This week's newsletter comes to you from aboard a Thameslink service bound for London Kings Cross. I’m back in Britain for a brief pause before setting off for Japan in just a few days.
A focused week has slipped by in an instant, spent preparing the inaugural Monograph edition of the newsletter. It reminds me that, no matter how carefully we clear our calendars, tasks unfurl to fill the space they are given.
Still, I never mean to leave you without a weekly newsletter. And so this week, I have three timely updates.
Tokyo Airspace
Travelling to Japan forms a sub-rhythm in my life, disrupting routine while, paradoxically, offering one of its own. With every long-haul flight, I’m returned to my first crossing from London to Tokyo, prompting reflection on what still holds true and what time has altered.
This week’s archive unlock returns to that flight. From there, we explore Tokyo’s two international airports—Haneda and Narita—through a historical lens. Haneda’s story is one of romantic evolution, shaped by wartime roles and post-war reinvention; Narita’s, by contrast, has a more recent and troubled genesis. Each offers distinct strategic and operational advantages, which we consider alongside a review of the airline carriers authorised to bring us to their respective gates.
City Sentinels
The first monthly Monograph went out to members earlier today. Within it: 5,300 carefully chosen words exploring a facet of the city I’ve long wanted to document: the ever-reliable vending machine, or jidō hanbaiki (自動販売機).
Titled City Sentinels, this letter examines vending machines from multiple vantage points, from the logistical frameworks that sustain them to the cinematic imagery that romanticises them.
As with any subject drawn from Tokyo’s landscape, each fact or observation invites the double-click to open up its underlying stories. Monographs are a space to lean into that instinct, examining the city’s signs, symbols, and systems in pursuit of meaning through detail, following every thread of curiosity as it appears.
A preview of the piece is now available on the website.
Field Notes
This upcoming trip will be deeply Tokyothèque-centric—the first time since departing Gatwick in 2010 that I return to the country with exploration and creativity as my primary aims.
To mark the beginning of this reinvigorated approach, I’ll be setting out on an urban expedition: walking the length of the JR Chūō Sōbu and Rapid Lines over the course of seven days.
This 85 km journey traces Tokyo’s longest railway axis, a gradient from mountain foothills to urban core, and onward to the bayside. I’ve never witnessed these contours uninterrupted, without the filter of mass transit. This time, I’ll bring them to you live.
The walk will take the form of Field Notes, a time-sensitive travel series in which each volume has a distinct theme or objective. The writing is likely to arrive less polished, offering a spontaneous and personal window into how I travel through Tokyo. Expect details and observations unlikely to appear in the main editions.
If you’re reading for free, you will receive a digest in the usual Saturday newsletter. Members can follow the full seven day journey via a daily dispatch for each leg of the walk. If this sounds like your rhythm, membership is available via the link below.
Existing Members: to receive Field Notes, visit your account settings, click on "Manage" under "Emails" and opt in. I won't send emails at a daily cadence without your consent.
Until we meet somewhere along the Chūō Line,
AJ