked broadcast day 45.
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standFM broadcast, day 45: “Something that touches on life itself…”