Tokyo’s Wonderful World of Stationery

Japanese stationery has a reputation for quality and craftsmanship around the world. Most downtown areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku have at least one large department store dedicated to pens, pencils, and all kinds of office supplies. In less busy areas you can often find small independent stores selling original stationery and carefully selected products from Japan and abroad. Many of these smaller stores are in eastern Tokyo, where wholesalers and craftsmen have a strong presence.

Kakimori: Stationery Just for You

Kakimori is a colorful store located between Asakusa and Akihabara, which emphasizes the importance of slowing down, clearing your desk, and putting pen to paper. The store has a bright, open interior. Stationery is carefully arranged throughout the store, giving each pen room to shine. Customers can try out different pens and types of paper to find the right combination for a smooth writing experience. Kakimori has an original line of pens, and a curated selection of international and domestic writing instruments. Standouts include Tetzbo, rugged metal pens handmade in Japan. Customers can mix their own ink or assemble their own notebook, which could provide the perfect souvenir for yourself or a present for someone special.

Goat: Stories in Stationery

Goat is a small, charming stationery store with a wide selection of historically important goods. It is located in Sendagi, less than a ten-minute walk from Nezu-jinja Shrine. The owner has a background in the design industry, having worked with various makers such as Life, a highly-regarded stationery brand also available in the store. The careful selection of goods reflects the owner’s love for good design and the history behind it. Each product on display comes with a story, from pushpins made with recycled vinyl to conserve metal in the postwar period, to mt masking tape, a popular line of cute, patterned tapes made by Kamoi, a company which started out selling flypaper. The shop carries vintage stationery no longer in production, like a glass dip pen with excellent ink retention devised by a wind chime maker. Goat has collaborated with illustrator Masco Eri to produce a line of original products, including a stamp which creates the effect of lined paper or stickers riffing off the silhouettes seen on road signs, filling them in with heartwarming illustrations. The products are noted for their practical reliability, and many are proudly “Made in Tokyo.”

Kokuyodoors: A Stationery Staple

Kokuyo is a household name in Japan, which has been in business since 1905. Their distinctive monochrome “Campus” notebooks are popular with students all over Japan. While their notebooks can be found in stores throughout the country, the store in Haneda Airport Garden is directly operated by Kokuyo. Located on the second floor of this new lifestyle complex at Haneda’s Terminal 3, the subdued interior is packed with colorful stationery, from sketchbooks to staplers. Kokuyodoors has various exclusive products, such as a version of the classic Campus notebook accented with traditional Japanese patterns. Products range from aesthetic to clever, such as tape accented with cherry blossoms and hot springs to remind you of your trip. Or a pair of scissors that scissors that transform into a box cutter to master the task of opening boxes. Take a piece of Japan with you on the way out the door.

Kakimori

Goat

Kokuyodoors

For up-to-date information on opening hours and further details please check the official websites.