Florentyna Leow

Introduction

Florentyna Leow is a writer, translator, and private tour guide. Originally from Malaysia, she spent her university years in London before moving to Japan in 2015. She is based in Tokyo and Kamakura. She is a stickler for meticulous research when it comes to writing. Most of her time is spent thinking about food, creativity, and the state of the world. 

Since 2022, she has been the Editorial Director of sankaku, an independent print publication celebrating people and craft. Her first essay collection/memoir, How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart, was published in 2023. 

Experience

Florentyna has spent over a decade in the Japan travel industry in various capacities — tour planner, private tour guide, travel writer, content creator, social media copywriter, translator for travel-related government projects, and more — with a special focus on luxury and off-the-beaten-path travel. Her work has taken her all over Japan, from the craggy mountains of Hokkaido to the hot springs of Oita. 

Her writing has appeared in a wide variety of magazines, newspapers, and websites. These include: BBC Storyworks, Urchin’s Home, Gastro Obscura, Culinary Backstreets, FARE Magazine, cheese, Japan Times, SBS Food, TripAdvisor, Time Out Tokyo, Lucky Peach, WILD Magazine, Roads & Kingdoms. 

In general, her preference is for longer pieces that enables her to explore a subject or story with the depth and nuance it deserves. 

Selected publications

Books: How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart (author), sankaku vol. 2 and vol. 3 (editor and contributor), Lonely Planet Experience Tokyo (contributor).

Education

Florentyna has a BA in Japanese from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, which included a strong secondary focus on Edo period art history.