Here’s something actually kind of interesting for a change! The late, great Moleskinerie website has been dormant since 2016, but its Japanese counterpart, Moleskinerie.jp, is still quite active. I noticed this recent article about new products being introduced at a Moleskine pop-up shop at Shibuya Loft. Moleskine Expanded Notebook Most exciting to me was the … Continue reading Moleskine Monday: Interesting News from Japan About New Products for Spring 2019→
As regular readers know, I am a big fan of the Nolty Diary. Also known as the “Efficiency Notebook,” this Japanese planner has deservedly become a cult favorite, with Instagram posts galore showing off how people use their Nolty diaries. After very happily using a Nolty diary all through 2018, I decided to spring for … Continue reading Review: Nolty Gold 2019 Diary/Planner→
I bought this adorable little notebook from JetPens. Although “etranger” is a French word, “di” is an Italian word, and Costa Rica is in Latin America, the company is Japanese. I guess it’s just that enjoyment of slightly absurd foreign phrases that you sometimes see on Japanese products, as there is also French text on … Continue reading Review: Etranger di Costa Rica Notebook→
I’ve been using my Nolty diary regularly and loving it. It’s a great size, has nice fountain pen friendly paper, and the design is cool in a classic, retro, business-y kind of way. I don’t understand Japanese, so I’m missing some of the benefits of the maps and info in the back, but that doesn’t … Continue reading My Growing Love for the Nolty Diary→
Here’s another Japanese shop that makes customized notebooks to order: Kakimori is the brainchild of owner Hirose Takuma, who opened the shop in 2010 as a place for writing fanatics. He stocks the store’s shelves with an impressive lineup of fountain pens and other items carefully chosen from leading Japanese and overseas stationery brands, winning … Continue reading Made-to-Order Notebooks at Kakimori in Tokyo→
Maybe this technically isn’t a notebook? But to me, if you cover your textbook in this many notes, it has basically become a notebook. This one belongs to a Japanese student who aced a world history exam by studying from these annotations. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Because if you know everything, you don’t have to worry … Continue reading Extreme Note-Taking!→
A very interesting article about the history of the iconic Tsubame notebook, created by Watanabe Hatsusaburō. In the heady days of the early postwar era, Watanabe Hatsusaburō, founder of the Tokyo-based stationery maker Tsubame, had one thing in mind: to make a high quality, inexpensive notebook. In 1947 he launched the Tsubame nōto, a simply … Continue reading The History of Japan’s Tsubame Notebook→
If, like me, you are dying to go to Japan to explore its stationery stores, you will enjoy the vicarious journey provided by this article and its luscious photographs. Enjoy! Source: Japan: Paradise for Stationery Lovers Save Save
Fancy a visit to the paper concierge? “Attention paper sophisticates: Ito-Ya, the legendary 111-year old Japanese stationery mecca will make your dreams come true. On the fourth level of their newly renovated 12-story emporium in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, a counter called “Note Couture†is dedicated to creating the perfect writing pad, on the spot.For … Continue reading Custom Notebooks at Ito-Ya→
A tantalizing glimpse of some Japanese notebooks dating back to World War II: “Long-forgotten documents on Japan’s attempt to build an atomic bomb during World War II have been discovered at Kyoto University, which experts say further confirms the secret program’s existence and could reveal the level of the research. The newly found items, dating … Continue reading WWII Japanese Notebooks→
Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…
