Yikes, just heard thenews that Muji USA filed for bankruptcy:
Muji U.S.A Ltd., which is operated by Ryohin Keikaku Co., filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware, according to a filing. It listed assets and liabilities in the range of $50 million to $100 million, and estimated the number of creditors at 200 to 999.
Ryohin Keikaku said in a separate statement that Muji U.S.A. filed for bankruptcy due to shutdowns from the coronavirus. The company had been grappling with losses due to high rent and other costs, and was taking steps to improve sales and renegotiate rents before the pandemic hit, it said.
It is not clear from the article whether they’ll shut everything down and liquidate, or just reorganize and maybe close some stores. (Chapter 11 is a reorganization, but sometimes they end up having to liquidate later, at least from my understanding.) And if they close their physical US stores, I doubt they’d keep their US online store open either. The fact that they weren’t doing well even before the pandemic is not a good sign. The US stores were only 2.5% of the company’s global revenue, so I’m sure they’ll still be active elsewhere, even in Japan, they were hit hard by the pandemic this year.
If you’re a fan of Muji notebooks and pens and office supplies, you might want to stock up just in case!
Nolty has announced their line-up for 2021 Nolty planners that start in January. (They also sell various products that have an April start to coincide with Japan’s school year, but they don’t announce those until later.)
I’m going to start with the bad news. They are not going to be producing the Nolty Daily Book for 2021. It was introduced as a limited edition product celebrating Nolty’s 70th anniversary, and they decided not to add it to the ongoing lineup. I am seriously bummed out, as this diary was exactly what I’d been wanting for years: a fountain pen friendly page per day diary with squared pages, in a 3.5 x 5.5″ format. It is the ideal hybrid of the (poor quality, lined) Moleskine daily diary and the (perfect except for its 4 1/8 x 5 7/8″ size) Hobonichi techo. It seemed like the 2020 Daily Book sold out very quickly after Nolty announced it, so I assumed it would be a popular enough product to continue, but I guess I was wrong. I can only hope that they will get enough feedback from disappointed customers to change their mind.
As for the good news, they are continuing with their other big 70th anniversary product: the Nolty Memo Notebook, which is filled with squared pages with a 3.5mm grid. (The only aspect of it that makes it a dated diary is a one page yearly calendar at the beginning.) They came out with 10 colors for 2020, and it seems to have been a wildly successful product. For 2021 Nolty is producing it in 4 new colors, though the product numbers correspond to those used on 4 of last year’s colors. It seems like the strategy is to have a different color palette each year, which will increase the collectible appeal. I didn’t buy the memo notebook in 2020, but I’m planning to try at least one or two colors in 2021. The color choices are attractive: Charcoal, Mulberry (taupe), Snow (off-white) and Sakura (dusty pink). Maybe I’ll use a few of these as a daily diary replacement.
The Efficiency Notebook, of course, continues to be produced in several versions. It seems that they are offering it in black and red every year, but in 2020, the third color available was blue, which for 2021 Nolty has replaced with green under the corresponding product number. I might have to try one, it looks like a nice dark shade of green.
The “Gold” Efficiency Notebook with the black leather cover is still available and I think I will buy one again this year. I struggle with the price, which at Â¥5500 is over $50 USD, but I am always a sucker for a beautiful leather notebook.
SO… I think I’ll be ordering at least 5 2021 Nolty diaries. For me, the Efficiency Notebook in black leather and green plastic, as well as the Memo Notebook in Charcoal and Sakura. I’ll also be ordering a red Efficiency Notebook for a friend who has also become a Nolty convert after seeing mine!
You can download my spreadsheet of Nolty model numbers by year. It is by no means a full list of all 2021 Nolty products, but it captures the most popular Efficiency Notebook styles in both the 95 x 144mm and 85 x 130mm sizes. JMAM now seems to take orders by fax from the US and other areas outside Japan, but unfortunately not Europe. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for instructions and a downloadable order form in English. (For credit card security, they ask you to fax the order form, but I also saw on Instagram that you can email them at e-shop@jmam.co.jp, at least with inquiries.) Shipping will be about $27 to the US for up to 2 notebooks, or more for larger orders, but depending on what you are buying, it may be worth it compared to the markup when you order via Kinokuniya. (Kinokuniya’s US store pick-up price for the 2020 Efficiency Notebook Gold was $79 and I would expect it to be similar for 2021.) Rakuten Global Market was another source I ordered from in the past, but it is no longer available. I think I will try ordering from JMAM directly this year, if I can figure out how to send a fax to Japan!
I came across the photo below a couple of months ago, as part of an article about the coronavirus lockdowns and how they are causing people to do more writing by hand on paper. But what got me all excited was that it appeared to show a Smythson notebook with unlined pages. The photo caption said it was a Soho notebook in a color called turmeric. From the proportions vs. the hand holding it, I’d say the notebook is around my favorite 3.5 x 5.5″ size. I’ve always been quite fond of Smythson notebooks with their lovely blue paper and soft leather covers, but they are very expensive, and the paper is almost always lined, so I haven’t bought one other than an address book that I used in the mid-1990s. But I could get an unlined notebook like what appears to be shown below, I’d buy it!
Alas, I think it was all a terrible tease. Smythson does make a Soho notebook with blank pages (the paper looks white in photos, but the description says it is pale blue) but only in 5.5 x 7.5″ . And it’s $245!! They also make the Portobello notebook with pale blue unlined paper (it also looks white), which is 8.5 x 10″ and is $295. They also make a Portobello sketchbook: 8 x 10″ with white paper, $325. The 3.5 x 5.5″ Panama notebooks all have lined pale blue paper (only $75!). The slightly larger lined Chelsea notebook is 4.4 x 6.6″ and is $125.
I think the whole photo caption is just a mistake as the greenish color that seems to be shown below looks nothing like the bright yellow-orange of the actual “turmeric” Soho notebook. Which is actually on sale right now for only $112! But at least for now, I still won’t be buying any more Smythson notebooks, which is just as well for my budget!
From the article:
There’s an upside to lockdown. If our home habits are discernible from consumption, we’re turning into altogether nicer people. We’re writing more by hand and we’re writing more letters.
This is the finding of the upmarket stationers, Smythson, which does terrifically covetable writing paper, correspondence cards and notebooks. It’s seen an increase of over 80 per cent in stationery sales in April. The range of plain stationery is up by more than 200 per cent. Record books – for journals – are up by over 70 per cent; notebook orders have doubled and telephone and address books sales have increased by 355 per cent.
This week’s addict is a comics artist and ebook designer from Israel who has amassed quite a collection of sketchbooks and notebooks! Below are his photos and commentary:
01 Clairefontaine Zap Books – my go to sketchbooks since 2006, these are 320 page recycled paper books and they’re perfect for my pencil sketches.
02-03 Some comics sketches in my A4 size Zap Books
04 A nearly complete set of notebooks by “The photo house”, a shop in Tel Aviv that sells merchandise based on photography by Rudi Weissenstein (1910-1992), one of Israel’s most iconic photographers. Each notebook has a different photo from the first days of the state of Israel. I use these for writing scripts for a large webcomic projects – I already filled 8 of them.
05 More unique notebooks – Upper row on the left – two books by local publisher Nine Lives with the quote “Even if the sun ceased to exist, you would still have 8 minutes and 17 seconds to read a book”. Next to it is a custom notebook with a cover made out of a Hebrew font catalog.Bottom row – various handmade notebooks by local artists.
06 Original 1980s school notebooks I recently found at a local stationery store – for some reason they had a large crate full of these and sold 10 notebooks for 5 Shekels (around $1.40). I used to write on these back in elementary school so it was a nice surprise.The text on the notebooks says “We all say thanks, please and excuse me” and “Look before you cross the road”.
07 Some limited edition Moleskins (They are hard to find in Israel, so I buy one every time I go on a trip abroad). I also have the Game boy limited edition but forgot to put it in the photo.
08 MUJI notebooks bought during various trips and used mostly for daily sketch projects in 2011 and 2017.
I love how Hagay’s collection incorporates multiples of certain favorite brands, but the best part is that many of them are unique to Israel, giving the collection a local character. Cool comics, too! Many thanks to Hagay for sharing his addiction!
In Japan, these notebooks are referred to as system organizers, system binders, or mini 6-ring notebooks. (Other sizes are available, mostly larger, but also the tiny “micro” notebooks with only 5 rings.) One of the problems I’ve often had with pocket size binders is that the shape is too squared because the design has to accommodate the rings and cover overhang, especially when allowing for tabbed dividers such as many people use in Filofaxes. What I love about this size binder, which I haven’t seen generally available other than from Japan, is that it is a slim size that holds 3 x 5″ paper with very little overhang. The exterior dimensions are approximately 3 7/16 x 5 5/16 x 9/16″. (I have seen this size referred to as B7, but as usual with these letter sizes, that is not exact!) As you can see in the photos, it is just a bit smaller than a pocket Moleskine.
The DaVinci notebook comes very nicely packaged in a lightweight cardboard box, with the DaVinci logo and the slogan “simple and functional.” The side of the box reads “DaVinci System Binder,” and on the back there is a barcode sticker and the Raymay logo. When you remove the notebook, it has a plastic cover around it– rather than a shrinkwrap or envelope, it is made like a notebook cover so you can open the notebook without removing the wrap. A paper band has some info in Japanese, as well as the DaVinci and Raymay branding. Cards in the pockets have additional info in Japanese.
The DaVinci binder is made of a good quality leather. It has a pleasant leather smell and a lovely texture. I’m sure it will soften and age nicely. It is beautifully made, with tidy stitching and neatly folded seams and corners. Inside the front cover there is a pocket with a business card slot. Note the cloth lining and leather reinforcement under the rings. The back cover has another full length pocket. The notebook comes with a pen loop on the back cover. This was a big negative to me, as I never attach a pen that way and found that the loop made the notebook close unevenly. I decided to do a bit of surgery and cut it out. I wasn’t able to remove the loop completely and the remains are a bit messy looking but to me it is still preferable to having the loop. I suppose I should have found someone who could unstitch and resew the edge of the cover to remove the loop properly, but I’m still too scarred by my last experience trying to explain myself to a tailor!
The rings feel solid and operate smoothly, with the usual mechanism of a button at each end that you push to pop the rings open. The 6 rings are in a standard spacing so regular 3 x 5″ looseleaf paper will fit, or if you have a compatible hole puncher you can make your own inserts. Sadly, pocket Filofax inserts will NOT fit, as they are designed for a wider shape. The diameter of the rings is 8mm, or about 5/16″, so if you really fill the notebook with paper, it can be hard to get a good grip on the rings to push them closed.
The Davinci notebook comes with a plastic ruler/bookmark, and a set of inserts, including several layouts such as an undated monthly calendar, check list, and plain lined pages. A couple of pages at the end act as a catalog of other DaVinci/Raymay inserts and accessories. (Some of their inserts are sold at JetPens. Kinokuniya bookstores may also have them.) The paper reminded me of the creamy, smooth paper found in Nolty notebooks but it is NOT fountain pen friendly, surprisingly. This was a disappointment, as so many Japanese notebooks have great paper, but I hadn’t intended to use the inserts anyway.
I happen to have bought some vintage looseleaf paper in the standard 3×5″ size and it fits this DaVinci notebook just fine. I was thrilled to find paper that is not only unlined but has cool red edges. I think it looks great in this notebook! The paper is not acid free, but it is actually much more fountain pen friendly than I expected.
I love this little binder. It is so sleek and pocketable, and the quality leather takes its sensory pleasures up a notch. I haven’t yet decided how to use it– despite my original inspiration being the sketch binder with palette, I don’t think I’ll use this for sketching. I always think refillable notebooks should lend themselves to long-term list making or planner use, but I have settled into other systems in Nolty diaries or Moleskine-type notebooks for those purposes. So we’ll see.
I paid about $43 for this Davinci notebook several months ago. The July 2020 price on Amazon is $78, which may be higher due to COVID-19 issues. (These can be hard to even search for on Amazon but try “Reimeifujii organizer” and you’ll see other listings in different sizes and colors. I also have some listed in the “Refillable Notebooks” section of my Amazon storefront.) It’s not cheap, but that included shipping from Japan. For the quality of the leather and what I’d expect to be a long lifespan, $43 seems reasonable, but $78 starts to feel a little pricey, at least for my purposes. Or lack of purpose! But I’ve spent close to or maybe more than $78 on a Filofax, and even on a leather notebook that wasn’t refillable, I have to admit. Fortunately, less expensive options of this style of Japanese looseleaf notebook are also available, and I’ll be reviewing another one of them someday soon! [UPDATE September 2022: the price on Amazon is now about $45.]
There was an article recently in the NY Times about all the plants abandoned in shut-down offices, and the people who are still taking care of them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The photos accompanying the article included the one below of one of the indoor horticulturalists’ notebooks:
I feel sure that I’ve seen this notebook somewhere before– it’s quite unusual, with that tall, thin shape, and the larger than usual graph lines (unless this gardener has really tiny hands). It’s hard to tell, but the graph lines look like they might be a lavender color, or maybe they’re really just grey. My first guess was that it came from Write Notepads, but although they have top-opening wire-o bound notebooks, they are a different shape, with more rings. So, dear readers, can any of you identify this notebook???
I enjoyed this article from Nature by microbiology PhD student Adeline Williams. As a scientist, she keeps lab notebooks in both digital and paper form, and she also keeps a personal journal. She has some great observations about these different forms of journaling and their benefits.
Since my school days, long before I started working on a microbiology PhD at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, I have kept a handwritten journal to log my thoughts and feelings as a means of self-expression. My journal helps me to piece together disjointed everyday experiences so that I can ultimately reflect and learn more about myself and the world. This habit has inspired me to maintain a scientific notebook for each project I work on. The notebooks stay behind in the laboratories I’ve worked at, for others to consult. I have found a handwritten scientific notebook, annotated with detailed observations, to be irreplaceable. Looking back to when I was an aspiring scientist and writer, I now realize that keeping two journals, one at home and one in the lab, has taught me to observe the natural world and record my thoughts in an organized manner, often through small but persistent bouts of writing.
In 2017, Spanish artist Alicia Aradilla decided to embrace a nomadic lifestyle and travel the world. Instead of keeping a diary of her journeys, however, Aradilla began documenting the architecture, nature, and other memorable sites she saw—and continues to experience—in sketchbooks.
Extraordinary notebooks from the Terra Nova Antarctic expedition of 1911 are available for study and research for the first time.
They are an important record of the natural history of Antarctica, an area now facing grave threats. However, they are best known for their infamous passages describing the penguin sexual behaviours.
The Natural History Museum in London has acquired notebooks from an Antarctic exhibition which contain some racy bits about the sex lives of penguins. Dr George Murray Levick, the ship’s surgeon who filled these notebooks with his observations, used the Greek alphabet to encode all the racy bits!
