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
I have to confess that I bought this notebook mainly because I was feeling a little frustrated. I’d made a trip into NYC and was all excited to go to Goods for the Study and browse through lots of fabulous stationery… but then when I got there, I didn’t see anything that I really thought … Continue reading Dressco Stitched Notebook Review
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
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
I had a question from a commenter about where to buy Nolty planners, and I realized it was probably time to recap this topic, since some of my older posts aren’t up to date on the latest options. In recent news, I noticed that Jet Pens is now stocking some Nolty planners! This is exciting, … Continue reading Where to Buy Nolty Planners
I love it when my wishes come true! I was thrilled when the Nolty Daily Book was announced for 2020 to celebrate their 70th anniversary but then crushed when they decided not to add it to their regular line-up. But thanks to Instagram, I recently spotted a sneaky late addition to their new products: an … Continue reading Undated Nolty Daily Book
Plotter is an intriguing Japanese planner system I’ve been salivating over since at least 2018– apparently without ever having actually written a blog post about it! I was always frustrated that I couldn’t figure out how to order one of these notebooks for US delivery, so I was thrilled to see that the brand is … Continue reading Plotter USA Launch
I was very pleased to get my shipment of 2021 Nolty diaries straight from Japan in mid-September. Ordering directly from JMAM worked great! Because I was buying multiple notebooks, the shipping costs worked out well, but if I’d only ordered one or two notebooks, I might have been better off paying Kinokuniya’s higher retail prices … Continue reading 2021 Nolty Diaries Arrived!
Yet another reason why I’m dying to visit Japan! In Tokyo, a bar called Decameron opened recently, despite the fact that other bars in the neighborhood have been closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In part due to concerns over the transmission of the virus through droplets spread while speaking, and in part due to … Continue reading Communicating By Notebook in a Tokyo Bar
A fascinating article from the BBC about Japan’s traditions around the use of paper. Towards the end, there is a mention of the popularity of using planners such as the Hobonichi Techo: There are also still strong advocates for paper’s analogue charm in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. Japan’s so-called “techo culture†celebrates … Continue reading Japan’s Obsession with Paper
