RResidents in Japan

Stationery; pens in particular.

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So, the wife asked for an advent calendar of stationery, “even just pens” for each day leading up to her birthday next month. And that is not an issue, walk into Loft or Hands, and pick out some 25 different pens, and I am done.

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Problem is, she is the stationery mogul. Even runs a side-hustle of selling good Japanese stationery overseas, and the whole house is loaded with stock for that. So I am pretty confident that she knows Loft/Hands entire product line, including near future releases.

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But maybe there are other places, not so mainstream, or some special brand/make of a pen that would be worth including. Or some unusual history with it. She might know it is special, even if I don’t. She likes them all, from Frixion, to Quills, to Glass pens. Doesn’t even need to be pens at that.

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Any pointers at what to check out, and definite-include items?

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24 comments

  1. What about some stuff from overseas? There might be some cool stuff she’s never seen before. Google and Amazon are your best bets I think.

  2. Check out hand-made pens on Etsy. There are a lot of different materials, styles and techniques that you will not find in mass-produced models. Some makers can also customize them for you (engraving, change of color, etc.)

  4. Would she be alright with fun but mid quality pens? I saw [these pens](https://www.f-b-i.co.jp/pen-and-stand) made from what would’ve been waste the other day at Loft.

    Another idea would be character merch. I, for example, love Donald Duck and most of my stationary is Donald Duck themed. You can find discontinued but new products online so you could get stationary with your wife’s favorite character(s) if she has any.

  5. It’s the thought that counts. You can get her kind of boring stuff for the first week, and gradually build up to the more exciting stuff. And it doesn’t have to be expensive!

    First, get her to agree to a no more buying stationery until her birthday. May be tough since it’s her business.

    Go into Loft or whatever & ask the clerks what’s brand new in stock.

    Also ask if they’ve got an old pen organizer you can have or buy. That’d be a great first gift! Ask if they have any ideas.

    Write to one of the hotels that marked a special occasion for you two (honeymoon, for example), and ask them to sell you a pen with their logo.

    Get a box of pencils with her name or your pet name for her. These personalized pencils were so popular when ai was a kid!

    One of the shrines in Tokyo has a set of fortune-telling pencils. Yushima Tenjin, I think. It’s a shrine for students, so I’m sure they’ll have some sort of lucky stationery.

    One of the museums in Ueno Park used to sell a pen with The Thinker on it. Great pen! Very elegant. They may still do. I think it’s the National Museum of Western Art. Right across the way from the zoo.

    Souvenir pen from her favorite site in Japan.

    And of course, one of the fancy status fountain pens that are more heirlooms than they are for everyday use, maybe for her birthday itself. Engraved.

    Oh, and maybe a coupon for calligraphy lessons or ballpen calligraphy lessons. A calligraphy book would also be nice. Or drawing. (There are some free “learn to draw” books on Wikimedia that you could print out and bind — even color in with funny comments in the margin.)

    Don’t overthink. It IS the thought that counts. You could buy 31 pencils with a goofy I love you sentiment on each one, and she may be thrilled.

  6. You can special order hanko pens online, which have a pen on one end and a customizable stamp on the other end. You can get it with her name, characters, etc.

    The Quirky Cup Collective (Australian) has some really pretty pens, though a little pricey and take time to ship.

  8. It is I, your wife. No really though I also ran a side hustle selling quality Japanese stationery for the last 5 years and the generic itoya and loft stuff isnt gonna cut it because, lets be honest, if she wanted them she already has them.

    Shinari (4nar1): quality leather goods for stationery. Their pen trays are excellent.

    The Superior Labor: again, leather goods and stationery adjacent. Get their leather notebook covers (not the zip organiser)

    Hobonichi in Tobichi: cute stationery and stationery adjacent stuff. My suggestion is the Stappa.

    Toyooka Craft: this is a hard one because theyre not easy to get, but are the holy grail of pen storage. Go to Maruzen in Nihonbashi and ask for Shinringaku.

    Ancora: exclusive stationery by Sailor, including a build your own pen experience for 4000¥~

    Asahiya Kami: a bit out of the way but good selection of papers

    Cute Things From Japan: also out of the way but good selection of general stationery.

    Kamihaku: 23 September in Asakusa for small creator made stuff

    Shumibun festival: 23 September in Harajuku. Higher end stationery stuff.

    PLOTTER: nice leather system techo

    Bungubox: fountain pens and exclusive inks

    Papertree: small but very nice calligraphy goods shop

    There’s more out there but i cant be bothered to type everything out. You can probably find a boat load of stuff from the list already.

  9. I was always surprised Faber-Castell had a store in Tokyo Midtown, because I thought they were basically a pencil shop. But they seem to have other things in addition to the pencils.

  10. I don’t know how much money she expects you to spend (other than twice as much as you actually do), but if it’s just pens, you’re on a hiding to nothing, I suspect.

    First, 30x the same cheap pen, then a real present, if you survive that long. I saw an episode of YOU where somebody went to Kyoto and toured round various shops and even made her own ink in one of them.

    Second, I liked the idea of items of sentimental value like Kitty Chan pen charms from places you’ve visited, although given the deadline it will be difficult.

    Third, hide your banjo and visit Hello Work (divorce department) 😁

  11. Maybe check out Etsy (online marketplace for handmade things)? Unless she frequently shops off there it’ll probably be unique and new to her

  12. You’re looking for older or unusual stuff, try entering “Stationary shops near me” and “Recycle shops near me” in google maps.

    You might find some weirder stuff at older. small stationary stores or at recycle shops (I got a pen made of a Nikka Whisky barrel for 200 JPY at a “House OFF” last month).

  13. i kinda understand where ur wife is coming from, what i can suggest is maybe get markers with interesting colors and shit.

    i paint a bit and while technically i can get by with the current colors i have, theres just something so satisfying about buying more colors just for the heck of it ( same colors of different brands too just for fun lol).

    oh and if she likes writing or drawing or whatever get some quality paper. i fucking love paper, maybe arches or something

  15. If she’s into fountain/dip pens: There are quite a few stationery shops in Tokyo that have store-exclusive ink colors/bottles (Shosaikan, ANGERS @ Tokyo Station, Kingdom Note in Shinjuku, Maruzen, Lichtope) … you could probably fill 3-5 spots in the calender with those.

  17. If she knows local stationery so well then you could try to surprise her with high quality foreign stationery from Levenger. They carry a lot of the standards like pens from Germany and Japan but they also have amazingly innovative stuff (notebook systems, leather goods, etc) not available in Japan. They also have lots of opportunities to personalize their goods with initials.

  18. Did she get any of the Anna Sui Frixion pens? What about her favorite ink colors?

    I like the Sarasa Vintage series. There is a cheaper line and a higher quality/cost version, and they come in a lot of nice colors.

  20. You can check out kickstarter creators, many of them have websites where they sell their pens after the project is finished. You can get some very unique and handmade pens from them.
    Of course you have to pay for shipping and wait for the pen but it’ll be less than two weeks usually.

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