In my trawling of various websites that sell Japanese notebooks, I’d often noticed a lot of listings for “household account books.” I figured using a notebook to track household finances must be common or traditional in Japan, but I never knew the full story behind it until I finally decided to do some research and … Continue reading Kakeibo: Japanese Household Account Books
Back in July 2021, I wrote about how I’d just transitioned to a new work notebook, a Mnemosyne notebook from Maruman. When I wrote that post, I wasn’t happy with the size and dot grid and how those were working vs. my desktop space and the size of my handwriting. But I ended up sticking … Continue reading Finishing a Work Notebook
Do you think you can out-geek me? Ha! This post will be a shot across the bow… I have a large stash of Moleskine pocket sketchbooks and squared notebooks, as well as a various other formats. In a post from several years ago, I used some of them to trace the evolution of Moleskine’s packaging … Continue reading More Than You Need to Know About Moleskine Sketchbook Packaging
I was reminded of this phrase by a marketing email from Plotter, linking to this post. Techo Kaigi means “notebook meeting,” and the idea is that you should have a meeting with yourself to contemplate your notebooking methods and make sure they are right for you. This is generally done in the fall, when planners … Continue reading Techo Kaigi
A few months ago, I went down a rabbit hole of reawakened interest in all my various Filofaxes. It turned into a big research project, the results of which I’ll soon share in a series of posts. The research project ended up involving some shopping, so my Filofax collection is now even larger than it … Continue reading Filofax Fever
Every so often, I spot interesting looking Japanese notebooks and planners on Instagram. Without knowing any Japanese, it’s sometimes hard to figure out what the brand is, but sometimes I manage to click around in various hashtags and find at least a keyword or two that might lead to a link I can copy and … Continue reading Interesting Japanese Diaries
It goes without saying that at least one notebook has always and will always be part of my every day carry— EDC for short. While I might go for a 20-minute walk in the neighborhood without a notebook, at all other times, I have to have one nearby. But lately I’ve been having some serious … Continue reading Every Day Carry Notebooks
When I placed this year’s Nolty order from Japan, I decided to throw in one of their Pagem planners. Pagem is a brand that seems to be aimed more at women, as many of their designs have pastel colors and floral patterns rather than the very conservative Nolty options. Colorful, patterned, “feminine” covers are not … Continue reading 2024 Pagem Planner Review
As noted recently, I’ve been revisiting some of my old Filofaxes, which feel like time capsules from the late 1990s. One of my favorites from that time was the Filofax Pocket Chelsea. I liked it so much, I bought two! They are actually slightly different, though no distinction was made in the model name. Both … Continue reading Filofax Pocket Chelsea, Two Ways
For all that I’m an unrepentant notebook addict, with way more notebooks than I could ever use in my lifetime, I sometimes actually find myself looking at someone else’s collection and feeling a little judge-y. This happens mainly on Instagram where I’ve seen various people displaying shelves full of 5 or 10 or 20 Travelers … Continue reading Can You Have Too Many Refillable Notebooks?
