As regular readers know, I am a big fan of the Nolty Diary. Also known as the “Efficiency Notebook,” this Japanese planner has deservedly become a cult favorite, with Instagram posts galore showing off how people use their Nolty diaries. After very happily using a Nolty diary all through 2018, I decided to spring for … Continue reading Review: Nolty Gold 2019 Diary/Planner
I hate it when I see cute dated planners. There’s only so many planners one person can use each year, so it’s much harder to justify buying lots of them! I already have three Nolty diaries for 2019. But here’s another Japanese planner that looks intriguing: Mark’s Souple EDiT Daily Planner 2019 – B7 – … Continue reading Mark’s Souple Planner 2019
Japanese manga artist Haruka Komowata discovered that her mother was also a talented illustrator when these 50 year old sketchbooks turned up! Professional manga artist learns that talent runs in the family. Read more: Japanese mom’s sketchbook of amazing anime character designs from 50 years ago amazes daughter | SoraNews24
What’s your planner pick for 2019? Here’s a few that caught my eye… The Hobonichi Techo 2019 is $37.00 at Amazon and JenPens. Moleskine has a slew of options, including themed diaries with Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Peanuts, and Le Petit Prince. (2020 Moleskine planners are already showing up on Amazon for preorder too, … Continue reading 2019 Planners
I’ve been loving using my 2018 Nolty diary all this year (full review here), and eagerly awaiting the 2019 version. It looks like they are finally appearing online and I’ll be hoping to score one (or maybe a few!) at Kinokuniya on a trip into NYC this fall. It’s interesting to see all the different … Continue reading Nolty 2019 Efficiency Notebook Diary from Japan Management
Stalogy is a Japanese notebook brand that has been growing in popularity from what I can see on social media. The brand name is a contraction of the words stationery, standard and technology. I’m not sure this notebook is particularly technological, but I’m a sucker for pretty much any Japanese notebook, so of course I … Continue reading Review: Stalogy Notebook
I bought this adorable little notebook from JetPens. Although “etranger” is a French word, “di” is an Italian word, and Costa Rica is in Latin America, the company is Japanese. I guess it’s just that enjoyment of slightly absurd foreign phrases that you sometimes see on Japanese products, as there is also French text on … Continue reading Review: Etranger di Costa Rica Notebook
About 2 years ago, I visited a very cute shop in Philadelphia called Omoi Zakka. As Wikipedia explains, “zakka” is a Japanese concept having to do with household items that are attractively designed. The Omoi Zakka shop certainly delivered on that when I was there, with lots of interesting little items for the desk and … Continue reading Notebooks from Omoi Zakka Shop
I’ve been using my Nolty diary regularly and loving it. It’s a great size, has nice fountain pen friendly paper, and the design is cool in a classic, retro, business-y kind of way. I don’t understand Japanese, so I’m missing some of the benefits of the maps and info in the back, but that doesn’t … Continue reading My Growing Love for the Nolty Diary
Since my last update in January, I’ve finished one Moleskine Sketchbook and just started a new one. For my daily journaling and catch-all notebook, I’ve switched from a squared Moleskine to my lovely blue linen-covered Bindewerk dot-grid notebook. I’m enjoying being able to use my fountain pens more on this sturdy paper, though I miss … Continue reading What I’m Using Now: March 2018