Through Japanese Eyes

In 1968 eight Japanese teenagers won an art competition; their prize was a week long visit to the country they'd imagined on canvas. It's a busy itinerary — the students land in Wellington and take an obligatory cable car ride before visiting Parliament and the museum. The steamy wonderland of Rotorua is next, a dairy farm visit is a big success and Sir Edmund Hillary joins the teens for an authentic Kiwi barbeque. Shy smiles abound when one student meets her Kiwi pen pal for the first time. This is a rare example of a New Zealand television documentary from the 1960s.

A barbeque was a new experience for the girls; the boys had been on a camping expedition before, and certainly the smell of steak and chops cooked over charcoal was enough to tempt the most delicate appetites...

– Narrator Ian Johnstone on the lure of an overcooked chop

Key Cast & Crew

Ian Johnstone

Narrator

Margaret Newton

Director, Writer

Cyril Townsend

Camera