Nanami Paper‘s fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper notebooks seem to be very popular. But I kind of wrote them off because they only seemed to sell larger A5-ish sizes rather than the pocket size I prefer. However, I recently took another look and was glad to see there are a few options that might appeal to people like me!
First is this Takahashi planner. At 150x95mm, it is not quite my perfect size of 140 x 90mm, but it’s pretty close, and it looks like it has some interesting features. I already have my other favorite fountain pen friendly Japanese diary from Nolty, but if I couldn’t get those any longer, I would consider the Takahashi.
Takahashi No. 50 Professional Planner 2020
Next is a regular notebook with gridded pages inside, the Cafe Note Pocket Edition. It has two ribbon markers, which is always a nice touch. At 92x155mm, it is still a little bit larger than my perfect size, but I can’t help being tempted!
Then there’s the Cafe Note A6 size. The dimensions in millimeters or inches aren’t specified, but they say it is A6, and to me, it looks like the size of the Hobonichi Techo, which is 105 x 150mm, which is almost exactly true A6 size. (Not all A6 notebooks really are A6 size!) This one is out of stock right now. Still not quite the right size for me, but close.
Of all of these, I’m most attracted to the Cafe Note Pocket Edition. I like the taller proportions, which will seem strange to those of you who remember me complaining that I can’t buy Leuchtturm’s pocket notebooks because they are 150 x 95mm! But for some reason, with that retro faux-leather vinyl cover, and the 3.7mm grid, and that paper, it just looks very appealing to me!
FYI, I have not tried any of these notebooks, and have no connection or sponsor relationship with this retailer. Just my own opinions and interests as a notebook shopper!
Nice post and blog.