I know it may seem like a lot—but with two photographers on the trip, the photos rack up pretty fast. As mentioned in a previous blog, Craig Wetherby and I recently went to Japan to shoot a Kits feature for the magazine, and we took more pictures than a Japanese tourist at Disneyland. It was the usual inside peek at the local scene and SNOWBOARD style exploration of yet another dope spot. We did it big, touring the streets of Tokyo and traveling to the mountains of Nagano in search of our proverbial Animal Chin. Come along for the ride, with 40 photos from Craig [CW] and 100 of mine for entire the play-by-play.

The scenic mountains of Hakuba. [CW]

From the moment you step off the 12-hour plane flight (and even on the plane for that matter), it becomes clear that you are in a different world.

One of the first things you'll notice is the automated toilets, with heated seats and control panels to adjust temperature, pressure and direction of spray. Apparently, everyone has really clean butts in Japan.

This is what they think of us.

Even in Japan, the comforts of home still abound.

We started out the first day with a trip up the Tokyo tower.

Lost in translation.

Ahh, much thank you very happy.

Great views of the entire city from up here.

Looking North.

West toward Shibuya.

Down towards the ground. [CW]

Me with the tower penis mascot guy. [CW]

We took a trip down to the Akihabara, or "geek city" as the locals say.

There are literally hundreds of multi-level gaming complexes.

So. Many. Games.

Sick HD LCD screens on some too.

We got serious in these pods that controlled giant robots fighting against each other.

Yeah, comics and video games characters are cool.

They have tons of Anime Porn too. It's kinda weird, but still somehow sexy.

Then we went up to Uneo park, with a pond, a big zoo and beautiful temples and statues.

There’s some cool architecture around the park.

No smoke and walk district. For the biggest city in the world, Tokyo is remarkably clean.

Getting’ real Japanese with it. [CW]

This dude's pretty cool.

For some reason there are a lot of stray cats in Tokyo, with no tails. [CW]

Tomb of some soldiers.

They got mad feudal there back in the day.

View of Akihabara from the park.

Lunch anyone?

Little buildings…

…little cars.

This was the only run down building we saw all day.

And there was some cool graffiti on the side. [CW]

We walked all over scouting locations for our photo shoot and made our way toward the old school neighborhood of Asakusa, which dates backs to the Edo period.

It was cool.

We wrapped up the daylight hours checking the Sensoji Temple, the oldest in Tokyo.

This symbol means peace in Japanese. [CW]

From what I gathered, you wave the smoke on yourself for good luck.

Then you drink the water this dragon spits out.

This building dates back to the year 628.

It is, as Basher would say, amazing.

Very peaceful.

Night was soon upon us, which meant it was time to hit the town. Shi “boo yaa” is the place to be.

First stop: The Undefeated store opening party in Harajuku.

Opening a business in Japan is a special occasion to be celebrated.

X-Large showin’ some love.

Undefeated is blowing up.

The store was packed with heads from Japan and the US.

Craig’s homie Kenny from Recon NYC got banned from the USA and shit. Kinda like me and Canada.

Undefeated New Balance kicks.

Lots of bright colors.

Then it was over to Agnes B for a WK/Obey Callbo party. Walking thru Shibuyu is a shopper’s dream.

The Prada store is pretty sick.

This guy was running for office and had a little van and a bullhorn to scream into, old school style. [CW]

Once we got to Agnes B, the store was done up like a gallery.

Props to Shepard Fairey and WK gettin’ that money.

All the usual pieces were there.

Big walls.

These girls scare me.

This too.

WK did some artwork on Angela’s tummy.

After that, we cruised by the Frank 151 offices, ism’d and headed back to the telly. Japan’s cool cause everything has a little logo for it. This one’s in the taxis; I think it’s for the police.

The next day we shot some stuff around the city and got ready for our next big night out. Craig had been feeling ill the first couple nights, but he was back full strength, and it was on. I left the camera at home and let him take over. [CW]

Tokyo Tower at night. [CW]

As soon as we hit the spot it was on. [CW]

Craig’s boy DJ Sinatra holds it down at an underground Yakuza mafia lair. [CW]

The place is run by a hardcore street fighter ninja dude who shall remain nameless to protect his identity (and our safety). [CW]

The only thing that mattered: We were from New York (or at least I pretended to be), and it was goin’ down. [CW]

First of all, this wasn’t no ordinary club. There were four levels, each with a different DJ and crowd. [CW]

Our VIP section in the back of the bottom floor consisted of us, and 40 young Eastern European models imported to Tokyo for work. [CW]

There was even one girl from Brooklyn! [CW]

Models are skinny. [CW]

And in shape. [CW]

Quickly, more champagne for everyone!

I had to get in there. [CW]

Ever since I could remember I’ve been poppin’ dem bottles. [CW]

Knee sock steeze is the way to go. [CW]

We finally peaced out around 5 am, left Sinatra with his five girls and hit the streets of Roppongi for a snack. We still had lots of work to do the rest of the week. [CW]

The next day it was back to work scouting and shootin’. [CW]

We stopped by hit up the popular By the Sea for lunch. As evident by the stickers on the door, this is a loc spot for NYC heads.

After that, we rounded up the crew and hit the streets. From Shibuya to Akihabara and more, we covered as much of Tokyo as we could—using vans, taxicabs and trains. Tokyo is one big city. This was a common scene on the train.

Our last night in town we had a sushi dinner at the restaurant that Oshi Ren’s squad in Kill Bill hung out was modeled after.

The toilets got even more tech as the trip went on.

Finally it was time to pack it up head for the hills. Our next stop: a quiet mountain village in the Hakuba Valley, far away from the bright lights and big city of Tokyo. As you can see, I had lots of gear to tote around. [CW]

Luckily our friend/guide/translator Eva Soroken came with along—otherwise we’d have no one to translate the snacks from the cart for us.

Pocari Sweat is money.

Everything is like a little kit over there.

This was some sort of powdered goo. I think Craig was a little confused.

The ride to Nagano is beautiful, as you pass by many small towns and villages and the landscape transforms from concrete to countryside.

We made it to Hakuba, and were stoked to see some white mountains! They call this the Japanese Alps, and with good reason.

The downhill events at the ’98 Winter Olympics were held here.

We were picked up at the train station in a dope 4 X 4 van. There are some interesting rides in Japan.

Little truck/van thingy.

We passed by this cool old temple in town.

The first stop in town was the Garage 902 Boardshop. This place is dope, and the heads behind it are super cool.

It was a big surprise to find a store halfway around the world loaded with all the goods we know and love.

Giro runs the shop, and their mascot is their dog, Zero.

Some of their gear.

And plenty more to choose from.

Then we cruised around town, checking out the village.

This place is awesome, with tons of cool old buildings housing shops, restaurants and more.

They even got a Sevy, although in Japan instead of 7/11 it’s called “7 and i holdings.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

Then it was time to check out the hotel and relax for a bit. Our host in Hakabu was the generous and friendly Tony Anderson, an Australian native who recently relocated to Japan and opened the White Horse Hotel and Wine Bar. The rooms in this boutique Inn are spacious and comfortable featuring traditional Japanese décor mixed with modern conveniences. It was a nice change from the tight quarters we’d stayed at in Tokyo.

And there’s a fully stocked bar on site!

Echoland is the place to be.

We had some dinner at a bomb ass restaurant in town, but despite Tony’s recommendation, opted against the horsemeat sashimi.

It’s just like any other mountain town, with lots of spots to make party.

See what I mean? [CW]

Not only do the 902 boys have a dope shop, they have their own bar in town too. That night, we had to check it out.

When we walked in, they were watching the Kingpin Chronicles featuring our very own J2.

It really is a small world.

Naturally, I settled right in.

Zero and Kengiro.

He’s a real beauty.

Check out Kengiro’s record collection. Over 7,000 and counting…these guys are serious.

We hit a few more of Tony’s favorite spots and of course I had to bust out some Karaoke. When in Rome, right? [CW]

In the morning, I laid out all the gear we had to shoot. Carting all this stuff around was no joke.

The crew all geared up and ready to go.

Craig and his rice wrap breakfast.

To get our shred on, we headed to the closest mountain: Happo-One and their Gondora Lift. [CW]

Tony hooked up the “tickets.”

Which are actually electronic chips that go in your pocket and scan when you pass through the lift. Everything’s so tech in Japan.

Gondora station.

There were some crazy characters out for the day.

Eva and Tony in the Gondora,

Long way up from the valley floor.

Craig navigates his way through an upper lift gate.

We spent all day on the hill, shooting photos and having fun. It was warm and slushy spring conditions, so we had a blast slashin’ it up. When we were done, we hit up the ice cream truck at the bottom of the hill.

The best way to end the day is with a soak in a traditional Japanese hot spring, called an Onsen. As quickly as we’d come, it was time to head home, and the next morning we hopped on the train back to Tokyo.

A couple hours later and we were right back in the middle of the crazy Tokyo traffic. I thought this looked like the Empire State Building.

Unfortunately, we had to walk quite a few blocks with all our gear to catch the bus to the airport. I called it the Hakuba Death March.

Luckily, Eva stuck around ‘til the very end and helped us make it there.

Last chance for fish eggs!

We took the bus to the airport, checked in and grabbed our last Ebi Burger (shrimp patty) at McDonalds. [CW]

Finally it was time to get on the big plane home.

So long Japan…see ya next year! Special thanks to Angela Reynolds at Playford, Eva Soroken, DJ Sinatra, Chisun Hotel, Tony Anderson at White Horse Hotel and Wine Bar, Happo-one Resort, and the Japan National Tourist Organization.