And yeah, summer does suck… hehe. I’ve done a lot of my own photography over the summers until now… but I think summer is when I’m going to start taking breaks going forward 😬
Thank you James! I very much enjoyed all your matsuri photos during the summer - but my camera usually takes a long break all summer long unless I go to Hokkaido or Okinawa 😊
Foreigners seem to think Christmas in Japan is all about KFC, but roast chicken and fried chicken are sold everywhere, not just at KFC. KFC is just one of those places.
Thank you for your kind note. I do not think Christmas in Japan is all about KFC - it was just a quick reference in an otherwise long sentence. Thank you for your correction though.
Burcu, I cannot tell you how brilliant this is, in spite of your humble attempts at downplaying its originality (or something). And the photos! Thank you, thank you! x
Japan is the only country we know and love where winter truly is the best time to visit. Bathing under a starlit sky in an outdoor onsen pool and so many other sybaritic pleasures beckon
This is stunning. I lived in Tokyo until I was four (partial, half-invented memories) and made one trip back as a kid. I'll need to set a future return during the fall.
What I love about this letter is how honestly it captures the psychology of travel in Japan — not the brochure version, but the lived cadence of a place whose seasons behave like characters in a novel.
Burcu writes the way long-term expats think: half in love, half exasperated, always studying the weather like it’s a mood ring for the entire country.
Her breakdown reminds you that Japan isn’t just a destination — it’s a climate choreography. Autumn is earned. Winter is clarity. Spring is a kind of mass emotional rehearsal. Summer is a trial of the flesh.
The real insight in her essay isn’t “here’s when to visit Japan,” but rather this:
where you go should depend on how your body and spirit can withstand change.
And maybe that’s why her overtourism take lands so well — not preachy, not territorial, just grounded in the simple truth that every traveler carries their own threshold. We don’t all meet the same country; we meet the same weather differently.
Hi Burcu! I am a bit late to this post as usual, as i wanted to read it on a slow pace, so waited for the best available time. :)
I had thought i would miss the fall colours since i will be in Japan in early december but i checked the map you shared, it seems i may see the fall colors in Wakayama in the first week of December, such a good news to me.
Also noted snowy Kyoto and Kanazawa for another trip. Thanks!
Beautiful photos!
And yeah, summer does suck… hehe. I’ve done a lot of my own photography over the summers until now… but I think summer is when I’m going to start taking breaks going forward 😬
Thank you James! I very much enjoyed all your matsuri photos during the summer - but my camera usually takes a long break all summer long unless I go to Hokkaido or Okinawa 😊
That’s a good idea 😆
Hoping to go to Hokkaido myself next summer! Need an escape from the Kanto heat haha
Highly recommended! Go as far north as you can :)
Thank you for all the beautiful photos.
Foreigners seem to think Christmas in Japan is all about KFC, but roast chicken and fried chicken are sold everywhere, not just at KFC. KFC is just one of those places.
Thank you for your kind note. I do not think Christmas in Japan is all about KFC - it was just a quick reference in an otherwise long sentence. Thank you for your correction though.
Lovely article and pictures.
One thing about spring is anyone with a pine / fir tree pollen allergy problem should either come well prepared or avoid it all together.
As always, thank you for your interest. I will add your remark as a footnote, if it is okay.
Burcu, I cannot tell you how brilliant this is, in spite of your humble attempts at downplaying its originality (or something). And the photos! Thank you, thank you! x
Valerie, thank you for your kindness and all the support!
Uniqlo is - next to oden and, especially, dashi-wari - my personal revelation about Japan.
Japan is the only country we know and love where winter truly is the best time to visit. Bathing under a starlit sky in an outdoor onsen pool and so many other sybaritic pleasures beckon
This is stunning. I lived in Tokyo until I was four (partial, half-invented memories) and made one trip back as a kid. I'll need to set a future return during the fall.
What I love about this letter is how honestly it captures the psychology of travel in Japan — not the brochure version, but the lived cadence of a place whose seasons behave like characters in a novel.
Burcu writes the way long-term expats think: half in love, half exasperated, always studying the weather like it’s a mood ring for the entire country.
Her breakdown reminds you that Japan isn’t just a destination — it’s a climate choreography. Autumn is earned. Winter is clarity. Spring is a kind of mass emotional rehearsal. Summer is a trial of the flesh.
The real insight in her essay isn’t “here’s when to visit Japan,” but rather this:
where you go should depend on how your body and spirit can withstand change.
And maybe that’s why her overtourism take lands so well — not preachy, not territorial, just grounded in the simple truth that every traveler carries their own threshold. We don’t all meet the same country; we meet the same weather differently.
Japan rewards the ones who know when to go —
and forgives the ones who don’t.
Hi Burcu! I am a bit late to this post as usual, as i wanted to read it on a slow pace, so waited for the best available time. :)
I had thought i would miss the fall colours since i will be in Japan in early december but i checked the map you shared, it seems i may see the fall colors in Wakayama in the first week of December, such a good news to me.
Also noted snowy Kyoto and Kanazawa for another trip. Thanks!