To the grown-up me, trapped by rules.

As we grow up, we start following all kinds of rules just to fit into society.

But when it comes to zines, there are no set rules. It can take any shape, cover any topic. You can make it however you want.
Yet, because we've been conditioned to follow the rules, being told we can "do whatever we want" leaves us feeling confused.

When we were kids, we didn’t care about rules—we’d draw on white walls with pens and follow our curiosity wherever it led us.
Making a zine is all about tapping back into that creativity we had as kids.

This time, I'm sharing a unique zine that shows even something like this can be called a zine.

Table of Contents

• 🚀 The zines were letters from strangers.

• 💐 It was an experience only possible through the …

🚀 The zines were letters from strangers.

Zines don’t have to be in book form. Anything printed can be a zine, and this one reminded me of that.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon these letters at a bookstore that sells zines. The envelopes were sealed, so I couldn’t see what was inside. Intriguing phrases like “A letter from a Polaroid camera,” “Resignation letter,” “A letter from Tuesday,” and “A letter from the nose” were written on the outside.

Each one was 150 yen, about 1 USD, so picking up a few wasn’t a big deal.

I just had to know what was inside, so I bought all the ones that caught my attention.

💐 It was an experience only possible through the format of a letter.

When I got home, I carefully tore open the envelopes, making sure not to accidentally tear the letters inside.

In the “Letter from a Polaroid Camera,” it started with the sounds of the camera: “click, whirr, pop” as it took a photo and printed it out.
The letter continued from the perspective of the Polaroid camera, starting with, “It’s been a while, how have you been?”

Yes, these were short stories in the form of letters—and they were zines.

These letters offered an experience that was different from a typical novel or zine. The act of opening an envelope itself was thrilling. Once you tore it open, you couldn’t go back, and the mystery of not knowing who the letter was from added to the excitement.

In today’s digital age, where communication rarely takes the form of letters, the physical presence of these letters held its own unique value.

If it’s just about delivering information, digital formats work just fine. Even a novel can reach more readers online.

But how you choose to deliver something depends on what you value. In the case of these letter zines, it wasn’t just the words or data of a story that mattered—it was the tactile experience of receiving a physical letter.

This letter zine is titled “BOOKSOUNDS: A Letter from Someone.” It seems to only be available in Japan, but you can purchase it online for just 165 yen. If you’re interested, definitely check it out!

That’s it for this week’s edition.

Thank you so much for reading all the way through!
I’m also planning to feature zines made by my subscribers, so if you’re working on a zine or have already made one, hit me up on Instagram!

See you again next time!