Overview of the Extra Content

Periodically updated index listing the posts behind the paywall in a categorical manner.

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Tokyo - December 2025.

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Good morning,

This is Burcu from Letters from Japan. Thank you for your interest in my Japan-travel-focused newsletter.

Below is a quick overview of the subscription plans and a breakdown of the extra posts available to monthly and annual subscribers, in addition to the monthly letters that are open to everyone.

As explained on the subscription page, the newsletter includes one monthly letter, featuring travel stories and destinations from Japan, available to all subscribers, free or paid.

In addition, monthly and annual paid subscribers receive one extra monthly post, typically more itinerary-focused (such as a four-day autumn-colors trip to Aomori).

Annual subscribers also have access to a personal Zoom call to discuss their Japan travel plans, or, if preferred, a series of email exchanges.

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Overview of the Paid Content

This page offers an overview of the paid content, organized by category, and is updated periodically as the archive grows. For convenience, you can also access the full archive on my website, where all subscriber-only posts are organized by category (including the five-part Kyoto Trail series): Letters from Japan: Resource Page. The idea is simply to make browsing easier, especially if you’re planning a trip to Japan. For example, Substack requires multi-day travel diaries to be published as separate posts, whereas on the website, you can read them as single, complete entries with a table of contents.

The resource page itself is public, and the individual posts become accessible with the subscriber password (sent automatically upon joining), after a short preview section.

Below is a categorical overview of the archive, with links to both the website and Substack versions.

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Travel diaries - as single posts, with a table of contents

Since the travel diaries are posted on Substack as separate entries—sometimes up to eight, as in the Walking Goto Islands series—they can be challenging to review for trip planning. You can review them as a single post on the webpage (complete with a table of contents) or as separate posts on Substack.

So far, there are four sets of travel diaries available as single posts:

Winter Trip to Hokkaido + Substack link (January 2025)

Hiking the Kyoto Trail + Substack link (November 2024)

Walking Goto Islands + Substack link (March 2024)

The pages are mobile-friendly, but if you have the option, the desktop version on the website is custom-designed to make these lengthy diaries easier to read. While I will continue posting the travel diary series on Substack, once completed, they will also be continually added to the website as a single post.

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Destination Itineraries

These are itinerary-focused posts, offering suggestions for planning a day or multi-day trip, depending on the destination.

One Fine Autumn Day in Tokyo + Substack link (December 2025)

Onsen Hopping Through Tohoku: Four Nights, Four Hot Springs + Substack Link (November 2025)

Tokyo Eateries: the Non-Gourmet Version + Substack link (October 2025)

Fall Colors Trip to Aomori + Substack link (August 2025)

One Fine Day in Kanazawa + Substack link (July 2025)

Biking the Shimanami Kaido in Two Days + Substack link (June 2025)

One Fine Autumn Day in Kyoto + Substack link (September 2024)

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Japan Trip Planning Series

These are logistics-heavy posts, independent of destination, aiming to bring a bit of clarity to Japan trip planning, which often feels unnecessarily confusing (even to me, despite living here).

Japan Trip Planning Q&A: Transportation + Susbtack link (February 2025)

Japan Trip Planning Q&A: Accommodation + Substack link (March 2025)

Japan Trip Planning Q&A: Miscellaneous + Substack link (April 2025)

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Whenever I publish on Substack, I also upload the same content to my website (for the security of hosting it myself), and you can find the paid-subscriber posts appear on the relevant page just a few hours after they’re emailed. I hope you find this feature helpful and that it makes browsing the content a bit easier. The page also displays, at the bottom, all the monthly letters available to all subscribers, regardless of their subscription plan, in chronological order.

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Before I go, one more thing (as it always seems to be the case with my e-mails). It has now been a year since I launched the paid option for my newsletter. While I had previously engaged in paid travel writing and photography work for magazines, websites, and tourism offices, this was the first time I had a direct payment relationship with the content’s ultimate audience, and I’m tremendously grateful to all of you who subscribed to a paid plan, especially in this first year, for giving me the courage to continue. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Until next time,

Burcu