Pencils

When it comes to pencils, not all graphite is created equal. The kind of work you're planning to do — whether it's precise technical drawing or free-flowing journalling — can be hugely influenced by the grade of graphite you choose. Blackwing pencils are renowned for offering four distinct graphite grades, each engineered for a different kind of creative work. In this guide, we'll walk you through every core Blackwing pencil, what makes each one unique, and how to choose the right one for you. And if you're looking for something a little more special, we'll cover the Blackwing Volumes limited edition range too.

Blackwing Natural Pencil - Extra-Firm

Blackwing 602 Pencil - Firm

Blackwing Pearl Pencil - Balanced Graphite

Blackwing Matte Pencil - Soft

Blackwing Volumes — Limited Edition Pencils

Selecting a Blackwing pencil doesn't have to be a daunting task. Think about what you need — precision, versatility, expressiveness, or a touch of collector's magic — and there's a Blackwing graphite grade perfectly tailored for that need. Happy writing and sketching!

Japan produces some of the finest stationery in the world. The paper is smoother, the pens are more precisely engineered, and the notebooks are designed with a care and attention to detail that most Western equivalents simply can't match. But with so many brands now available in the UK, it can be hard to know where to start.

We've been stocking Japanese stationery since day one — we were the first shop in the UK to stock the Midori Traveler's Notebook, and the first in Europe to stock Hobonichi. This is our honest guide to the brands we think are worth your attention, and why.

Notebooks & Planners

Hobonichi — The Planner That Changed Everything

If you've heard of one Japanese stationery brand, it's probably Hobonichi. The Hobonichi Techo — "techo" simply means planner in Japanese — is a cult object. It's printed on Tomoe River paper so thin it's almost translucent, yet so fountain-pen-friendly that ink sits on the surface without bleeding. The Techo Original fits in a pocket. The Cousin is A5. The Weeks is a slim weekly planner. The cover system is entirely interchangeable, so collectors swap covers like jacket covers on a book.

Hobonichi releases a new cover range every year in July for the following year. They sell out fast. We've stocked them since before most UK shops knew what they were — and we still sell more Hobonichi than almost anyone else in the UK.

Best for: Daily journaling, planning, anyone who takes their planner seriously.
Start with: The Techo Cousin A5 if you want space, the Original A6 if you want portability.

Midori & Traveler's Company — The Original Refillable Notebook

Midori created the Traveler's Notebook in 2006 and invented a category in the process. The concept is brilliantly simple: a leather cover, an elastic band, and refillable inserts that you choose yourself — blank, lined, grid, watercolour, kraft. You build the notebook you need rather than buying a new one.

The brand later spun off as Traveler's Company, but remains part of the Midori family. Their brass accessories, rubber stamps, and limited edition inserts have made them one of the most collected stationery brands in the world.

Midori itself continues as a broader stationery brand — their MD notebooks use MD Paper, a cream-toned writing paper developed specifically to perform beautifully with fountain pens and other liquid inks.

Best for: People who want a notebook system they can make their own.
Start with: The Traveler's Notebook Starter Kit in Camel or Black.

Stalogy — The Minimalist's Choice

Stalogy is made by Sonic, a Japanese stationery manufacturer, and it's one of the best-kept secrets in the notebook world. Their Editor's Series 365 Days Notebook is a perpetual undated diary — you start it whenever you like and it lasts a full year. The paper is 80gsm tomoe river-weight with a subtle grid, the binding lies completely flat, and the whole thing costs less than a Leuchtturm.

If you want a serious everyday notebook without paying Hobonichi prices, Stalogy is the answer.

Best for: Minimalists, bullet journalers, fountain pen users on a budget.
Start with: The Stalogy 365 Days Notebook B6.

Life Stationery — Craftsmanship Since 1949

LIFE is one of Japan's oldest stationery manufacturers, still making notebooks by hand in Tokyo. Their paper — especially the Noble and Pistachio ranges — is a favourite among serious writers for its exceptionally smooth surface and excellent fountain pen performance. LIFE notebooks feel like artefacts: cloth-covered, sewn-bound, built to last.

Best for: Writers, fountain pen collectors, anyone who values craft over flash.
Start with: The LIFE Noble Notebook A5 Lined.

Tsubame Notebooks — Tokyo's Workshop Notebook

Tsubame notebooks have been made in Tokyo since 1950 and are the notebook of choice for Japanese students, architects, and writers. The paper is Japanese-made, cream-toned, and optimised for smooth ink flow. They're inexpensive, unpretentious, and brilliant — the kind of notebook that gets filled rather than saved for a special occasion.

Best for: Everyday use, people who write a lot and don't want to spend a fortune per notebook.

Fountain Pens & Inks

Sailor — Japan's Most Respected Pen Maker

Founded in Hiroshima in 1911, Sailor is one of Japan's three great fountain pen houses alongside Pilot and Platinum. Their nibs are hand-ground and widely considered the finest in Japan — the 21-karat gold nib on the Pro Gear and 1911 models is extraordinarily smooth. Sailor also produces some of the most sought-after bottled inks in the world, including their legendary Irori and the Shikiori seasonal collections.

The Sailor Pro Gear Slim is one of the best daily-carry fountain pens at its price point, full stop.

Best for: Fountain pen enthusiasts, ink collectors, gift buyers who want to give something genuinely special.
Start with: The Sailor Pro Gear Slim with a medium nib and a bottle of Sailor Ink Studio.

Platinum — Engineering First

Platinum is the quieter, more understated member of Japan's big three pen makers — less fashionable than Sailor, less prolific than Pilot, but arguably the most technically innovative. Their Slip & Seal cap mechanism keeps the nib airtight for months, meaning you can leave a Platinum uncapped in a drawer and it will start writing immediately when you pick it up. The Preppy is the best entry-level fountain pen on the market at any price. The Century 3776 is one of the world's great everyday fountain pens.

Best for: People who want reliability above all else.
Start with: Platinum Preppy to try fountain pens, the Century 3776 to fall in love with them.

Pilot — The World's Bestselling Fountain Pen Maker

Pilot makes more fountain pens than anyone else on earth — and their Metropolitan is the benchmark entry-level fountain pen that every other manufacturer is measured against. But Pilot's real treasure is their Iroshizuku ink range: 24 colours named after Japanese landscapes and natural phenomena, each one beautifully saturated and incredibly well-behaved in any pen. Their Custom Heritage 92 is a demonstrator-style pen with a piston filler that's prized by serious collectors.

Best for: Everyone from beginners to serious collectors.
Start with: Pilot Metropolitan + a bottle of Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo (moonlit night — a teal-green that has to be seen to be believed).

Kuretake — The Brush Pen Masters

If you're interested in calligraphy, illustration, or brush lettering, Kuretake is the name to know. Based in Nara — the historical centre of Japanese ink-making — Kuretake has been producing inks and brushes since 1902. Their Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens are the tool of choice for watercolourists and hand-letterers worldwide. Their Bimoji brush pens give beginners genuine calligraphic control without years of practice.

Best for: Calligraphy, brush lettering, illustration, watercolour journaling.

Washi Tape & Desk Accessories

MT Masking Tape — The Original Washi Tape

MT — short for Masking Tape — is the brand that made washi tape a global phenomenon. Based in Okayama, they've been making decorative masking tape since 2008 when a group of craft fans asked the factory if they could have their industrial tape in pretty colours. The rest is stationery history.

MT tape is made from washi (Japanese paper made from plant fibres), which gives it a slight texture, a matte finish, and the ability to be repositioned without tearing the paper beneath. They release hundreds of limited edition designs each year — geometric, floral, illustrated, collaborations with artists and museums. Collecting MT is a rabbit hole in the best possible way.

Best for: Journaling, bullet journaling, gift wrapping, planners, anyone who wants to make their desk more beautiful.
Start with: The MT 15mm Basic Colour set for everyday use, then go down the rabbit hole from there.

Hightide & Penco — Smart Design, Honest Prices

Hightide is a Fukuoka-based stationery brand with a knack for taking everyday desk objects and making them just a bit smarter and a bit more charming. Their sub-brand Penco produces the Bullet Pencil (a pocket-sized mechanical pencil that extends like a telescope), the Prime Timber (a brass mechanical pencil that looks like a wooden pencil), and a range of desk accessories that look far more expensive than they are.

Best for: Desk organisation, gifts, people who want Japanese design sensibility without Japanese prices.

Midori Accessories — Stamps, Clips & Craft Tools

Beyond notebooks, Midori makes some of the most charming desk accessories available. Their rotating rubber stamp sets, brass paper clips, and adhesive tape dispensers are the kind of objects you put on your desk and smile at every time you reach for them. Their craft tools — bone folders, corner rounders, letter openers — are built to last a lifetime.

The Brands Worth Knowing: A Quick Reference

Here's a cheat sheet for anyone who wants a quick overview before diving deeper:

• Hobonichi — Planners. The best in the world at what they do.
• Midori / Traveler's Company — Refillable notebooks, MD Paper, desk accessories.
• Stalogy — Minimalist notebooks. Underrated, affordable, excellent.
• Life Stationery — Handmade notebooks. 75 years of craftsmanship.
• Tsubame — Tokyo workshop notebooks. Everyday workhorse.
• Sailor — Fountain pens and inks. Japan's finest nib-grinders.
• Platinum — Fountain pens. The most technically innovative of the big three.
• Pilot — Fountain pens and Iroshizuku inks. Something for everyone.
• Kuretake — Brush pens and inks. The calligrapher's choice.
• MT Tape — Washi tape. The original and still the best.
• Hightide / Penco — Smart desk accessories at honest prices.

Where to Start If You're New to Japanese Stationery

The honest answer: start with paper. Buy a Stalogy notebook, a Life Noble, or a pack of Tomoe River loose sheets and write on them with whatever pen you already own. You'll immediately feel the difference — the smoothness, the way ink sits and flows. That's the gateway drug.

Then, if you use a planner, look at Hobonichi. If you want a notebook system you can customise, look at Traveler's Notebook. If you're already a fountain pen user, get a bottle of Iroshizuku or Sailor Shikiori ink and watch your existing pen come alive.

You don't need to buy everything at once. Japanese stationery rewards slow discovery.

If you use a fountain pen, the notebook you write in matters as much as the pen itself. We've put together a dedicated guide to the best notebooks for fountain pens — covering paper weight, bleed resistance, and which Japanese notebooks perform best with liquid inks.

Browse our full Japanese stationery collection →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Japanese stationery brands are available to buy in the UK?

The Journal Shop stocks over 25 Japanese brands with UK-held stock and free delivery over £35. Key brands include Hobonichi, Midori, Traveler's Company, Stalogy, Life Stationery, Tsubame, Sailor, Pilot, Platinum, Kuretake, MT Masking Tape, Hightide, and Penco. All orders ship from the UK — no customs delays or import charges.

What is the best Japanese notebook brand?

It depends what you need. For a daily planner, Hobonichi is the undisputed choice. For a refillable system, Traveler's Notebook. For pure paper quality, Life Stationery or Tsubame. For minimalist everyday use, Stalogy. For fountain pen users specifically, anything using Tomoe River or MD Paper.

Why is Japanese paper better for fountain pens?

Japanese paper is typically made to tighter quality tolerances than Western equivalents, with a smoother surface and better ink absorption properties. Paper from brands like Tomoe River, MD Paper, Life Noble, and Tsubame shows less feathering (where ink spreads along paper fibres), less bleed-through (ink showing on the back of the page), and gives fountain pen inks more time to dry with better colour saturation. It's not magic — it's manufacturing precision.

Is Hobonichi worth the price?

Yes. The Techo Original retails at around £25–30 and will last you an entire year of daily use. On a per-day basis it's one of the most affordable premium stationery purchases you can make. The quality of the paper, the flat-lie binding, and the interchangeable cover system justify the price. The real cost is the covers — but you don't need to buy those.

What is washi tape and which brand is best?

Washi tape is a decorative masking tape made from Japanese washi paper — a traditional paper made from plant fibres including bamboo, hemp, and rice. It's slightly textured, repositionable, and writes on cleanly. It's used in journaling, bullet journaling, planner decoration, gift wrapping, and general craft. MT (Masking Tape) is the original maker and still produces the widest and best range — hundreds of designs, reliably high quality, and widely available in the UK through The Journal Shop.

Calm your space with five minimalist stationery picks from The Journal Shop. Simple, tactile tools for clearer thinking, gentler writing, and a slower kind of productivity.