Nakaya Desk Pen Video Review

[Earthdawn]

This is a review of the Nakaya Desk Pen in Aka-Tamenuri with a Medium-soft nib.

 

FYI I was not sure so I did not say in the video, but confirmed today the feed is indeed plastic.

 

 

 

What a pen!

Edited April 2, 2013 by Earthdawn

[ethernautrix]

Watching now and I'm sure I'll enjoy the video, but where do people get the second syllable sound, key? It's NAH-KAH-YAH. All the same "ah" sound. Same with aka -- AH-KA, not AH-KEY. :-D

 

But, you know... I've been to Starbucks, even in neighborhoods where the baristas seem to be more familiar with the various languages spoken fluently in the San Francisco Bay Area, even when I say slowly, MEE-YAH-KOH, when they call my name, they still say, Bianca. Hahahaha.

 

I'm sure I butcher words, like Diamine, Rhodia, and Moleskine. So, yeah. But in case it helps, nah-kah-yah.

 

You're about to do the writing sample, so I'll stop here now.

 

 

Edit: RIGHT? How comfortable the Desk Pen is? It is AMAZING!

 

Yeah -- posting the Desk Pen throws the balance way off.

Edited April 2, 2013 by ethernautrix

[ethernautrix]

Great review! I like how you even weigh the pen. Nice job, ED!

[JonSzanto]

Watching now and I'm sure I'll enjoy the video, but where do people get the second syllable sound, key? It's NAH-KAH-YAH. All the same "ah" sound. Same with aka -- AH-KA, not AH-KEY. :-D

My theory is that everyone, courtesy of the cell phone, has got Nokia in their head. And then there is Frank C, with the insistence on accenting the last syllable (which I neither agree nor disagree with, since I have no clue).

Edited April 2, 2013 by JonSzanto

[ethernautrix]

Watching now and I'm sure I'll enjoy the video, but where do people get the second syllable sound, key? It's NAH-KAH-YAH. All the same "ah" sound. Same with aka -- AH-KA, not AH-KEY. :-D

My theory is that everyone, courtesy of the cell phone, has got Nokia in their head. And then there is Frank C, with the insistence on accenting the last syllable (which I neither agree nor disagree with, since I have no clue).

 

Actually, pronunciation is typically flat, no emphasis on the last syllable, certainly not on the second (which is where Americans (hi!) tend to put it).

 

I have completely given up trying to teach "kah-rah-oh-keh." I'll say "karaoke," then have to say "carry-okie" to be understood. Hahaha.

 

Disclaimer: I'm an American, not a Japanese.

[JonSzanto]

Disclaimer: I'm an American, not a Japanese.

Worse yet: I'm a drummer.

 

BTW, ED: I have to wait til tonight to watch the whole vid (just checked a couple spots) but I'm excited - that is almost the exact same pen I plan on getting some day!

[ethernautrix]

BTW, ED: I have to wait til tonight to watch the whole vid (just checked a couple spots) but I'm excited - that is almost the exact same pen I plan on getting some day!

 

The Desk Pen is AMAZING, Jon! Testify!

 

And the aka tamenuri is a gorgeous finish.

[Earthdawn]

Thanks for the comments... Glad it's being enjoyed.

 

My goal is always to try and give close ups of the pens. Especially in this case. If the light is right you can see there is so much detail going on with the urushi.

 

Now... Pronunciation lol.. Besides guessing sometimes I am from NY... Long Island. So my accent does not help the cause either.

 

Added: The Akkerman inks I use in the videos sometimes are especially embarrasing as I know I am butchering the names. But I also know a little ignorance adds a lighter side. Though I do wish I knew how to pronounce them correctly. AND I wish we could finally get a locked thread that tells us what each of the Akkerman inks names mean!

Edited April 2, 2013 by Earthdawn

[JustinJ]

Watching now and I'm sure I'll enjoy the video, but where do people get the second syllable sound, key? It's NAH-KAH-YAH. All the same "ah" sound. Same with aka -- AH-KA, not AH-KEY. :-D

 

 

 

 

I think most people get the pronunciation from seeing John's videos on youtube. If you listen to this video, you will hear the pronunciation "key"

 

 

 

 

Perhaps, virtu3rd could make a video and explain the way to say Nakaya properly.

[JustinJ]

Earthdawn,

 

Thank you for the review of the Nakaya Desk pen. I thoroughly enjoyed your excitement. There is a beauty in the simple nature of the pens that is hard to convey. I thought you did a good job showing the natural beauty of the pen.

[JonSzanto]

The Desk Pen is AMAZING, Jon! Testify!

 

And the aka tamenuri is a gorgeous finish.

Yeah, well, the worst thing, and the thing that is slowing up my progress, is that I simply can't see getting that pen without the matching desk holder. When I saw them in person in LA, I can't see it any other way. Damn.

[WOBentley]

ED that was a great review...loved it...probably too much. I have 6 desk pens in my office and love them...but have two Nakayas ordered...now you are making me want another! Thanks (I think ), that was awesome, enjoy your pen, it is beautiful indeed!

[peterpen53]

Nice review, ED. Good to see a Nakaya in person, so to speak, and not in very clean staged pictures. I really should not watch these .

 

 

Actually I have given up on any non-dutch speakers ever getting those Akkerman ink names right. It just is so hard for foreigners. As to their meaning, all names have a link to the city of Den Haag (The Hague), where the store is located, or its nearby region. Some are simply the name of a street, square or building. For others you would need to have some knowledge of the local history or political affairs as The Hague is the seat of Dutch government and parliament. However, some of the more puzzling names were discussed in the group buy thread started by Frank C and Amberleadavis in the Inky Thoughts forum.

 

 

@ethernautrix - Thank you for confirming the pronunciation of the Nakaya name. Perhaps it is a bit easier for me, as in Dutch an a is pronounced as "ah" (well, most of the time).

 

 

Cheers,

Peter

Edited April 2, 2013 by peterpen53

[TradArch]

Thanks for the video. I've been getting closer to ordering this model the last 6 weeks or so, and I think this review pushed me over the edge!

[Pen Nut]

Ah pronunciation eh, well Doue, as in Montblanc, (sorry) has been Doh, as in Homer J, for me foe a looong time and Vermeil, as in gold on silver, has been Vermale for a equal length of time but alas no. Educated by a fellow FPNer quite recently my 'pen tongue' is improving.

 

Looking at Nakaya I will no doubt my own language with them as well :embarrassed_smile:

[ethernautrix]

Watching now and I'm sure I'll enjoy the video, but where do people get the second syllable sound, key? It's NAH-KAH-YAH. All the same "ah" sound. Same with aka -- AH-KA, not AH-KEY. :-D

 

 

 

 

I think most people get the pronunciation from seeing John's videos on youtube. If you listen to this video, you will hear the pronunciation "key"

 

 

 

 

Perhaps, virtu3rd could make a video and explain the way to say Nakaya properly.

 

 

 

:-D I know. I've heard John say Nakiya (how it would be spelled in romanji in Japan). It's odd, cos the three syllables are the same sound: na, ka, ya.

 

The Japanese alphabet is actually fairly easy to say, cos there are only five major sounds (with minimal exceptions): a, i, u, e, o -- e.g., ka (kah), ki (key), ku (koo), ke (keh), ko (coh).

 

The exceptions would be the consonant + y + vowel, such as "kyo" in Tokyo. (Not pronounced To-key-oh; the kyo is more of a blended sound.)

 

I'm not an expert, but the word here is Nakaya, so I figured, hm, maybe before this gets out of hand and goes the way of "carry-okie," maybe I can suggest, you know, look at the spelling, those are all "ah" sounds.

 

Again, I butcher many words, and I would prefer to say them correctly, although I do feel a little silly saying "Mo-la-skee-nah," because I can't seem to say it without bringing my hands up and gesticulating, hahaha, and saying it with a ridiculous accent. Sorry, Italians!

 

ALSO -- sorry to highjack this excellent video review with this side note -- ED, again, very nice job here. I'm sure there'll be another run on the Desk Pen after more people watch your review. It is truly a wonderful pen. I have one in kuro tamenuri, and it (along with the unpolished shu Piccolo Cigar) is my favorite Nakaya. :-)

 

(Who am I kidding. All of my Nakayas are my favorite Nakaya. Although I do tend to favor the Desk Pen and the un.shu Piccolo... as evidenced by their being in daily rotation more than other pens, Nakaya and other brands.)

[Earthdawn]

OK so curiosity got the best of me...

 

LOL ... I called Nibs.com and Mariana was great in answering my question of how to pronunce it.

 

She said there seems to be no "real" way to say it and that she has heard many variations of it basically. She said she asked someone who spoke Japanese and they said it can be said or pronounced a few ways.

 

Nah-Kah-a, Nah-key-a, Nak-i-a ... and I asked her if theres a know way that it is suppose to be pronounced and she said as far as she knows there is not.

 

I think she was amoused a little that we were having a friendly debate about it....

 

In the end it was yet another pleasent conversation with one of the GREAT crew over at Classic Pens!

 

 

 

... now I should confess I was actually calling them back... I kinda called them last night and had to confirm something this morning

Edited April 2, 2013 by Earthdawn

[ethernautrix]

Gaijin, please.*

 

 

I said, "Mom, what's my favorite pen brand?"

Mom: "Nakaya?"

I: "Yes. How many ways can you pronounce the name?"

Mom: "Nakaya?"

I: "Yes, how many ways can Nakaya be pronounced?"

Mom: "Nakaya. Well, there's only the one way."

I: "How about Nakiya? NAHkiya?"

Mom (mystified): "No. Nakaya. There is only one way."

 

She had no idea why I was asking, and I didn't explain, but I suspect that Mariana was told by polite Japanese people that they understood what she was talking about, which is not the same as saying "Oh just pronounce it any way that you like."

 

So, if you want to say the name correctly, there is a way. If you have a hard time saying it correctly, that's cool, too, because we all know what "Nakiya" means when we hear it, just as I say "Moleskin" when I mean "Molaskeenah."

 

 

 

*I said this cracking up. I think it's funny.

[marie9999]

Thanks for the video review - I do like this finish. Hope that you continue to enjoy your pen for a long time.

 

I have to agree that the Nakaya Deskpen is an extremely comfortable writing pen - the balance is wonderful and the pen itself fades as I focus on the writing. This is not always the case for me and I have several pens that I will not use for more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

[reprieve]

Cool video! I like your ink choice, too. I have that same pen, with a soft fine nib, and it bowls me over every time I write with it.