Japan & New Zealand Holiday Photos

Published on Thursday, October 1, 2009 – 12:27 am

Japan Flag

Throughout June and July I was on vacation travelling through Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam and New Zealand and as usual, with any major trip, I share the photos and stories with you.

I posted the Cambodia & Vietnam photos a few weeks back and now I’ve finally had the chance to go through the Japan & New Zealand photos.

The Japan leg of my Asian themed holiday was spent with my mother and was a gift for my 21st birthday. It was great to spend some quality time with her while experiencing the Japanese culture and it also gave me a chance to do things that I wouldn’t have done if I was traveling with my mates.

In Japan we went to Tokyo, Shinagawa, Yokohama, Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hikone, Miyajima, Okayama, Hiroshima and Takayama. Click the map for a larger view of where we travelled.

Japan Travels

Enjoy the happy snaps and sorry for not being more descriptive, I’ve forgotten a lot of the names since the trip back in July.

Can you spot me? I am in there somewhere.

One of the craziest crossings in a shopping district.

We went on a one day tour on the first day (which was a great choice) and the tour leader was great… this is her carrying her infamous Pikachu.

Just one of many Japanese weddings we came across in the park. Apparently they have one every 30 minutes during peak season.

The harbour… this was just before we caught a ferry down town.

Walking through the ring 3 times gives you luck.

One of the tastiest meals I had in Japan - Okonomi-yaki. I enjoyed every bite, as I did for nearly every meal I had in Japan.

The choice of iced coffee was unbelievable.

Traditional Japanese cultural show.

A play we saw in Japanese. It was a comedy and you could understand what was happening without knowing the language. It was based on two people being tied up because they drink too much… but then find a way to drink by helping each other.

Geishas… we did spot a few real ones which I’ve been told is quite a rare site. These featured here were just part of a show put on for tourists.

Traditional Japanese shadow puppet show.

A deer on the way to Miyajima. Very tame.

This group were trying to take a photo when a deer walked and stopped straight in front of them!

The floating water temple, though it wasn’t floating today as the sea was out.

Bamboo forest.

One of the last standing buildings from the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Hiroshima memorial and the Great Hall in the background.

We had an awesome ‘cook your own bbq dinner’ just on the left where those umbrellas are.

Enjoying a cold Asahi over dinner.

Sunset in Japan’s urban centre.

The view out from the bullet train.

Waterfalls seen from the train on the way to Takayama.

Sake… rice wine.

Electronic logos! I got excited when I saw this.

That’s Mt. Fuji (the third very white layer).

Crossing the valley via Gondola.

Eating black eggs at the top of the mountain. The eggs go black because of the sulphate but they taste just like normal eggs.

You can see where they boil the eggs in the pit below.

Eating the black egg.

What happens when it rains - the clear umbrellas come out! They sell them at every second store.

Food available ready to eat at the supermarket.

More great food.

Tokyo skyline.

Looking downwards from the Tokyo version of the Eiffel tower.

Part of the beautiful Japanese gardens and me in my Japanese shirt.

Got a line?

Gotta love the Japanese gardens.

Having tea at a Japanese Tea Ceremony. This lady has been doing it for 20 years!

The Japanese tea ceremony or “the Way of Tea,” is the ceremonial preparation and presentation of the powdered green tea known as matcha. The tea ceremony is highly ritualized and the manner in which it is performed. Zen Buddhism was integral to the ceremony’s development, and its influence pervades many aspects of its performance.

The green tea matcha… oh, was it bitter!

Traditional Ryokans (Japanese Inn).

Traditional Japanese wedding gown.

More brilliant Japanese food.

Ringing the bell for good luck… I think.

Samurai statue.

Outside the Emperor’s Palace.

“The Turd”

Entry to the markets.

The markets.

Which flavour?

Tasty treats.

Just one of the many Engrish titles. This one was funny because they fixed the correct English to make it incorrect.

No judging here (I only speak one language after all).

Wasn’t really a fan of this but still amazing to see what monkeys can learn.

One of the main shopping streets.

The entry to the Swarovski shop.

For the apple fanboys.

Raining madness.

Electric town, those buildings are filled with about 10 levels of non stop arcade games - a site you really have to see to believe.

Above is about one tenth of one level of the arcades.

Notice the pigs head? This was at the supermarket.

Octopus tentacles!

Crazy town. This is what I imagined Japan to be like before I left!

Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo!

The huge fish markets!

The Bullet Train - how we managed to see so much in such little time.

Have always liked these.

The Kyoto train station, an attraction in itself.

Pepsi Shiso flavour!

Beer vending machines! Just what Australia needs!

No idea what this says but I like it!

Green Tea Coke! What’s next? Web flavoured Vegemite?

The outer Moat around the palace.

Standing inside the ancient palace.

More Japanese gardens.

Enjoying dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

This was one meal I did not enjoy… way overpriced fishy Sushi.

A temple amongst the urban landscape. A common site in Japan.

Eel dumpling. I had one bite and spat it out. Certainly not my thing.

Entrance to a shop. Gotta love the novelty of the Japanese.

A quaint little Japanese town.

We ordered a beer and got these ‘goodies’ with it - dried sardines!

I enjoyed every calorie.

Oh, how I miss the Japanese food.

The traditional clothes they give you before you enter the Onsens (hot baths). A new fashion statement indeed.

Posing in front of the “ancient forest”.

*insert pirate joke here*

What is a pirate’s favorite toy store? Toys ARRRRR Us.

The Botantic Gardens.

Enjoying a healthy lunch at the Botanic Gardens.

Oldschool trains.

View from our hotel room.

And a funny one to finish off… me in a Japanese sized bathtub!

New Zealand Ski / Snowboard Holiday

After I returned from my Asian themed holiday I went for a ski / snowboard holiday with 16 of my mates in Cardrona, New Zealand. Below are a few snaps.

New Zealand

Top of the mountain - perfect conditions!

Chains

Believe or not this is the same day! It went from slush / chains at the bottom of the mountain, to perfect at the top.

Jumping

Me doing a jump - I did land it for the record ;)

View

The serenity!

Paintball

We went paint balling as well, which was deadly fun.

Friends

Me on the left and some of my mates.

Lake

The lake near to our hotel. Beautiful scenery indeed.

Future Travel Plans

My original travel plan for November / December was to travel through South America however I have since decided to travel through USA instead. The reasoning for this was because of the very competitive airfares, great AUD to USD exchange rate and I thought I should get more acquainted with the USA before moving to work there.

As for the trip, I am going on another Contiki tour - this time across 22 states of USA starting from Los Angeles going East, right through to New York, where I will meet my employers, Carrot Creative, for the first time.

I will leave mid November, travel around for 6 weeks, return to Australia for 2 weeks for a family holiday, then fly back to New York again in early January where I will have to settle down and get back to the real (working) world.

You may be interested in my photos from: Fiji, Europe, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia or me SkyDiving. Have you been to Japan? Have any stories to share?


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48 Responses to “Japan & New Zealand Holiday Photos”

  1. BebopDesigner on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    You lucky ……. ! Wow! Love the Japan set. Great pictures mate. My most sincere envies.
    Thanks for sharing :)

  2. Nikhil on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Just Fantastic Jacob…..

    Great pics…the apple pic is superb

    Have any plans for visit to India???
    Do come, you will enjoy it a lot…

  3. Lambros on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    hey it looks you had fun there! now back to work :P (i m planing to visit japan on the next years)

  4. Dave Sparks on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Some great pics there.
    Where abouts in New Zealand were you skiing?

  5. Christine on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Skippinig South America for the US? Tsk, Tsk, shame on you. I amy be biased because I was born there, Colombia. Really should try going to South America, especially Colombia ;)

  6. Frederic Klee on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Hey,

    very nice trip in Japan ! I just realized I went in 2008 in the same place you where ! How long you where there ?
    Nice photos ! Sure I will return there.
    Can help you to add some name :-)

    Fred

  7. adri_rory on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Oh … I’m so hungry now, after seeing your photos :)
    And I want a big ice cream !

    Thanks for sharing your photos with us !

  8. Greg on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Dude, what gives, are you a trust fund baby, independently wealthy, or have very generous parents? It seems all you do is travel!

    Looks like a great trip, by the way!

  9. Semhal on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Wow! Amazing! I’ve gotta go to Japan. How beautiful that you took a trip there with your Mom. Seems like you two had a wonderful time. And the ski trip pix look awesome!

  10. Kiren on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    If you’re ever in Monterey,CA (5 hours north of L.A.) drop me an e-mail, we have the Monterey Bay Aquarium!!

  11. Jacob Cass on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Nikhil,
    It would be great to get to India - my father just recently returned from there and he had many great pictures to share.

    Lambros,
    You will enjoy it for sure!

    Christine,
    Yeah, I was originally going to go with a friend but she couldn’t get out of work plus USA was a lot more economical. eg. I could get return flights for more than half the cost to go to SA.

    Frederic,
    Was in Japan for about two weeks and in New Zealand for one. Yeah I would have put names but it has been so long, I’ve since forgotten the hard to remember names.

    Greg,
    All of my travel is self funded, except in the case of this Japan trip, in which the majority of it was for my 21st birthday present which is a major occurrence here in Australia (much like USA I presume).

    Semhal,
    Indeed, it was a different experience. A different way of doing things for sure.

  12. Angela on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Great photos, you certainly covered a lot of ground in Japan! What’d you think of the Shiso Pepsi? I’ve heard that Azuki (red bean) is next, should be interesting.

    The sign that you like (??????) says Daihonzan Tenryuji. Daihonzan means headquarters and Tenryuji means “Temple of the Heavenly Dragon”.

    Have a great time in the US!

  13. Max.W on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    I was in Japan just recently myself with my wife’s family. It was really humid when we were there but I loved every moment of my trip.

    Japan’s a fascinating place and is one place you just have to visit in your lifetime. There’s just much to see and do.

  14. Lloyd Vincent on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    I’m jealous. I’ve been living in Japan for almost 3 years and it looks like you’ve been to more places than me :-D

    I recognized the Bic Camera store at Nagoya station though. I bought my Japanese electronic dictionary there…

  15. Callum Chapman on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Wow, looks really great. I pulled a funny face at Octopus in the packets though!

  16. Sasha dal Ponte on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Just one question… Where did you get your “Rising sun” T-shirt? I want one…

  17. Rick on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    Brilliant, man! Been wanting to go to Japan for ages myself. One day, one day.

    Also, that “Rising Sun” t-shirt. I MUST HAVE IT.

  18. Markus on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    i love new zealand :)
    miss it…

  19. Markus on Oct 1, 2009 said:

    i love new zealand :) miss it…
    Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!

  20. Jacob Cass on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    Angela,
    Shiso Pepsi was rather different, but refreshing. Red Bean sounds rather strange for a soft drink but would still try it.

    Thanks for the translation of the sign!

    Max,
    It was pretty nice weather when we were there except for the 2 days it rained. Would love to go back with my mates and see the other side of Japan along with the ski fields.

    Lloyd,
    It’s strange like that hey? It’s even more like that down here in Oz because when tourists come this far, they tend to see a lot of the country.

    Callum,
    What about the pigs head?

    Sasha, Rick,
    The rising sun tshirt I got about 2 years ago off eBay. I’ve had a number of people ask about it though I can not find the seller’s name as it so long ago. Sorry!

  21. h1brd on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    uau, so amazing pictures from japan. :)
    must have been a great experience, very inspiring!

  22. Michael Arnaldo on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    WOW man! Looks like you had a blast! Oh how i wish i could pack up my bags and live in Japan for a least a month! Kudos on all the photos!

  23. mariadelsol on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    hola
    wow ur pics very nice and fun! nice place it look. is new for me it of engrish lol. i think me do it sometimes.well if u plan south america in the future at least for me, Ecuador is amazing!!

  24. xozan on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    Do you have any plan to visit Nepal? Country of Mt. Everest and Himalayas

  25. Nathan Beck on Oct 2, 2009 said:

    Hey JC! No way I’ve just got back from Japan a few days ago after a 3 month trip round Indonesia, Oz and Japan. Crazy, I didn’t realise you were headed there.

    Hope you had a great time, I certainly did - it’s such an insane country. What did you think of the manic crossing at Shibuya in Tokyo? I went to see a Kabuki play and a sumo tournament which was amazing.

    Do you reckon you’ll go back some day? I guess it’s not as far for you from Newcastle instead of from England for me.

    I stopped by your hometown actually, what a lovely place, like most places along the East Coast I guess - all beaches and good weather.

    I’ve missed your blog for 3 months so I’ll have to catch up. Keep up with everything here and on your travels - as always you’re doing a great job!

    Nathan

  26. Mike Coyle on Oct 3, 2009 said:

    I went to Japan last year. Absolutely amazing place. I sent this article to my sister who lives there (4 years now, in Osaka). She loves the article and I do too.

  27. Soh Tanaka on Oct 3, 2009 said:

    Jacob, looks like you went to all the right spots in Japan :-) Awesome pics.

    If you come down to Los Angeles, do let me know! We should set up a meetup!

    -Soh

  28. desarrollo web on Oct 3, 2009 said:

    I loving New Zealand, and the lord of the rings :)

  29. Jacob Cass on Oct 4, 2009 said:

    Xozan,
    Nepal looks like a great place to visit and certainly hope to get to that part of the world sometime throughout my life.

    Nathan,
    Wow, that would have been brilliant to go for 3 months. Hard to settle back down?

    It is indeed a crazy country, quite fascinating with very friendly people. I’ve found the Japanese are more akin to Aussies than Americans though. How did they take to the British?

    I would certainly go back… would love to do the snow fields and more of Tokyo.

    And yeah Newcastle (Aus) is a nice place - a great lifestyle though it is getting a lot busier of late.

    Enjoy catching up with the blog but no pressure :P

    Soh,
    I am actually going to LA in mid November though only for a few days. Not sure of plans just of yet though.

  30. Pete on Oct 4, 2009 said:

    I always tried to avoid Contiki tours. It’s usually a bunch of ignorant Americans, Brits or Australians ruining the authenticity of a place by flooding it with money and cameras. :-(

  31. Mjuboy on Oct 4, 2009 said:

    Great photos, and I love that T-Shirt too!

  32. Elsa Lee on Oct 5, 2009 said:

    Did you use the bath Japanese style? (Wash yourself outside the tub, then sit and relax in the tub after you’re clean).

  33. Jacob Cass on Oct 6, 2009 said:

    Pete,
    From my experiences on Contiki I wouldn’t agree with you there though you do get some like that but it’s only a small minority.

    Elsa,
    Not in this particular bath but when we stayed in ryokans we did.

  34. Social Icons on Oct 6, 2009 said:

    Man I want to visit Japan so bad I am jealous! I would consider moving there if it wasn’t so hard to adjust to an entire new culture. =/

  35. Luigi on Oct 6, 2009 said:

    Wow! You really did enjoy your travel. The photos are amazing. I wish I could exeprience that too. Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed it.:)

  36. manau on Oct 6, 2009 said:

    Amazing pictures ! looks like you enjoyed a lot this trip :)
    I really like your Japanese shirt, it’s awesome!
    thanx for sharing :)

  37. Jon Liebold on Oct 7, 2009 said:

    If you come to Michigan on your US Odyssey, I’ll buy ya a beer :)

  38. Anuwar rofi on Oct 9, 2009 said:

    Hi Jacob buddy..its really a nice reality picture collection. thanx a lot for sharing…

    Regards

    Anuwar Rofi
    Cell# +91-9999774856
    India (New Delhi)

  39. Douglas Bonneville on Oct 14, 2009 said:

    Eating the black egg in black and white did not escape my humor-radar.

    What do you do when you eat a black egg by the Red Sea?

    You must have weighed the egg on your gray scale, no doubt. I also hear that black eggs don’t have yolks, just 20% blacks instead :)

  40. Justin on Oct 19, 2009 said:

    Glad to see you had a great trip!

  41. Tom Hall on Oct 23, 2009 said:

    Really fantastic photos, thanks for sharing! It looks like you had a great trip…. Hopefully I can get myself out there sometime very soon.

  42. kib on Oct 28, 2009 said:

    Glad you enjoyed Japan. It is truly an incredible experience to travel there. While your Rising Sun shirt looked sharp, I have to admit to being a little shocked at seeing you wearing it in front of the palace… Do you know what it means?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Sun_Flag
    I am a subscriber to your blog for your thoughts on design, which are always valuable. I understand your good nature and realize you are a very positive, level-headed person.
    A little brushing up on chopstick etiquette would be good before your next trip, too ;) These things have meaning, and speak loudly to those around you when ‘in country’. All the best on your travels and blog. Thanks!

  43. Jacob Cass on Oct 28, 2009 said:

    Hello Kib,
    I wasn’t aware of the whole meaning behind the Rising Sun however I knew it was a symbol of the Japanese army… why would it be considered offensive in front of the palace? Did I miss something? I do try to cover most my etiquette bases when traveling so any advice would be appreciated. As for the chopstick etiquette, are you referring to me holding the chopsticks up in that cheesy pose? Hehe, anyway thanks for your comments!

  44. sarah ferguson on Oct 29, 2009 said:

    hey, nice pictures. i’ve only been as far into asia as south korea. i follow this website from time to time and enjoy the reads and designs (impressed). if you’re moving to new york, keep in touch.

    before you (may or may not) ask, no, i’m not the duchess of york.

  45. William Dos Santos on Nov 8, 2009 said:

    Thank you for those pictures that have a particular cultural interest.

    It would be great if you could come to San Francisco for your U.S. trip. You have a fan there! :)

    Feel free to contact me if you plan to go there.

    Sincerely

  46. Chrysanne on Nov 14, 2009 said:

    Oh Jacob, how you take me back!!! I was fortune enough to go to Japan in 1996 and visited some of the same sites. How I long to be able to go back someday. Seeing photos like yours enlivens my soul to travel!!! You are a very lucky guy. I am from North Carolina, USA and I think it’s great you are coming for a “visit”.

  47. Douglas Bonneville on Nov 14, 2009 said:

    Jacob: If you are going to hit Boston somehow, let me know. I’ll buy you a beer!

  48. Phoenix injury attorney/lawyer on Nov 17, 2009 said:

    Pepsi Shiso?!

    Wow, wondering how that would taste like. Saw the photo and was instantly intrigued so I googled it.

    Been to Japan before for a business trip and I was impressed with the culture.

    Glad to see fun photos.


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