Aidan's Big Trip
A daily travel blog from Japan, to New Zealand, to Australia
A month away
In October 2025, I took a break from work and NYC, and spent the month traveling. I went to Japan for two weeks, New Zealand for a week and a half, and Sydney, Australia for 5 days, stopping in LA for Halloween and spending a week in NYC before returning to work. I wrote every day during this period of time, and documented every day by substack email. Below is a link to every daily blog, as well as my high level favorites. I hope you enjoy!
Table of Contents
9/27-28 Flight/Tokyo · TL;DR: Airport lounge, Skytree, Pokemon Center
9/29 Tokyo/Shizuoka · TL;DR: Toilets, shinkansen/bullet train, Mt. Fuji, ryokan
9/30 Shizuoka · TL;DR: Onsen, Lake Yamanaka, Fuji Kanda + tartare de cheval (horse)
10/1 Shizuoka/Kyoto · TL;DR: Shinkansen/bullet train, taxis, Nintendo Museum, 7-Eleven, takoyaki
10/2 Kyoto · TL;DR: Shrines (Ginkaku-ji, Kenninji, Sanjūsangendō, Hōkan-ji), Bar Quasimodo and steak with friends
10/3 Kyoto · TL;DR: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Evangelion statue, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Pokemon Center, naturally dyed tees, oldest gay bar in Kyoto
10/4 Kyoto/Osaka · TL;DR: Laundry, Osaka Aquarium, new friends at the onsen, unagi
10/5 Kyoto · TL;DR: Kifune shrine (water shrine), Kudamera Temple, Inui fusion food
10/6 Kyoto/Tokyo · TL;DR: Shinkansen, Pokemon Center, McDonald’s, Tokyo Pizza
10/7 Tokyo · TL;DR: Gotokuji lucky cat shrine, raw denim, oyster ramen
10/8 Tokyo · TL;DR: DisneySea
10/9 Tokyo · TL;DR: Laundry, bad fortune at Sensō-ji Temple, Ebisu with my cousin
10/10 Tokyo · TL;DR: World’s biggest gashapon store, conveyor belt sushi, izakaya with my cousin, matcha beer
10/11 Tokyo · TL;DR: Muji Hotel, haircut, TeamLabs, ramen, vinyl record bar, speakeasy with Aussies
10/12 Tokyo · TL;DR: Pokemon Center, thrifting in Shibuya, sake tasting
10/13 Tokyo/Auckland · TL;DR: Laundry, bought used Ricoh, flight to New Zealand
10/14 Auckland · TL;DR: Arrival in Auckland, meeting roommate and tour group
10/15 Auckland · TL;DR: Wine tasting in Waiheke
10/16 Auckland/Rotorua · TL;DR: Māori cultural center, Pōhutu geyser and kiwis
10/17 Rotorua · TL;DR: Prehistoric rainforest, hangi bbq, geothermal spa, McDonalds
10/18 Rotorua/Christchurch · TL;DR: Kiwi hatchery, mince and cheese pies, eating a shared meal for 1 at Londo
10/19 Christchurch · TL;DR: TranzApline train, Arthur’s Pass, shearing sheep and hugging alpacas, laundry, fried lasagna
10/20 Christchurch/Lake Tekapo · TL;DR: cousin encounter 2, rained out afternoon/evening
10/ 21 Lake Tekapo · TL;DR: Power outage, climbing Mt. John, star gazing
10/22 Lake Tekapo/Queenstown · TL;DR: Lake Wānaka walk, Arrowtown, more cancellations
10/23 Queenstown · TL;DR: The worst day
10/24 Queenstown · TL;DR: Whimsical lunch at Amisfield, jetboat, cousin encounter 2.1, gondola
10/25 Queenstown/Sydney · TL;DR: First impressions of Sydney and the Opera House
10/26 Sydney · TL;DR: Beach day, laundry, dinner inside the Opera House
10/27 Sydney · TL;DR: Blue Mountains, hand fed kangaroos, raw denim, Mezcal bar
10/28 Sydney · TL;DR: Taronga Zoo, Opera House tour, met the creator of Power Rangers Re-Animated, haircut, cousin encounter 3, pizza
10/29 Sydney · TL;DR: Summiting Harbour Bridge, Manly Beach, Mezze lunch, nice dinner and jazz bar
10/30 Sydney/LA · TL;DR: 2x’ed the day on my flight back, laundry, LA trails with my brother, cousin encounter 4
10/31 LA · TL;DR: Tar Pits, murder mystery
11/1 LA/Home · TL;DR: Flight home