The Japanese Notebooks Freecia mentioned

[KCat]

This is just a note for now as I don't have pics... But i received a sample of their notebooks and let me say they really *are* excellent. The paper is, IMO, no less quality than Clairefontaine. Ever so slightly lighter weight but i've yet to see any bleeding or feathering and they're as smooth as any Cf paper I've tried.

 

The designs are, from what I've seen thus far, the expected whimsical and colorful Japanese designs.

[M4R1N4]

Sorry KCat, I guess I missed freecia's post on these.. what brand are they?

 

Clairefontaine's paper is pretty nice, but I find it a little too smooth, and some of my pens don't want to write on it, or the ink takes too long to dry. But I see that most people rave about it, so maybe I am thinking about it all wrong!

[Daniel Shih]

Marina, the notebooks are mentioned in this thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=3881

 

Hey KCat, how many pages are in these notebooks? I'm used to using the cheap sub-$1 Mead notebooks that work with FP's surprisingly well (though their quality is quite variable), so for all the scribbling I do, $3.30 notebooks might be a bit expensive for me unless they hold a lot of pages. Still, I'm going to have to get at least one when I visit Maido in the fall. I hope the notebooks aren't too crazy and colorful--my personal style could hardly be characterized as full of flair.

Edited August 24, 2005 by Daniel Shih

[freecia]

Two common brands are maruman and kokuyo.

 

Funny how I can't remember what day I'm flying into dc next month, other than saying it's a Thursday, but Japanese stationary company names are in my brain's fast cache.

 

And Daniel, there are properly subdued businesslike ones. But who doesn't love the Engrish and French (Foo-ranz!) that makes no sense whatsoever, typed in nice fonts?

 

And oh, page # depends on the type of binding. Spiral with 50-70?? pages or so is $3.30. The loose leaf packs are 100-150 pages for the same amount of money, I believe, or close.

[M4R1N4]

Looks like www.thedailyplanner.com carries kokuyo notebooks. They look cute on the outside - cute springy colors. How are the lines on the pages? I have this thing where I don't like thick lines (not the space between the lines, but the line itself - I don't want my writing to have to vie for attention). I wish they showed a pic of the paper. Does anyone know another website that sells these? My google searches turned up all Japanese sites save thedailyplanner...

[KCat]

the one Freecia sent says it's from "Midori" and gives a website. it's one that has the ability to add pages but the spine is a bit small so I don't think you could get more than 50 sheets in that particular case. I haven't tried it though.

 

i'll go look at the website and see if I can show you the design on this one which is nothing at all wild but just a pleasant soft yellow and orange blocks pattern.

 

hmm... found the website but can't read Japanese so not sure where to look. There is an English version of the site but I think they only have a few of their products listed in this version. Under stationery there is no stationery, but accessories like sheet cutters and tape.

Edited August 24, 2005 by KCat

[freecia]

The most basic Kokuyo line can be found at http://www.kokuyo.co.jp/stationery/campus/

 

I'll try to take a photo of a few of my notebooks. Perhaps next time I go, I'll pick up a loose leaf pack and mail a few pages to people who would like to test out the paper.

[TMLee]

Just only a few days ago. I found an excellent high quality report pad ... says here Maruman 'Report Pad' P153 in B5 size....

 

The paper is very thin , but surprisingly, doesn't bleed as much as I expected. In fact very little...

 

It is also very very smooth...

 

It has no problem with fountain pens.... just tried a calligraphy medium nib, just a little bleed thru the other side...

 

I was hunting for onion skin for a long time but to no avail, so this is the closest replacement I could find , thin and light for mail ...

 

http://www.e-maruman.co.jp/english/index.html

 

and its cheap , USD$1.70 per pad.

 

rgds

TMLee

[Mannenhitsu]

Several of my former students from Japan often rave about the high quality of their paper "washi" they used back home. Many of them like and prefer Kokuyo products, and other companies as well. I was skeptical at first, but after trying some of their paper, I found it to be of excellent quality, and very fountain pen friendly. Moreover, their paper will turn white over time, unlike western paper, which will turn yellow.

 

I talked with a friend of mine in Tokyo, who's uncle owns a paper mill and Monosuke told me that in Japan, most all of their paper is made to exacting high standards. Anything less just isn't acceptable, especially of all things toilet paper. Nonetheless, there are many paper companies in Japan that produce fine paper products for consumers, among the best known are:

 

Mitsubishi Paper Mills, Inc.

Oji Mills

Nippon Paper

Sugihara

 

Japanese paper comes in two common varieties: Habutae and Washi. You can learn more about them here:

 

http://www.washiya.com/washinomokuji/english.html#MNO

 

 

 

 

[Velma]

I've just acquired a lovely new notebook, which, while not quite the book of my dreams, may do for a while. Light, narrow-ruled paper, with delicate grey lines, smooth sheets that don't bleed or feather (there is a little showthrough, but not much), appronx 15cm wide by 21cm long (I'm guessing A5, then). The front cover is a frosted plasitc sheet, with a glossy cardstock cover behind it -- this one is black with white dots -- and the words "car de suis enchante de faire" on it; the back cover is heavy cardboard. I would guess that it has about 120 pages. The company is www.cutemodel.jp, and they have them at Kinokuniya.

 

Right now, the only things it lacks for a journal for me are a pocket -- which I can create with a small envelope -- and a ribbon bookmark -- which, again, I can add myself. So I'm fairly happy this week.

 

Which, mind you, does not mean that I'm not thinking of another jaunt up to Kinokuniya, just to see what other colors they have, and whether there are any other cool books there.