I first visited New Zealand (the North Island) back in 2019 and have wanted to go back ever since. I think it’s the laid-back feel to the cities I visited that is in such stark contrast to a lot of what I experience in Japan that made me want to go back again — like taking a nice breather.

This time, however, I decided to head to the South Island, with Christchurch the first stop on my list.

As many already know, the city was devastated by an earthquake in 2011, and it’s still in the process of rebuilding, with vacant lots and a clash of new buildings with their tinted windows against older buildings that had survived. Yet despite what I thought was sometimes a quiet town more than a city, there’s a chic vibe to Christchurch that made me feel it’s a massive university town more than anything.

I especially felt that at the Riverside Market, which had a nice collection of restaurants inside and a general seating area for you to enjoy your meals. The customers ranged from university-age kids to older adults, but the interior strongly suggested this was a place to hang out after exams were done. Maybe that’s just me.

After staying in Christchurch for a few days and enjoying the artistic, university feel of the city (still felt more like a town to me than anything else), I rented a car and headed to Lake Tekapo and the Aoraki area for a few days. Along the way was nothing but farmland, glorious mountains, and the ocassional town.

While the North Island, to me, felt open and airy for how few people there were, the South Island made me often feel like I was the only person on the entire island. Of course, I would pass a few cars every now and then, and there were shopkeepers, but I can’t count the number of times I went into a shop and I was the only customer there.

It makes me think New Zealand is a great place for anyone who’s high-strung (like me) and needs to go to a friendly, secluded place for a while to unwind.

The nature was also simply stunning. Since I went in the summer (in Japan), it was winter in New Zealand, and while it was quite a nice shock to my body going from 32 C weather to 8 C weather, it made for blazingly clear skies showcasing snowcapped mountains, with a sea of stars at night. It also, come to think of it, might account for why there were so few people. I’ll have to try the South Island again in the summer and see how it compares.

The trip was over and done far too quickly, as most vacations are, and I’m already wondering when I can go back again and, this time, head to the very south of the South Island or head back to Wellington, which, with its lovely architecture mixed with that bohemian vibe Christchurch seems to embrace, is my favorite city in New Zealand.

During my trip, I noticed quite a few differences between New Zealand and Japan (and the U.S., of course, though some of it felt strikingly similar), and there were a few things I wish Japan would implement that New Zealand already is.

1. Switches for each electric outlet. This meant I could choose exactly where power was going when I pluggged in things, which I think is brilliant.
2. The paper straws there were colorful in some restaurants and quite sturdy, too. To me, it feels like Japan is still figuring out paper straws, and I think they could really learn from New Zealand.
3. Paper receipts. While Japan’s feels slightly plastic-y still, New Zealand’s felt like it was purely paper.
4. Paper bags for produce. A lot of the grocery stores I visited had paper bags into which you could put your produce, and scales for weighing the produce, followed by a printer that printed off a sticker barcode that could be scanned at the register. Japan is still very much interested in plastic bags for produce.
5. Laid-back atmosphere. I would love it if that kind of chill nature every Kiwi I spoke to naturally seemed to possess could infect Japan somehow.
6. Farmer’s market! Even in a cold rain, the people working the stalls at the market and those wandering around were all friendly and in generally good moods, from what I could see. It was just really nice to be there.

And a few things I think Japan is doing well compared to what I just experienced:

1. The bus systems. In the short time I was in Christchurch, I used the bus system a lot. The drivers were crazy friendly, but my one problem is that only one bus had a screen that would tell me what the next stop would be. I had Google Maps out so I could figure out where to get off, because I had no idea otherwise.
2. Trash-sorting explanations. I know Japan is angry a lot about foreign nationals apparently doing a horrible job sorting their trash, but they have illustrations and charts explaining sorting (at least, where I’ve lived) whereas the hotels where I stayed at throughout the South Island would say they offered recycling or had a recycling bin, but I had no idea what was meant to be recycled.
3. Food portion sizes. I think I’m just too used to the relatively small portions and cheaper prices Japan offers for its food. There were quite a few times when I couldn’t finish everything on my plate in New Zealand.

These were just things I noticed off the top of my head, anyway, but I think traveling is always a chance to learn more about other ways of living and expand one’s mind, and this trip reminded me anew of how much I miss international travel, in general. I’m going to try to save up and head out into the world again as soon as I can.