Hi there. Very interesting post.
Just a small add on from me: If you do gown the JAR route trom the beginning, I'd suggest, at least to do the PPL the FAA way, this will help you in several ways:
1. It's cheaper
2. It's quicker as the ground school is shorter
3. It includes night privileges, so no need for an extra night rating
4. It will never ever expire
5. It allows you to log more PIC time than the JAR equivalent
6. You'll loose the JAR PPL as soon as you get the JAP CPL, but the FAA one is a keper.
7. Did I mention that it's cheaper?
regards, IP