stationery

A Trip to Tokyo — Stationery Adventures

/ Pete Denison / 7 Comments
The grand Tokyo Station

A working subtitle of what follows below might be: goals achieved, opportunities missed, and assumptions confirmed. The next-level summary would then kick down to: families put up with a lot when you are exploring your own niche interests and hobbies. This perhaps adds further context to the tales below.

Along with my wife and our two adult children, I recently spent 11 days in Tokyo. Our initial seven nights being unavoidably extended after our return flight was cancelled due to a cyclone threatening our home city of Brisbane. A stressful hour or two ensued, changing flights and extending accommodation, before we realised the fantastic opportunity we had to spend another four nights in such an amazing location. We were indeed thankful all was okay when we returned home, though many weren’t so lucky with damage, flooding, and power losses from the cyclone.

Aims and Plans

I really had no great plans on the stationery front, other than perhaps a leaning towards obtaining a Plotter notebook set up and having a good look around. I’d taken in some “Stationery trip to Tokyo” blogs and YouTube videos before the trip, however as far as a shopping list was concerned, the Plotter was mostly it. That said, I was always going to add to my Traveler’s Notebook setup, and was excited to visit their locations around Tokyo.

On the flip side, I’d also considered what the stationery side of the trip wasn’t intended to be: a search at all costs tour for Japanese exclusives, fountain pens, or endless inks. When you are talking about a couple of hobbies like stationery and coffee, a trip can quickly turn into family members waiting around for you to sample things or satisfy curiosity. Don’t get me wrong — they’d do it every day of the week, however even for me, our family holidays are far more enjoyable without the pressure of me seeking niche, out of the way stationery stores or cafés.

If you have progressed in this hobby to being all-in on fountain pens, then this post will disappoint you. Yes, I still love mine. However, I am very fortunate to probably have enough, and most of my daily drivers are gel or ballpoint these days. With that in mind, you’ll still find plenty of fountain pens at many of the places listed below, although none returned home with me.

Stationery Places

Loft — Shibuya

One of the first shops tagged “stationery” on our Tripsy itinerary list, largely due to the proximity to our hotel in Shibuya, however once inside it quickly became apparent as to the magnitude of stationery in Japan. My family happily pointed out we spent a good couple of hours in the store, and I didn’t make it off the basement (aka stationery) level. To be clear, while there are seven floors in this behemoth, you’ll find stationery on the basement level, and I do recommend spending some time on the other floors — maybe for a few minutes before heading back to B1…

Loft in Shibuya — leave yourself plenty of time

Checkout: Gel pens, a couple of Traveler’s Passport size refills and miscellaneous items (stickers, glue pen etc). Let’s call this an initial “recon” visit. Too many stores to come, and much of the time was spent on the Side-note below. On a return visit, I did pick up a bottle of Sailor ink to replace my ever dwindling Montblanc Daniel Defoe Palm Green. The Shikiori Rikyucha probably falls on the brown rather than green side of the ledger, though you get that with store lighting, aging vision, and looking at the small colour spot on the packaging. Nonetheless, I do like the colour.

The Lamy M17 Jetstream refill. I duly took my ticket from the display and lined up at the register to claim my “1 per customer” M17 refill. I ended up with the black fine (0.7 mm version). It’s a good writer and what you’d expect from the classic oil-based Jetstream ink. I’ve not yet compared it directly with the M16 refill, which incidentally I only have in medium.

Side-note: Plotter paralysis. A good part of that long stay on the stationery floor was spent at the Plotter display, musing on sizes (A5 was the plan before leaving home) and cover colour. I loved the orange, however wasn’t sure how that might play out in the office. The conclusion being: “think about it” and return another day.

Verdict: Like performing a Google search for “Japanese Stationery” and having the results presented to you in person. It’s vast, an assault on your stationery senses (in a good way) and I’m glad I had the benefit of checking out the other places below in the knowledge I’d easily return to Loft to fill in any gaps before we left.

Traveler’s Factory — Tokyo Station

A Traveler’s Notebook theme also heavily influenced the stationery itinerary of the trip (see also Starbuck’s Reserve and TN HQ below). I run a Bullet Journal type setup in my TN, and thought I might pick up some exclusives from the various TN locations we’d visit.

Traveler’s Tokyo Station – underground north exit
You’ll find many a stamp under this sign

Checkout: A few inserts, stickers, postcards, and a good few minutes spent collecting various stamps from the store in a passport refill you can see on the left of the image. They also had a cool main stamp press which aligned your refills nicely and printed the red and green TN Tokyo Station stamp on the cover (far R in the image).

Traveler’s Tokyo Station haul

Verdict: Tokyo Station itself was an amazing building, and it was fantastic to be able to visit the Traveler’s Store. Being the first of a Traveler’s theme of stops, I was excited for what was to come. A quaint store and an enjoyable visit.

Itoya — Ginza

After my I-need-to-think-about-this moment from the Loft excursion, I received a unanimous vote of encouragement by my family: are-you-serious-absolutely-get-the-orange-Plotter before entering Itoya. That turned out pretty well, as you can see in the image.

Unlike Loft, Itoya’s many floors were all stationery (or at least adjacent), however each were smaller in area by comparison. This saw me a little calmer than in Loft, with things segmented floor by floor, thereby providing a little reset between them.

Checkout: Plotter A5 cover in orange “shrink” (pebbled) leather with an antique gold backplate, along with just about every refill I could get my hands on. Until I can convince my favourite pen shop here at home to bring them into the country, it will either be international shipping for refills or my Japan-based niece as a stationery mule whenever she visits us in Australia.

The Plotter in fabulous orange

Side-note: The beginning of a theme and a little hilarity. Itoya was the first time the Uniball Zento caught my eye, by way of a small advertising display in an array of home office desk setups. The Signature Edition would be the perfect “unique find” to take home, given its design and magnetic cap system. Yes, a gel pen no less — and as you can gather, it was decidedly a non-fountain pen trip. Upon enquiring with one of the staff if any were in stock — the answer was a shake of the head and a “sold out everywhere”. It was the same in Loft and multiple Hands stores we visited along the way. Typical. I had set my sights on a pen that was probably the most popular thing to hit the shelves at that particular moment, with no way to get my hands on one before the end of the trip.

The hilarity of it all? Well, there are four variations of the Zento: the Basic, Standard, Flow, and Signature models. I wanted the Signature, which I’ll now be picking up online as they have just popped up locally on Bunbougu (well the lower tiers at least, the Signature model shows sold out — what a surprise). How’s the new “Zento” ink? Well, that I cannot tell you, as I was that obsessed with hunting the Signature model, I totally overlooked picking up a couple of the cheaper variants which were all available. Did someone say tunnel vision? Oh well, you live and learn.

Verdict: Itoya certainly was a joy to visit (along with the luxury shopping precinct that runs through Ginza) with many floors, lots of stationery, and a good deal more fountain pens. I did a quick whip around the fountain pen floor (well ok… perhaps a couple of laps) before moving onto more pressing Plotter purchasing matters at hand.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery — Meguro

Sure, if you were perhaps a coffee purist this mightn’t be the first stop on your list, however I’d argue it’s essential, simply for a look at the size, scale, and design of this place. I would also add it was here I had one of the best filter coffees of the trip (a Modbar brewed Colombian Pink Bourbon for anyone interested).

Starbucks Reserve – now roasting…
Siphons at the ready if you’d care to sample

But we’re here to talk stationery, and this was peak collaboration time. Starbuck’s Reserve and Traveler’s Company do a fantastic job at providing for those at the intersection of coffee and stationery obsession, and I am certainly here for it.

Checkout: Fairly self-explanatory in the associated image, anchored by a passport sized Traveler’s Notebook and some charm/clip hardware, with some associated passport sized refills and various stickers.

Coffee and collabs – Starbucks Reserve and Traveler’s

Verdict: I love a good collab, and this one was made for me. If you are in the Meguro area, it’s honestly worth stopping by Starbucks Reserve, yes for a bit of stationery (in the corner to your right upon entering), and even if you’re not into coffee, one of those four floors is dedicated to tea. Something for everyone. Loved it.

But wait… there’s more. Adjacent to the roastery is the famous Meguro river, endless cherry blossoms when in season, and if you keep wandering further down a quiet little street, you’ll find…

Traveler’s Factory HQ — Nakameguro

Along with Loft, also an early entry on the stationery list when planning our trip. The Traveler’s HQ. The mothership. Or rather, the quaint little backstreet store that is symbolic of everything wonderful about Japan. There is a quiet hum of customers inside this store which belies the idyllic outer. We did visit on a fairly rainy day, so perhaps things in the surrounding streets were a bit quieter than they otherwise might be. Absolute bliss.

Traveler’s HQ – a quiet back street…
…housing much joy

Checkout: Again, the image tells the story, and my favourites here were the selection of The Superior Labor bags and cases, along with the leather Traveler’s Factory coasters we now have on our side table at home. Some interesting looking refills and stickers were also added to the list — goes without saying.

Traveler’s HQ haul

Verdict: It was great to get along to both the HQ along and the Traveler’s at Tokyo Station. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure whether I was buying store exclusives or not, and really just picked up what looked appealing. If you have a specific list when visiting, I’m sure you’d have no trouble filling it. An added bonus? Visiting both locations removed the need to look at the Traveler’s sections in the other stores, such as Hands and Loft.

Customised indeed – from Traveler’s HQ

One thing struck me upon visiting the store, and that was the feel of the craft and workmanship all around you. Sure, your larger players in the stationery realm have their place, however brands such as Traveler’s and Plotter have their cult followings for a reason (and it’s not just the plan-with-me videos on YouTube). There is a sense of the culture in these products. Everything I found wonderful in Japan is encapsulated by brands such as these. The experience was certainly far more valuable than what I brought back, but of course, we all need those little keepsake stationery souvenirs, am I right?

Hands — Shibuya & Shinjuku

If there was a stationery race on this trip (besides the frantic Zento search…), Hands would be the dark horse, and could rightly stake a claim to victory. Right around the corner from where we were staying, to boot.

For reference, most of what you’d find on the stationery floor in Loft was also available across three or four floors in Hands — minus the people. An easy way to pick up many of the gel pens, stickers, notebooks, and stationery — including Traveler’s and Plotter if you are so inclined. Fountain pens, yes, and a decent array of Pilot CH 912 nib variations if you were in the market.

Certainly not an expensive haul – Zebra bLen; Jetsreams’ Lite touch, One; a Kurutoga; Zebra Clickart markers

Checkout: To be honest, I can’t quite remember, though a good few gel pens, the Zebra Clickart markers, and numerous stickers. A nice addition to the purchases was the Zebra bLen multi-pen, which I picked up in the 2 pen + pencil version. Interestingly I didn’t see many Energels around.

Many stickers and much fun for the travel journal…

Verdict: Your friendly department store (with a wonderful array of stationery and other items) likely kept a secret by the locals so they can avoid the tourist crowds, yet still have just about everything available. We loved our local Shibuya store; however, others were just as impressive, and I picked up a great Apple Watch band at the store in Shinjuku. Definitely worth a look inside when you pass one.

Honourable mentions

7-Eleven — there are more Campus notebooks around Tokyo than I’ve ever seen, and you can easily pick one up at most 7-Eleven stores, along with a reasonable selection of gel pens.

Muji — I didn’t buy anything this trip, however, always good for some stationery basics and great paper in the notebooks.

Kiddyland — Jetstream x Miffy anyone? That and a lot more in here. Release your inner child. You won’t be sorry.

Starbucks — another Campus notebook collab in most neighbourhood stores, a lovely sakura design given they were beginning to blossom during our stay.

I’d also highly recommend travelling with a notebook of some sort, as many of the train stations have their own unique stamps which can be fun to collect along the way. Not to be confused with Goshuin shrine and temple stamps — for these you’ll need a specific notebook, or they can also be obtained on a loose-leaf sheet of paper. More details here.

Most train stations have their own stamp…
I certainly collected a few along the way

No regrets, but perhaps I could have…

Taken more photos of the actual stores, although they will certainly live vividly in my mind. Pictures do speak louder than words. It would have been nice to provide you with some more here. Truth be told, I just don’t think to do it much when I’m deep in discovery or purchasing mode. I’m also a much happier explorer when I’m not thinking “I must take a photo of this for the blog”. In any event, I’m sure you’ll find things covered far better and in more detail elsewhere.

Spent more time buried in fountain pens and been more bullish on seeking those smaller boutique stores and manufacturers. Maybe, maybe not. I needed to get to the more well-known places to see for myself, and I’m certainly happy with what I ended up seeing and buying.

Visited in the summer of 2025, when the Plotter Flagship store opens in Harajuku.

Picked up a Zento in any of the other 3 variants — fool! (We all knew that one was coming, right?)

Signing Off

Glancing through my photos and the stationery items I’ve returned with brings a smile to my face. Sure, as with many trips, you could stay a month and still not get to everything. I had a pretty big list of saved stationery locations before we started, and I certainly didn’t get to them all, however somehow came back feeling as though I’d seen everything I wanted to. Perhaps when what you do see is so amazing, that’s how things turn out in your mind.

Goshuin from the Meiji Jingu Shrine
Sakura at the Sakura-jingu Shrine

My advice? Do a bit of research, save all the locations before you go, and simply immerse yourself in whichever ones you make it to — they’re all fabulous. I don’t think you need to be overly strict or obsessed in finding every possible store, particularly on a family holiday anyway. Of course, that is just the opinion of someone who has been fortunate enough to go, and enjoyed every second.

It’s probably also worth noting that this trip was also about 5% stationery and 95% family fun times, which resulted in one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken. There really is nothing like getting out and walking around. Things are best summed up in the Editor’s Note from the Traveler’s Times I picked up at Traveler’s HQ:

There are many things that are being left behind because of the prioritisation of economic efficiency. However, Tokyo’s charm is hidden in places that might otherwise be lost.

If a trip to Tokyo is something you wish to do, then I hope you get there one day. It’s a fabulous place — stationery goals achieved or not.

The Montblanc 100 Day Writing Challenge

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

Thinking back, perhaps I should have written about the Montblanc 100 Day Writing Challenge a little earlier, however having started myself a few days late, this post was always going to be a mid-challenge update.

With day 37 just completed, it is of course a fine time to tell us now… Well dear reader, you are indeed correct; however, this blog certainly isn’t known for its cutting edge hot takes on the stationery and writing communities, releases, or events.

Carrying on that tradition, things are going pretty well at a little over a third of the way through, and it’s been an enjoyable diversion in addition to my usual pen on paper ramblings.

The Challenge

I could say “never one to miss a marketing opportunity” about Montblanc, and while that statement is true enough — why would they? There is nothing inherently wrong with a business promoting itself or its products, and the emphasis on ”any tools will do” in the webinar sessions is certainly welcome (though of course you’ll see an array of Montblancs’ used on screen).

The writing challenge ties in of course with the 100th anniversary celebration of the Meisterstuck pen, which also brought a few new pens, other associated products, a Wes Anderson short film, and quite a few other events if social media is anything to go by.

Image courtesy Montblanc

A quick aside: the 100th anniversary pens? Well, nice enough yes, however never has my excitement peaked more than when I thought a re-release of the original versions may have been coming upon seeing some promo photos earlier in the year (for me, it’s the original green version from halfway down this page). To say my disappointment peaked even higher upon realising the anniversary release was simply a modern take paying homage to the originals, would indeed be accurate. Don’t get me wrong, the pens are indeed impressive, though not a patch on the aesthetic of the originals. Time marches on, I suppose.

Finally, the Wes Anderson designed Schreiberling pen does look intriguing, however at an estimated price tag of $2,500, is certainly not for me either.

Anyway, back to matters at hand. You’ll find details of the Writing Challenge through Montblanc’s Inspire Writing series, under Creative Writing Courses on the Montblanc website via the Discover menu (or more easily from the link above).

Having dabbled in some of these webinars in the past, and looked at others (with calligraphy I have intent, yet to date, no action), the 100 Day Challenge seemed both achievable and worthwhile at the same time. Catching up on the kick-off webinar in the “past sessions”, under presenter Brittany DeSantis, I came in a few days late, however quickly caught up given the writing prompts lead to as much or as little time investment as you like.

The Idea

On the surface, exactly as it says on the tin: to write daily for 100 consecutive days. Now for those of us who are well into the thousands of consecutive days writing (journaling, blogging, note-taking or the like), I generally consider the occasional challenge like this one as simply: 100 days of different writing.

The challenge is divided into a couple of parts, the first being Your handwriting and history, comprising 43 days worth of daily prompts, mostly on writing and stationery habits, though also some general life themed questions as well. Part 2 will apparently be delving into lists to “discover more about ourselves and plan ahead” which I believe will begin at the next webinar taking place on July 10.

A daily commitment of about 5–10 minutes is the pitch, and I don’t find it overly burdensome, having limited myself to one page of an A5 Journal for each prompt. Accessible and achievable — always the best way to ensure those who start do a fair job of engaging, continuing, and finishing.

The Prompts

I’ve never been one to use journaling prompts, though at times when I sit in front of a blank page I think perhaps I should. Adding an extra A5 page a day as part of the challenge certainly provides no great impost, and given the fairly straightforward prompts, I’ve not found myself staring at a blank page.

Perhaps the secret is to take the prompts literally if that suits, or simply as a guide if there is a tangent you’d like to work through on a particular day. It really is a choose-your-own adventure. I’m sure if you are a prompt user, then you’ve likely seen them all, however a couple I enjoyed:

  • Your earliest memory of handwriting
  • How your handwriting changes based on what or where you’re writing
  • How your tastes in pen and ink have changed

There are also quite a few around “your favourite…”, along with more inspirational and life-themed questions, however the general Part 1 arc of Your Handwriting & history seems captured well enough through the prompts.

Signing off

Acknowledging I’m a bit late to the party in passing on the message out there about this challenge, there are still two remaining webinars and another two thirds of the writing days still to go. Perhaps it’s something to pick up now or even retrospectively complete at your leisure. I’ve certainly found it an enjoyable and worthwhile endeavour.

Google App Camera Search — A Handy Pen Identifier

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment
The Montblanc Ballpix – at the centre of all of this searching

I pay attention — honestly, I do. I even take notes, whether at the time or soon after, yet sometimes things come to pass where the elusive (though likely straightforward) name and model of a particular pen simply escapes me. In some cases it would seem, never to return. Of course, this is unlikely to ever happen when ordering pens online or shopping in a store (receipts, order confirmations etc), but for those acquired like this, or perhaps in an antique or second hand store, you might occasionally be in the same predicament.

When recently considering options for an EDC type of pen to carry with a pocket notebook, I had a few specific requirements, as you’d expect:

  • reliable knock mechanism unlikely to accidentally engage
  • related to the above, a standard top clicking pen would be unsuitable (if not a twist, some sort of side mounted knock mechanism)
  • very light and on the thinner side of average
  • probably a ballpoint for maximum utility

Thankfully, I wasted only an hour or so trawling the internet before realising the very pen was in my drawer awaiting its next occasion of use. It was absolutely spot on in terms of that list above, and not only that, is a really enjoyable pen to use.

Of course, I thought — that’s it! I’ll use this Montblanc… err… ummm… yes, this one(!?). What is it again? It was then I realised I had no idea what it was actually called, probably to the horror of the wonderful pen-friend who kindly passed it on to me. Had I written it down? Did I ever know it? Of course I would have — though I’m not sure, and proceeded to open Safari to get to the bottom of this quandary.

It couldn’t be that hard, surely, as I began searching: ”vintage Montblanc ballpoint with click mechanism in the pocket clip” and every version of a similar term to no avail. It might have been buried in the search results somewhere, but I certainly didn’t find it. In any event, it seemed a little more difficult than it should have been.

Enter the Camera Search function in the Google App on my iPhone.

Point, shoot, search and bam! Results (see screenshots below). Nothing could be easier. I guess depending on what you are searching for, a certain amount of verification might be needed with the results. That said, I’ve not had it fail me so far on any pen, refill, or whatever stationery product you’d care to be looking up. The worlds of analogue and digital colliding with utmost harmony.

Ready… aim…
Fire…
A good bundle of accurate search results

Oh, and the pen? Yes, well, that is a Montblanc Ballpix, and the search yields a good page or more of accurate results similar to this one. As I’ve mentioned in my requirements list above, this pen is perfect for the task at hand. Slim, light weight, perfectly designed to avoid accidental engagement of the refill from the tip. Topping it off is the rather ingenious clip/knock mechanism, preventing it from being placed in a pocket or clipped anywhere without the knock being disengaged automatically — no pocket leaks here. Love it.

Perhaps given most of the search links provide seller links, someone needs to write a bit of a review just for posterity on the internet… Oh, right you are, I guess that would be me. I’ve just added it to the list.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend the camera search feature in the Google app for those times your search terms don’t quite hit the mark. Maybe even for those times when, like me, you are a bit lazy and can’t quite find the motivation to look back through notes when a pen model name escapes you.

A phone and a tech giant — handy companions to the humble pen and paper.

Bouncing Back to Gel Pens

/ Pete Denison / 2 Comments
Gel pens! Though one could certainly make the case the Alpaka Pencil Case Pro is the real hero here

Did I ever really leave? Really? Well, no I didn’t — not quite, however the relentless march of everything pen and stationery towards fountain pens is — rightly or wrongly — hard not to fall into. We each have our path (it just seems to be the same one, and boy is it worn…). I’d simply say, progression towards a fountain pen habit doesn’t always need to be at the exclusion of all else.

One area gel pens continue to flourish is in the planner community. Those people gel pen hard — and good on them. There is much joy to be had. Speaking of planners, as I mentioned in a recent post, it was a foray into the Traveler’s Notebook and Hobonichi Weeks which triggered my own renewed vigour towards gel pens. Those Hobonichi Weeks daily entries are not overly endowed with page real estate, that’s for sure.

The pens

Having a certain fondness for the Pentel Energel over the years, you’d be right in thinking these feature fairly prominently in the current line up. Incidentally, I’ve also harboured mostly the opposite feeling towards the Jetstream line of ballpoint pens, and part of this process involved throwing out the last one remaining in my pen drawer. I don’t know, I’ve just never really liked the overall feel when I write with them.

It’s here that we should acknowledge the term ”gel pen” is quite a broad one. After all, we have the EnerGel’s “liquid gel pen”, and the pigment archival quality of Uni’s “Super Ink” being just two manufacturers’ riffs on the category. No doubt there are plenty more, however we’ll go with the origins of the family tree and stick with “gel” for simplicity.

As for tip size, well, 0.38 or 0.4 mm are a little too fine for me, and to be perfectly honest, I feel if more existed, 0.6 mm would be my goldilocks size. In the absence of a widespread, spoilt-for-choice line-up in 0.6 mm, I’ve settled on 0.5 mm as my go-to. There are of course some 0.6 mm options further afield (the Schmidt P8126 refill for example, of which I own several), however there is simply not the any-colour, any-type of pen range which exists in the other sizes.

Delineating at a glance through colour

Colour? Go wild. Anything goes really, and I’ve found within the confines of those daily entries in the Hobonichi Weeks (minimal, tight, feintly ruled lines and separators) colour is my best bet to delineate each one. As you’ll see from the associated image, it carries a certain rainbow-like joy.

Writing performance

Comfort in the hand is fairly important, and the diameter of the Energel I find to be most comfortable. To be honest, nothing I write with a gel pen typically runs longer than a couple of hundred words at a time, so I wouldn’t say there are any real limitations here.

Perhaps the Uniball Signo DX is a little thin for longer than a few bullet points, yet there are all manner of ways to obtain these in a thicker package (say the Uniball 207 or 307 series of retractables). This does bring me to one caveat of my “no real limitations” statement above.

I’ve never enjoyed using a pen where the grip section runs thicker in diameter than the rest of the barrel (or at least that portion of the barrel immediately preceding the grip) — a reverse taper, if you will. Many plastic barrel gel, ballpoint, and liquid ink pens seem to have this design. The retractable Energels and Signo DX you see in this post have successfully incorporated that rubber grip in a way that minimises any perceptible change in diameter. Enough said on that, however it is another (subtle though it is) factor in my lack of fondness for the Jetstream.

When available, my preference is probably 0.5 mm

The need for quick drying (those Energels a tad longer than the Signos mind you), fine-ish tipped, comfortable enough, colour varied pens was satisfied with the fistful I picked up from my local Officeworks. I’ll no doubt work my way back around to others I’ve had before from Zebra, Sakura, and the like.

Signing off

With things rolling (gelling?) along fairly well in the current Hobonichi Weeks / Travellers Notebook combo, I intend to continue this personal resurgence into the gel pen universe.

And I’ll say it once more. In turning my mind to these matters, I cannot help but again question the all-roads-must lead-to-fountain-pens journey of just about every blog, podcast, and social media feed across the stationery community (I’m also guilty as charged…). If we’re talking fit for purpose, in the couple of notebooks I’ve mentioned above, for me at least, fountain pens certainly won’t cut it.

But I digress. Gel pens — how good are they!

Life Symphony A5 Spiral Bound Notebook

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

img_7800An interest in fountain pens inherently carries with it a similar level of attention to paper. Although I’ve written about some budget friendly notebook options on one or two occasions, I’m not averse to paying a little more for them either.

One such notebook — while not prohibitive in cost — is the L!fe Symphony N93 Spiral Bound A5 currently sitting on my desk. For the remainder of this post, I will mostly use Life rather than L!fe, as I do find it a little distracting, and an online search term of Life Symphony Notebook will bring up what you are looking for.

Look and feel

In summary, I’d say the Symphony notebook has no bells and minimal whistles — just high quality design, construction and performance.

Though technically a soft cover notebook, the Symphony carries very thick, stiffened card stock front and back which is about as hard as you’d find in a soft-cover notebook. As the images in this post show, I purchased what is described on various retail sites as the “grey” version. The front cover features some intricate detailing reminiscent of a dense vine, and is quite attractive to my eye. The back cover matches in colour, however is unadorned with any detailing or labelling.

img_7808

A colour

To be honest I’m not sure how I’d describe this colour. At the time of purchase, I was drawn to the contrast between the prominent brass coloured double spiral binding and the deeper, slightly more mysterious looking cover. Something enigmatic to provide a little mystery, and shroud what would ultimately be a collection of fairly superficial writing you might say.

Speaking of the binding, those brassy double spirals follow the lead of the cover, in that they are very stiff, providing a solid backbone to the book in a way befitting the overall quality throughout. There is a little wiggle room or “play” in the pages, however I’ve not noticed this when writing, and believe me I would, for it is a pet peeve of mine with spiral bound notebooks.

img_7806

Those spirals!

Referring back to the “no bells” statement above — rather than a criticism, is more a reference to a design which appears focused on the essential requirements, and doing them exceedingly well. There are no pockets, bookmark ribbons, elastic enclosures or pre-formatting on the paper other than the 8mm ruling in subtle grey.

I do tend to use ribbon markers if they are in a notebook, however equally don’t mind if they aren’t — avoiding the need to get them out of the way once the notebook is open to write. Pre-formatted page numbering and perhaps a date field? Again, generally used when present, though inconsequential if not. Plain, grid or ruled? Personal preference, for which I’ll take ruled nine times out of ten these days.

Specifications

The subject of this post:

  • L!fe Symphony N93 Notebook
  • Size: A5 (15x21cm)
  • Cover: Thick, stiffened card stock front and back
  • Pages: 200 (100 Sheets) acid-free paper; estimated at 80-90gsm
  • Binding: Brass coloured double ring
  • Style: 8mm Ruled
  • Features: Fountain pen friendly paper, hand-made
  • Source: Made in Japan
  • Purchased: Pen and Paper, Brisbane CBD, AU$26.95 (December 2016)

Looking around online, you’ll find A5, B5 and A4 variations, available in grey, red, and blue covers. I was unable to find a specific gsm weight rating, however the paper feels very similar to your usual Clairefontaine/Rhodia type weighting. Searching around reveals 8mm ruled, 5mm grid, and plain paper variations, however I am not sure how widely available these options are.

Some online retailers:

Writing Performance

Of course most of the notebooks you see on these pages from time to time are great for writing, and whether they reach the “just about perfect” status is really a matter of personal preference isn’t it. I’ve written ad nauseam about my preference for a little feedback on the page, rather than skating about one a little too slick. No surprises the same thoughts will be applied here.

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Bookbinders Snake Inks Ground Rattler (l) and Eastern Brown (r)

As I write this, I am 130 pages in of the 200 available to me in this notebook, and I’ve certainly no intention of not continuing right through to the last.

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Whether running a finger down the page or forming letters along a line — the paper is quite smooth. Not Clairefontaine notebook smooth (a skater for me) by any stretch, and not quite Rhodia smooth either — however probably not far behind. Therefore, on the feedback/tooth scale I’d say it sits squarely in the upper end of my preferred window.

Currently in my hand is a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 (FM nib), containing Bookbinders Snake Ink Red Belly Black. On cheaper, softer paper, the CH 92 will occasionally want to “dig in” a little, however that is certainly not the case here. Both the sensory and auditory feedback (on a quiet pre-dawn morning), are pleasing to say the least. I’d be happy enough if restricted to this paper for the rest of my writing days.

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Bookbinders Snake Ink Red Belly Black

Using a stiffer nib, such as my medium Platinum President, I find more of that “skating across the top” feel, highlighting the nib and paper interaction, which influences the perception of all our writing experiences. Add to that the usual differences in writing on the left hand page atop the stack of 65 or so filled sheets versus the harder, compressed, yet to be written sheets on the right. Whatever your particular preference or thoughts here — this is great paper for fountain pens.

img_7811Feathering, show through, or bleed are nowhere to be found, and I feel you’d have to use a very broad nib containing extremely saturated, very wet ink to change that to any great degree. You will be safe with most general writing pens. Dry time is commensurate with my Rhodia notepads, or a perhaps a touch faster with certain inks.

At this point I am probably meant to test and demonstrate numerous different pen types to illustrate how this paper handles them all (and I am thankful to those who do), however looking back through those 130 pages, I can find all of about three with non-fountain pen markings (Retro 51/Schmidt rollerball from a Baron Fig Squire out of interest). As you’d expect, handled with aplomb by the paper.

In a notebook bought on the basis of being great for fountain pens, that can hardly come as a surprise, and call this a “review” if you like, however this post is written merely as a reflection on how I’ve found using rather than “testing” — the Symphony notebook over the past few months.

In Use

One of the more common uses for my notebooks is to carry them on my lunch break, perch on a stool at the bar of my favourite cafe, and do some writing. Having purchased the Symphony notebook with this activity in mind, I soon found its suitability for the task was not quite spot on.

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With that iPad Air 2

The notebook itself is fantastic of course, however given its thickness, something as simple as the size of the spirals prevents it sitting nice and flat against my iPad Air 2 when carried together. A big deal? Hardly – though why bother when I don’t have to, particularly when there is plenty of flatness in say, the Baron Fig Vanguard of similar size (not thickness) which is currently fulfilling lunch break longhand duties.

Beyond such silly personal eccentricities, the Life Symphony No. 93 is what I’d consider a perfect desk book, where weight, thickness and spiral size matter less. It’s perfect for long form writing, with the A5 size constraining my hand, which at times can become a little unwieldy and careless on a larger sized page. Brief notes or meeting minutes – all perfect as well, however to me, a notebook like this begs for something a little grander. Perhaps some poetry, elegant prose, or even a your next novel.

In rounding things out here, I’d have to say from a construction and aesthetic perspective, the Symphony is more than well equipped to handle just about anything you could throw at it. Perhaps you’d see some wear and tear from repetitive backpack in/out cycles, though I think it would stand up pretty well.

Signing off

I’m certainly enjoying the quality of both overall construction and paper of this Symphony notebook from Life Stationery. It’s traditional without being staid; functional yet solid; and clean without feeling underdone or sparse. While it doesn’t suit my particular style of carry, it makes a fantastic desk notebook, and if you are someone who always uses a bag, my concerns are a moot point.

Whether a notebook like this represents value for money really comes down to how you personally value quality of construction and overall aesthetics. It is a notebook I consider represents excellent value for money, and would certainly buy one again – for my desk of course.