Japan: Stationary Heaven (Part 2/2)

This is the second and final post (for the time being) about Japanese stationary. Here is part 1 and I hope, you will enjoy reading!

Pens

Japanese pens are, simply put, a dream. I especially love gel pens. I got two favorites: The Juice up pens from PILOT, which I own in a 10 pack with standard colors, a 6 pack solely with metallics and the loveliest 6 pack with pastels! The pastels are beautiful and unique: If you can only get one set of gel pens, I highly recommend these pastel colored ones! I got them from Tokyu Hands.

Furthermore I love my UNI Style Fit 5 color gel pen, which has a special Little Twin Stars collaboration cover. The colors I chose are their prettiest pinks, violets and a luscious grass green. The quality is outstanding and I love how smooth these pens basically glide on their own. Another great product are FRIXION pens, which some of you might already know. I love my three color pen, which has a black, blue and red color. Their speciality is that their ink can be erased with the plastic on top of the pen. A nice addition is that the casing of these pens comes in different colors. Of course I chose turquoise! Pentel ENERGEL Liquid Gel Ink pens are also a successful Japanese import, meaning that even I can get them in stores here in the middle of Europe. They are amazing and I can only recommend them. Still, I can save up to a third, if I buy them directly in Japan. Another pen I love and that comes with three colors (black, red and blue) is from JETSTREAM. They are nice, when you need super precise fine lines! Dr. Grip, here in a KIKI’s Delivery Service version, has lots of collaborations with character goods. It gets its name from its thick rubber band that goes all around the pen to prevent your hand from getting stiff or hurting. My last pen is probably my most expensive one (about 2000 Yen, if I remember correctly) from Tombow JAPAN. This pen writes such delicate lines that you have to be very aware of your hand motions, since it notices basically verything and is therefore not very forgiving. It is a pen that is best used for your finest handwriting and not for your spontaneous ideas!

Mechanical Pencils

The mechanical pencils I want to show you, each have their own practical advancement. The first one is a PENTEL ORENZ in a special One Piece edition with Tony Tony Chopper on it. It is special because its lead is always protected by a metal sleeve, which prevents it from breaking. The second pencil is a UNI KUROTOGA and is another special edition, this time with One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy! Everytime, when you lift the pencil off your writing surface, it will slightly turn to keep the lead sharp. You will never have to write with a blunt lead again. 😉 The last one is a pencil from ZEBRA DelGuard, who has a metal sleeve popping out and protecting the lead, when the writer is using too much pressure. It also has a hidden eraser inside it, which will reveal itself, when you hold the mechanical pencil upside down. Who knew that mechanical pencils could be fun?!

Erasers

Erasers are the one thing, where there is an abundance in Japan in all shapes and sizes, but I could resist for the most part. There is the kind of erasers, which are mostly collector’s items-like my two Sumikko Gurashi erasers, which came in blind boxes-and those are the kind I try to avoid at all costs. Let’s be honest: There is absolutely no chance that I would ever use them! I was so lucky to get Shirokuma and I do not want to get him dirty! >< If you are familiar with my blog, you will know that I already collect enough…no need to add another category. 😉 On the other hand, there are simple erasers for 50 or 100 Yen, which are just so good because they are so tidy to work with! If you have children that still need erasers at school or if you like to write, draw or sketch a lot, it is a highly recommended purchase!

Schedule Books

Schedule books in Japan are such an adventure! You can basically find anything from Sailor Moon, Blythe, Barbie, Star Wars, Disney-, SAN-X and Sanrio-characters! Of course, there are also more luxurious choices, but most of them are very affordable and very detailed. Unfortunately I only got a schedule for a friend of mine last year and forgot to buy one for myself. That’s why I am looking forward to the schedule selection even more this year. Hopefully there is going to be another Sailor Moon one with illustrations from the original anime. 😀 It will forever be my favorite and please check out the amazing notebook section in the back of my 2015 version! You can basically write your own manga. 😉 Blythe stationary is not that easy to be found, but last year they had a nice selection of stationary in Kiddyland in Harajuku and in Akihabara’s Radio Kaikan building. Maybe I will get the one with Garden of Joy on the cover!

Letter Sets

In 2016 I spent a lot of time looking at letter sets. I really love writing letters, but rarely get the chance to do so. I limited myself to four sets. One is from last year’s Sailor Moon Crystal stationary collection, but the other three are beautiful and sweet findings from MIND WAVE INC., whose products are sold in LOFT (I am also a big fan of their sticker designs). Aren’t those envelopes the cutest you have ever seen?! 😀 They are mostly in the prettiest metallic creamy color and only feature one animal, which literally wishes you good luck, at the front. The same bunny/teddy bear/kitty will also be at the very end of each letter page. The big surprise lies in the inside of the envelopes, when you are greeted with lots of cuties! Also typically for Japanese letter sets, are the complimentary stickers, which are used to seal letters, since self-seal envelopes are uncommon in Japan.

Washi Tapes

Washi tapes are nothing new, since their popularity rose so much that you can get them now in stores around the world without problems. Still, nothing beats the outstandingly large selection of Tokyu Hands and other big stationary departments, when it comes to washi tapes. Every type of color, different finishes, sizes and of course designs. If you even want more affordable choices, you can have a look in dollar chain stores like Daiso.

This is all for now and I hope that you enjoyed my rough overview of amazing Japanese stationary! I will definitely share new acquisitions from this year’s holiday in Japan in a few weeks. Please look forward to it! 🙂

Thank you so much for reading!

Theri