Behind the Scenes

Thank you for visiting my website. 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, and currently based in Tokyo, Japan.

While the ongoing political situation in my native country 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.

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 45 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 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 longer periods. 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 primarily with Asian governments and development banks to develop legal frameworks that encourage a broader pool of investors to finance social infrastructure projects. I also get to teach one law-related class at a Graduate School on Saturday mornings. 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. Surprisingly, there have also been a few occasions when Turkish came in handy.

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

Website: Letters from Asia

I have been regularly posting travel articles and photos on this website since 2013. It was first titled, very uncreatively, burcubasar.com, before becoming bizarrejourneys.com, following the early-2010s blog-era vibe. The current name, Letters from Asia, is here to stay, reflecting both where I live and where I am from.

Since I am based in Japan, my website regularly features travel destinations from Japan. In addition to travel stories like Walking Shikoku, or itinerary-building focused posts like Where to Visit in Japan (Other than Tokyo and Kyoto), you can also find trip logistics-related posts like Japan Travel Frequently Asked Questions, or the Japan Trip Planning Index, listing all logistics-related posts, including the best time to visit Japan, a guide to riding the Shinkansen, and many more.

While Japan is the main focus, I also write about nature destinations from all over the world. I recently visited Australia to hike the wonderful Great Ocean Walk trail and wrote about it on the website. Another Oceania-related series is about the three Great Walks of New Zealand – Routeburn, Kepler, and the iconic Milford.

I also run an annual travel poll both on the website and in the newsletter, more about that below. It is not the kind where I ask what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter or whether travel makes you a better person, but rather an excuse to reflect on our travel habits, and on the concept itself, a little lightly, or perhaps even a bit too seriously, in a way that somewhat mocks the whole thing. This is not a serious poll at all, as you’ll see right from the first question, where I offer you a trade to forgo a world-famous landmark. Here is the 2025 version: the Nonsensical Travel Poll.

Newsletter: Letters from Japan

In addition to the website, I have a newsletter.

Letters from Japan is published monthly on Substack and delivered directly to all subscribers via email. Living in Tokyo, I primarily write about my travels around Japan, with occasional posts from trips overseas when the opportunity arises. 

This is one of the recent editions, Reading Japan: From Hokkaido to Okinawa, offering a literary journey through Japan, from north to south, and presenting a selection of books to accompany your trip. In another recent edition – Okinawa, the Reluctant Paradise – I wrote about the Kerama Islands of Okinawa, my favorite small islands with dreamy waters and intriguing history. Another letter that starts in Okinawa is the Hiking Japan post, where I list my favorite hiking trails across the country, all the way from Iriomote Island in Okinawa to Rebun Island in Hokkaido.

Each new monthly Letter from Japan is free for all subscribers for one month after publication. Past editions then become part of the paid archive, where paid subscribers have unlimited access to the complete collection.

A paid subscription gives you unlimited access to the complete archive of monthly Letters from Japan, along with additional subscriber-only content in various categories, including Travel Diaries, the One Fine Day City Series, and Japan Trip Planning Q&A. And you can review the entire paid archive in this post, organized by category: Paid Archive Overview.

The most recent posts in the paid category are a weekend trip to Shibu Onsen Village and Nagano`s snow monkeys, and a four-day onsen hopping trip to Tohoku during the fall foliage season.

There are also multiple post-travel diary series, including Hiking the Kyoto Trail, Winter Trip to Biei in Hokkaido, and Walking Goto Islands off the coast of Nagasaki.

The one-day city-focused series currently includes “One Fine Day in Kanazawa,” “One Fine Day in Nagasaki“, as well as “One Fine Autumn Day in Kyoto” and “One Fine Autumn Day in Tokyo,” posts that explore the cities’ fall foliage-viewing spots in diary-style posts. 

I also recently posted my (definitely) non-gourmet guide to Tokyo’s eateries, listing some of my favorites in the city.

Thank you for being here. It truly means a lot.

Burcu

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