September Open Thread and six month mini-update
A general check-in and update
This post serves as a mini-update for everyone on what has been happening with us at Hidden Japan, as well as provide a place for paid subscribers to ask and request topics.
Update 1: 500 readers
I’m excited to share that Hidden Japan has reached a new round number of 500 subscribers! Even though it’s a little corny, I want to thank all my subscribers for following my journey. This an amazing feeling that so many people have been positive and enjoying the work. I promise there will be more exciting posts to come!
To thank all my readers, I have set up a special milestone premium option that will provide a discount for signing up during this celebratory period!
Update 2: Australia
We were recently in Australia and visited Cairns as well as Sydney. We were so fortunate to experience the Women’s World Cup and even attended the final! While we were able to see Australia’s Matildas play, we were not in the right cities to see the beloved Nadeshiko play. We thought they would win but maybe they still hold the “moral victory World Cup”? I mean, they beat the current champions 4-0 in the tournament!
I loved our travel to Cairns and being able to share a flavour of the Japanese influence in this tropical Queensland city. For premium subscribers, I want to also provide some specific local details on our trip in case you were interested in recreating parts of our adventure. This will come in the form of a premium only post later this month, and locations will be updated into the recommendations glossary also!
While no Sydney itinerary is planned (being a hometown), if premium readers want to hear more of what life is like in Sydney, please let me know.
Update 3: Phuket/Oahu
We’ve been very fortunate this period to have had lots of travel! So much, that we also have a trip to Phuket in the works. This will not affect scheduled posts, but may mean I am slower at responding to questions. It also means that I will look to explore Phuket through a Hidden Japan lens.
There is also a planned trip this year for us to spend time in Hawaii! Given the rich connection with Japan, I would like to use this as an inspiration for another enclave post. If other ideas spring to mind, they may also be included.
Given our recent travelling, I have some thoughts on how to structure posts on “foreign” locations. At this stage for any trips outside of Japan, I would love to share at least one public post detailing how the location relates to Japan directly.
I also am hoping to provide separate premium posts that showcase in-depth exploration into our trip and itinerary. These premium posts will be focused on the broader location, and not necessarily delve into the Japanese angle.
Open Thread
Thanks for sharing your comments and ideas with me for future topics! Even if I haven’t yet written the topic (e.g. baseball, izakaya, sushi), I am planning these posts. As promised, premium subscribers can comment on this thread for any further suggestions on posts, feedback, and even travel plans!