Stationery Goods in Japan
There are different types of stationery you can find at stores in Japan. Regardless of the fact that the world is becoming more of a paperless society, Japanese stationery is still developing. In Japan, you can find new stationery items at the store each year. The items listed in this article are good for office workers and students. They also make great gifts from Japan.
3 Reasons Why Japanese Stationery Develops
The developments in Japanese stationery are subtle. For example, a newly released mechanical pencil may require fewer clicks of the top because the lead lasts longer than the previous model. However, for people who use mechanical pencils for many hours every day such as students, this subtle progress surely makes a difference. There are 3 objectives that Japanese stationery companies are trying to achieve.
1. To Save Time as Much as Possible
This is easy to understand. An eraser that can erase writing faster is better. A mechanical pencil that can be used longer without having to push lead better. Saving time makes extra time to study or work more. It also helps you to not lose concentration. Japanese stationery companies have been trying to produce products that can save time from many perspectives: new materials, technologies, unique features, and so on.
2.To Make Doing Things Easier and More Convenient
You may have a few problems with the stationery you have. Japanese stationery companies are trying to eliminate the issues with new ideas. For example, an eraser that creates fewer eraser shavings, or a glue that sticks pieces of paper together right away without having to wait for it to dry. These items are easy to use, they help you to save time, and also reduce your stress while using them.
3.To Make Using Stationery Fun
Japanese stationery companies are also trying to create products that make our work or study more fun. You can imagine how stressful it is to study or work for many hours a day. Fun-looking products will make your life a little bit happier. For example, a stapler shaped like animals, or sticky notes with pretty images of dogs on it. These items may not incorporate new features, but fun ideas like that will make your work or study more enjoyable.
Where can you find stationery in Japan?
In Japan, stationery goods are usually sold at bookstores or stationery stores. They are also available at stores that sell general goods, such as Tokyu Hands, Loft, etc. You may not find many stationery items at small stores. If you want expensive stationery items or something specific, I recommend visiting large stores specializing in stationery: Maruzen Ikebukuro store, Itoya Ginza store, Sekaido Shinjuku store, and so on. They handle both reasonably priced and expensive items.
Top 10 stationery goods
The top 10 stationery items listed here are chosen based on unique features. As mentioned in 3 Reasons Why Japanese Stationery Develops, there are new stationery items that make our work and study easier in different ways. Both expensive and cheap items are introduced here because they are unique in their own ways. Many mechanical pencils and erasers are listed because in Japan, all students from elementary school to university use mechanical pencils the most.
1.Orenz Nero
Orenz Nero is a flagship model of the mechanical pencil brand ‘Orenz’. There are 2 features that outweigh other mechanical pencils. The first feature is that the lead hardly breaks while using it. You can probably relate to how distracting it is when the lead breaks. It takes away your time and concentration. Orenz mechanical pencils have the technology that prevents the lead from breaking by sliding the tip of the pencil as you write. It makes it possible to use thinner lead and write small letters, which is good for taking notes. Not only Orenz Nero, but other Orenz mechanical pencils have this technology.
Orenz Nero comes with a warranty.
The second feature is that Orenz Nero requires less clicking to keep writing. Thanks to this technology, the lead comes out automatically when you stop writing. Basically, it requires just one click to write until you consume a whole piece of lead. It saves a lot of time and maintains your concentration.
Price:3,300 yen
Variation:0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.5mm
Company: Pentel
Orenz
Orenz Nero is a lot more pricey because of the features, design, and material, but it is worth buying. Other Orenz mechanical pencils are more reasonably priced (Top: Orenz/Bottom: Oren Nero).
Price:550 yen (Prices vary depending on the model)
Variation:0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.5mm (Several colors and types available)
Company: Pentel
Delguard
There is another mechanical pencil, ’DelGuard’, produced by Zebra. It also prevents leads from breaking by using different technologies. I recommend you to choose whichever fits your hand better.
Price:495 yen (Prices vary depending on the model)
Variation:0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm (Several colors and types available)
Company: Zebra
2.Kuru Toga
Kuru Toga is a mechanical pencil that keeps the tip of the lead sharp while writing. You may have had the experience of the letters getting messy as you write because of the lead getting worn down.
Kuru Toga has a technology that makes the lead rotate a little when you write. It keeps the tip sharp and precise, so that the letters you write stay clear and easy to read.
Price:495 yen (Prices vary depending on the model)
Variation:0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm (Several colors and types available)
Company: Uni
3.Gloo Stick 色が消える(Color goes away)
Gloo stick is a glue stick that makes it easier to stick pieces of paper together. There are several features that make this item unique. Gloo stick is colored, so that you can see where you put the glue on. The color goes away once it dries out. Its square shape is also unique. Other glue sticks are round and roll off the desk easily. However, thanks to its shape, Gloo Stick does not roll and fall off. This square shape also makes it easy to put the glue on the very edge of the paper. With the square shape, you can use the edge to glue very small pieces of paper as well.
There are 2 other models for Gloo Stick. One does not leave wrinkles on paper after applying the glue and the other one sticks paper together very firmly.
Price:154 yen
Company: KOKUYO
4.Suiheibiraki Notebook
Suiheibiraki Notebook is a notebook that opens completely horizontally. When you open a regular notebook, it does not stay open unless you hold it with your hand or put a crease in it. With Suiheibiraki Notebook, you do not have that problem. Wherever you open it, it stays horizontal. It is possible to write on 2 full pages smoothly without any stress because the spine of the notebook is flat.
Regular notebook (Top)/ Suiheibiraki Notebook (Bottom)
Price:275 yen
Company: Showa Note
5.Air-in Plus Mt.Fuji Keshigomu
Air-in Plus Mt.Fuji Keshigomu is an eraser shaped like Mt.Fuji. At first glance, it looks like a regular eraser. However, once you start using it, you will see Mt.Fuji hidden inside of it. The look of it gets closer to Mt.Fuji as you use it. This product makes using an eraser enjoyable instead of time-consuming. It does not incorporate a lot of technologies, but it definitely has a positive effect on your work environment. The eraser itself contains some porous components to erase letters with a light touch.
Price:220 yen
Company: Plus
6.Zi-Keshi
Zi-Keshi is an eraser that also makes using an eraser easier and enjoyable. The unique thing about this eraser is that it includes iron powder. Thanks to the iron powder, it is easy to collect eraser shavings with the magnet attached to the eraser. The packages are well-designed; the collected shavings make them look fun!
Price:308 yen
Variation: Several package designs available
Company: KUTSUWA
7.Clear Radar Plastic Eraser
Clear Radar is an eraser with a simple but great feature. As the name implies, Clear Radar is transparent, not white. With a regular white eraser, you cannot see how much it is erasing. Sometimes it erases too much, which can be a pain. However, thanks to its transparency, you can see exactly how much you are eracing through Clear Radar.
Price:110 yen (Clear Radar 100)
Variation: Several sizes are available
Company: SEED
8.Uni Alfa-gel
Uni Alpha-Gel is a mechanical pencil with 2 outstanding features. Uni Alpha-Gel uses the material, ‘Alpha-Gel’, on the part you grip. Alpha-Gel is a soft, rubber-like material that absorbs impact well. Only less than an inch of Alpha-Gel can absorb the impact of a raw egg dropping from the 6th floor of a building, preventing it from cracking. Alpha-Gel's extraordinary softness helps you grip the Uni Alpha-Gel more firmly and comfortably. The other unique thing of Uni Alpha-Gel is that you do not click, but shake it. The lead comes out when you shake it up and down, so It is not necessary to reach to the top of the pencil and click it. In this way, it is possible to reload lead faster without any distraction.
Price:660 yen (Prices vary depending on the model)
Variation: Several colors and types available
Company: Uni
9.Blen
Blen is a ballpoint pen created to be stress-free. What kind of aspects stress you out when you use ballpoint pens? Some possibilities include: it does not fit your hand nicely, it makes a noise when clicking the top, or maybe the tip of the pen is unstable. Blen solves all of these problems. In order to stabilize the pen while you write, the center of gravity is closer to the tip. Using rubber material on the top helps reduce the loud clicking noise. A special component holds the lead in place, so the pen tip does not shake when writing. This item is good for people who use ballpoint pens often. It can definitely help your daily work.
Price:165 yen (Prices vary depending on the model)
Variation:0.5mm, 0.7mm (several ink colors available)
Company: ZEBRA
10.Soft Ring Note
Soft Ring Note is a type of notebook. Unlike a regular notebook, a ring notebook can be folded easier. Thanks to this feature, it is easy to handle when there is not enough space to open a notebook and take notes while standing. However, there are also cons to this item; because of the hard rings in the center, it is difficult to write around the center of the pages. Soft Ring Note solves the problem. As you can guess from its name, Soft Ring Note has rings in the center but they are soft. The notebook’s soft rings do not bother you when writing in the center. The rings are not metal, so it is also a lot lighter than a regular ring notebook.
Price:363 yen (Prices vary depending on the size)
Variation: Several types and sizes available
Company: KOKUYO