Monthly letters from Japan

Thank you for your interest in my newsletter. I am Burcu (more on that below).

If you decide to subscribe, you will receive a letter from me each month—Letters from Japan—featuring mainly Japan-focused travel writing and photography. As an avid hiker, I mostly explore nature destinations, but I also enjoy the occasional city break. Here is the February 2025 edition, where I wrote about some of my favorite winter trips in Japan. In another edition, I wrote about some of my favorite Japan-themed books that may make good companions for your journey to Japan. These monthly letters are available to all subscribers regardless of your subscription plan, free or paid. There are also occasional #sundayposts—like the One Fine Autumn Day in Kyoto post—that I only post on Substack and do not e-mail.

Paid subscription options

Monthly subscription

Paid subscribers have access to trip diaries that I post when I am on the road. These diary-style posts also include logistical information. Here is the series that I posted during a ten-day trip to the Goto Islands off the coast of Nagasaki. A more recent was about a short trip to my favorite island in Okinawa: Tokashiki. I recently hiked the Kyoto Trail, during which I also posted daily trail diaries. I recently published the Hokkaido Winter Trip diaries series following a week-long trip in December 2024.

If you become a monthly paid subscriber, you will also receive an extra post/email on months there are no travel diaries that explore a specific region or theme to help with detailed itinerary planning—like a week-long trip to Kyushu or a five-day fall colors trip to Aomori. These posts are rich in logistical details, unlike my usual impression-based and narrative travel writing. You will also receive, upon request, the downloadable PDF version of these itinerary-focused posts.

Annual subscription

If you choose the annual subscription plan, you also have the option to schedule a Zoom meeting for personalized assistance with your Japan trip planning if you think I can be of any help. To make the best of our meeting time, you can email me with specific questions or your rough itinerary. Please get in touch via email if you become an annual subscriber and would love to schedule a Zoom meeting.

Print Club

If you decide to upgrade to the Print Club, you can, in addition to all of the above, select one photo to be printed on A3-size Hahnemühle fine art paper per year and have it mailed to your house. You get to choose your print from a pool of more than thirty photos. Here is the link to the print gallery. You also get a 25% discount on all other prints.

The website

This is the newsletter extension of my website, where I have been regularly posting travel articles and photos since 2013.

Since I am based in Japan, my website regularly features travel destinations from Japan. But I also often write about nature destinations from all over the world. I recently visited Australia to hike the wonderful Great Ocean Walk trail. 

I am Burcu

I am Burcu (a name that’s quite difficult for non-Turkish speakers to pronounce, so don’t worry about it), originally from Istanbul, Turkey—the love of my life and my biggest heartbreak. While the ongoing political situation is painful for many of us, I am forever grateful for the perspectives that being from a country and a city perspectives that being from a country and a city located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, and surrounded by eight neighbors (Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Georgia), has afforded me. In a region where various political ideologies, racial and ethnic groups, and religions coexist, try to coexist, or fail to do so, you inevitably grow up aware of realities beyond your own. Now, living in a relatively isolated island nation, that perspective feels even more crucial to me. In this post, I wrote more about the differences between my two homes: From An Isolated Island-Nation to That Place Where the Contitents Meet.

Traveling has been the greatest joy of my life since I took my first solo trip abroad when I was 20 (I am 43 now). In addition to Japan, I am drawn to the regions with dramatic landscape scenery, like Scandinavia and New Zealand. As for the cities, I am not ashamed of my undying love for Paris, which I, to this date, still find to be the most spectacular city in the world. My current permanent base is Tokyo, Japan—a city and country that I believe offers an almost impossibly perfect blend of tradition and modernity.

Over the past decade, and particularly since relocating to Japan in 2019, I’ve had the opportunity to work on paid travel writing and photography assignments, mainly partnering with Japan-based travel content agencies and tourism offices. But I am originally a lawyer. After working at a law firm in Istanbul for 13 years, I took a break, during which I only did contract-based remote work, allowing me to travel for more extended periods of time, and eventually moved to Japan. I currently work full-time at a research institute in Tokyo, which isn’t directly related to legal services but still ties into my previous experience as a lawyer. We are working mostly with Asian governments and development banks to develop legal frameworks to encourage a larger pool of investors financing social infrastructure projects. Fortunately, I get plenty of time off, allowing me to travel and keep my website and newsletter active. I also get to travel for work quite frequently.

I am happiest when I’m walking and saddest when I reflect on how my country has changed over the past two decades.

Regardless of whether you choose to become a subscriber or not, if you have any Japan-related travel questions, I would be happy to help as much as I can. For that, you can use the comments section under the posts or email me directly. My reply rate is so far 100 % :)

Once again, thank you for being here. It truly means a lot.

Burcu