Hi everyone!
I wanted to share a little update with those of you who have been following nihonchique over the years. If you’ve noticed that things have been a little quiet around here for the past few months, there’s a reason for that. As of September, I’ve officially moved my writing over to Substack!
For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that nihonchique has gone through quite a few changes over the years. What originally started as a blog documenting my study abroad experiences in Japan back in 2011 eventually became a place where I shared everything from Japanese entertainment and concert reports to my experiences working in Japanese companies and building a life abroad.
But as my life and interests have changed, so has what I want to write about. I’ve gradually realized that a traditional WordPress blog no longer feels like the best platform for what I want to write and express, which is what ultimately led me to make the move to Substack in September.
Why Substack?
I’ve been thinking about the future of nihonchique for the past year and a half or so. I even touched on this in my post from April 2025, when I talked about wanting to come back to writing more frequently.
I’ve always loved my blog and wanted to do more with it, but somewhere along the way, maintaining a traditional blog started to feel a little restrictive. I found myself wanting to share more personal reflections and everyday thoughts without feeling like everything needed to be turned into a fully structured blog post or have some kind of “how to do this in Japan” angle. I also wanted more of a community around my writing and a place where my thoughts could reach people beyond those specifically looking for information about Japan.
Substack feels like a better fit for where I am now and what I want to express. It gives me the opportunity to publish longer essays while also sharing shorter thoughts through Substack Notes, interacting with other writers, and hopefully connecting with more people who enjoy the same kinds of conversations.
It’s also given me a renewed motivation to write regularly, something I’ve struggled to maintain consistently with this blog over the years.
So, what’s changing?
In many ways, not that much! I’m still writing under nihonchique, and Japan will continue to be a big part of what I share. After all, I’ve spent a significant portion of my life here, and those experiences have shaped who I am today.
But as I’ve gotten older, my interests and perspectives have naturally changed. I want to write not just about living in Japan, but about everything that comes with building a life and growing older. That includes work, identity, hobbies, fashion, books, travel, and the things I’ve learned (or am still figuring out) along the way.
Japan is still the backdrop to much of my life, but I don’t want it to be the only thing that defines my writing.
I’ve already started publishing weekly on Substack, including personal essays about life abroad, changes in my relationship with fandom, and reflections on some of my experiences over the years. I’m hoping to continue that rhythm and explore plenty of other topics along the way.
What happens to this blog?
This website isn’t going anywhere just yet! I’m still very much in the process of transitioning, so I’ll be keeping nihonchique.com online for the time being. However, all new posts will be published on Substack moving forward.
At some point next year, I may decide to move the nihonchique.com domain over to Substack as well, but I haven’t made any final decisions about the timing or what that transition will look like. For now, the existing blog will remain available, and I’ll figure out the rest as I go!
If you’ve been subscribed to this blog or occasionally come back to check for new posts, I’d love for you to join me over there. You can subscribe to receive my latest posts directly in your email inbox, or simply visit Substack whenever you feel like catching up.
And if you’re wondering whether my move to Substack means my writing will be going behind a paywall, don’t worry! My Substack is currently completely free, and I intend to keep it that way for my regular posts. I may introduce an optional paid subscription in the future as nihonchique grows, but my usual essays and posts will always remain free to read. One of the reasons I made this move was to share my thoughts with a wider audience and connect with more people, and I don’t want that to change, even if I eventually decide to offer additional content for paid subscribers.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has followed this blog, whether you discovered it recently or somehow remember my posts from over a decade ago. It’s a little surreal to think about how much my life has changed since I first started writing here, and I’m grateful that people have continued to read along the way.
I hope to see you over on Substack for this next chapter of nihonchique!
Lauren
