Letters from Japan: One Year Substack Anniversary

Letters from Japan, September 2024: the long-overdue introduction post.

Good morning,

Welcome to my long-overdue introduction post, disguised as a one-year Substack anniversary update or the September edition of Letters from Japan.¹

Exactly a year ago, I moved my newsletter to Substack. Back then, I had around 250 subscribers—mostly family, friends, acquaintances, and, I suspect, a fair number of bot accounts. Thanks to Substack's network effect and the inspiration I found here for consistency, Letters from Japan has gained over 1,000 subscribers in the past year—modest growth compared to many wonderful newsletters here but a significant leap for my blog/newsletter.

In addition to maintaining some consistency in posting, I have to admit, a little sheepishly, that I also tapped into the potential of Notes to grow the audience, as the format seems advantageous for newsletters like mine—travel content supported by imagery. I started using Notes for posts I used to craft for Instagram: photo carousels with a one-paragraph caption about a destination or recent trip. After a long period of hesitation and checking in with myself to make sure that even if no one signed up, I wouldn’t feel discouraged, I also turned on the paid subscriptions last month. While I've added new features for paid subscribers, the main premise of this newsletter—monthly letters—remains free (more on that below).

My first post on Substack came during that brief euphoric phase many Tokyo and Japan residents can relate to—late September/early October, when the excruciating summer humidity finally leaves the town, and we can turn off the air conditioners and sleep with the windows open. And here we are again—having survived another summer in Japan and made it to the other side. And better late than never—this is the introduction post I skipped in my first letter a year ago. It's a bit about who I am, how I ended up in Japan, what this newsletter is about, and how it's structured.

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I am Burcu

I was the first foreign guest at Hostel Kochi no Ya in Shikoku Island in March 2021.

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 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 country, 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 Continents Meet.

Haghia Sophia in Istanbul was originally built as a church during the Byzantine Empire and then converted to a mosque by the Ottoman Empire. In 1934, 11 years after the foundation of the Turkish Republic, it became a museum. In 2020, the Turkish Government adopted the highly criticized decision to remove the museum status and convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

My first long-term opportunity for meaningful and lasting connections with other cultures came at age 16 when I spent a year in the USA as an exchange student, living with a wonderful family near Chicago (also a wonderful city). When I took my first solo trip abroad at age 20 (I am 43 now), I knew I was hooked on solo travel for life.

In addition to Japan, I’m drawn to regions with dramatic landscapes, like Norway and New Zealand. As for cities, I’m unashamed of my undying love for Paris, which I still find to be the most spectacular city in the world. My current permanent base is Tokyo, Japan—a city and a country that offer an almost impossibly perfect blend of tradition and modernity.

Lofoten Islands, Norway - September 2009. One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been.

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. Eventually, I moved to Japan, feeling that—having previously traveled to the country five times—the rhythm of daily life would perfectly fit my lifestyle, where mundane things and comforts are more important than constant thrill.

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 to finance 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. My Japanese is still terrible, and luckily, English is more important for my work, and there have also been surprisingly few occasions when Turkish came in handy.

Laos, November 2022 - a magical country that I get to visit fairly often for work.

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

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The website

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

Kyoto at night, August 2012.

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. 

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Letters from Japan

My newsletter—Letters from Japan—features 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 July 2024 edition, where I wrote about my trip to the northernmost point of Japan`s northernmost island—Hokkaido. 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.

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Tokashiki Island in Okinawa, September 2024

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As I mentioned in the previous edition of Letters from Japan, I recently also launched a paid subscription plan that offers some additional features. These new options do not affect the core purpose of this newsletter—monthly letters from Japan featuring travel writing—which will always remain free.

After ten years of blogging and publishing one or two new posts on my website each month, it didn’t feel right to place my non-essential travel writings behind a paywall. That would also make me sad (and definitely not rich)—connecting with people through my blog has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve found online. However, after working with Japan-focused publications on paid photography and itinerary-based travel writing assignments over the past few years, and given that I no longer have the opportunity for multi-day assignments due to my full-time job, I’ve been considering how to pursue more of that kind of work independently and what value I can offer to my subscribers. After months of hesitation and many discussions with friends, and still with a bit of embarrassment, I came up with the options detailed in the About section.

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So, this is my introductory post, albeit with a one-year delay. Regardless of whether you choose to become a subscriber, I’m happy to help with any Japan-related travel questions you may have. You can reach out in the comments section under the posts or email me directly. My reply rate so far is 100%! :)

As always, thank you for being here. It truly means a lot. I will be back next month with a post about the beloved fall colors season. But in the meantime, here is a recent post about my annual fall colors pilgrimage trips to Kyoto: One Fine Autumn Day in Kyoto.

Burcu

1. Admittedly, there have been a few too many posts here lately, particularly with the recent Okinawa diaries. However, with this September edition, we're returning to regular programming. So, no emails from me until the October edition of Letters from Japan, which will inevitably focus on the fall colors experiences in Japan.