I'll have to get those when I go to Japan, because the prices are outrageous in Europe 🤭 I'm especially curious about the Tsubame one, since my favourite ink (diamine writer's blood) has a gorgeous shading.
some EU retailers, including Pen Venture and Nomado, carry Tsubame, but the prices are a bit higher indeed. On the other hand, I'd think European brands like Rhodia are more affordable over there (pretty expensive here!).
I think Tsubame is my favorite current paper. I got hooked on them through their 'Tsubame Note Ink Collection Cards'. I've recently been buying their new (to USA?) A5 loose paper refills with the 6-ring hole punch.
Great video. I use the Muji spiral-bound notebooks a lot for my academic notes. They sell 3-packs of letter-sized spiral bound notebooks in Canada for under $15 cad, which is a great price for the amount of FP-friendly paper you get
Thanks, Jacob-most interesting and helpful (and artful). I remain most faithful to my first love, Midori MD, but discovering Tsubame last year left me wondering why I have this huge stash-pile of OG TRP!
Yes, yes, yes - Tsubame. Virtually as good as the higher priced Apica CD Notebook quality. The Tsubame A4 96 pages version has been my loyal companion for almost 30 years now. The video author, for all his balanced and carefully chosen praise, omits one key element - these recommendations apply to fountain pen users.
Thank you! Personally, I've had mixed results with Apica and other Nippon Note brands (Kyokuto, etc.) Tsubame's trusty university notebooks never disappoint, though. Yes, fountain pen fans have a harder time finding notebooks, but the recommendations here are obviously usable with other types of pens as well. I find Logical Air particularly nice to use with pencils, and my son does all his homework in Campus notebooks with pencils and ballpoints.
Great review, Jacob. I was really happy to see your endorsement of the Tsubame notebooks - I think they are under appreciated and an incredible value. I’ve tested them with a number of inks and they seem to be absolutely bulletproof with respect to feathering and bleedthrough. And the water-based ink used for lines is also a great touch. I have found that one has to be a little bit cautious with Tsubame, though - I recently ordered a 5-pack of A5 plain (i.e., unlined) notebooks, and it turned out not be the laid Fools paper, but a more run-of-the-mill wove paper that was not as fountain-pen-friendly as the University line of notebooks. Probably fine with gel pens and the like, though. I’d be curious to know if there is way to tell the Fools paper from the wove paper by product code. These A5 notebooks I bought have a product code of N2009. But all the University-line notebooks I’ve seen have codes starting with H, W, or Y. The cream notebooks, which also have fantastic paper, have codes starting with C. Google hasn’t turned up any info on how to interpret Tsubame’s products codes.
You're right, Tsubame also sells notebooks with what it calls "high-quality" paper (上質紙), which, despite what the name suggests, isn't nearly as good as Fools. Anything that says "フールス" has the good stuff. The best reference I know of is Tsubame's own product listing: www.tsubamenote.co.jp/product.html In short: Stay away from the A6 and B6 pocket notebooks as well as the A5 blank (白無地ノート) notebooks.
I still have an untouched LE Tsubame notebook from the Cygames fest. Wouldn't say the paper is all that good (although still on par with the budget options here in Russia), so it's mostly just used for photoshoots, because hey, dragon waifus. Kokyo though...I've tried a great many "top" japanese papers. Once the excitement dies down over the Tomoes and the Takasagos, the gel ring bound Kokyos are still my favorite notebooks, on par only with (or I guess, coupled with - due to size) the B5 TAG Some pads. Imo, both outperform the "peak" overindulging connoisseur stuff when it comes to just writing things down and not splashing ink around. Not sure if it's considered the top in the Kokyo lineup, but iirc they weren't all that pricey back in the day.
Yes, can't go wrong with Kokuyo. Those soft ring notebooks are some of my favorites as well. What I really wish for is a notebook with the Campus 'shikkari' paper, which currently is only available as A5 and B5 lined refills, for reasons unknown to me.
I found 2 dusty old Tomoe River notebooks tucked away on a shelf in Maruzen Kyoto. I sold one which covered more than the cost of both..if you don't account for the international flight and lodging..
This was wonderful. I use a lot of such notebooks for my research and teaching notes. I usually stock up on 5-packs of Muji and Campus… and some Apica CD ones. I will have to check out Tsubama and Nakabayashi. Where do you go for notebooks? Itoya Maruzen and Tokyu Hands often seem out of what I want. Happy new year and thanks for the video. MD and other notebooks are wonderful but I like a good price to feel starting a new notebook for a project. American notebooks are not at all FP friendly.
I also want to know the source. I don't like American notebooks, either. For me it's either Clairefontaine or, better still, Japanese notebooks. They never disappoint. I much prefer Japanese fountain pens to American or European ones. I just bought an Ellington and I regret it.
Thanks! Muji stores are everywhere here, and most stationery stores carry Campus and Tsubame. Logical Air can sometimes be more difficult to find, so I pick it up whenever I see it. Last time it was at an Aeon supermarket. Everything is available on Amazon as well, so that's always an option. Not as fun as buying in stores, though. Of the US retailers I mentioned, I think Jetpens has the biggest selection. They've been doing this for a while.
@@AndrewWertheimer one store that has an unexpectedly good assortment of notebooks is Yodobashi in Akihabara. I wouldn't go there just to buy stationery, but if you're heading there anyway to buy e.g. camera gear, I'd suggest taking a look at the stationery selection as well.
@ thanks for the good suggestion. I used to browse there often when I was more of a camera otaku and would transfer there to the Tsukuba Express. Yes there was less competition in the stationery section… st least years ago. Nice discussion on the podcast.
I mentioned in another comment an upcoming trip to Japan, so I'm curious if you'd be willing to make a video with stationary stores recommendations for notebooks and fountain pens? I've been googling but it's a bit hard even with a translator.
That's an interesting idea. Let me think about it. I do plan to do a short video about Okamotoya, a lesser-known one and probably my #1 destination for ink. For now: If you're in to paper, you definitely want to check out Kakimori in Kuramae, Tokyo.
Addendum about Muji paper:
th-cam.com/users/postUgkx5x2ggs3WWV_14BlduyKwO59OEIeSNYvc
Thanks for the paper review. Only those in the FP community can empathize the search for affordable FP paper.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
1) Kokuyo Campus
2) Kokuyo Smart Campus
3) Muji - Planting tree paper
4) Logical Air
5) Tsubame Universtity notebook
I'll have to get those when I go to Japan, because the prices are outrageous in Europe 🤭
I'm especially curious about the Tsubame one, since my favourite ink (diamine writer's blood) has a gorgeous shading.
@@Sphiyel yeah, very much not affordable over here :-(
some EU retailers, including Pen Venture and Nomado, carry Tsubame, but the prices are a bit higher indeed. On the other hand, I'd think European brands like Rhodia are more affordable over there (pretty expensive here!).
Thank you so much for this review. I appreciate learning about the history. I love, love, love, Japanese stationery!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I think Tsubame is my favorite current paper. I got hooked on them through their 'Tsubame Note Ink Collection Cards'.
I've recently been buying their new (to USA?) A5 loose paper refills with the 6-ring hole punch.
The planner refills are relatively new here as well. Good to see that they're expanding the lineup.
Great video. I use the Muji spiral-bound notebooks a lot for my academic notes. They sell 3-packs of letter-sized spiral bound notebooks in Canada for under $15 cad, which is a great price for the amount of FP-friendly paper you get
Thank you! Yes, Muji notebooks are great value. I also use the smaller A6 ones with dot grid and a elastic fastener.
Thanks, Jacob-most interesting and helpful (and artful). I remain most faithful to my first love, Midori MD, but discovering Tsubame last year left me wondering why I have this huge stash-pile of OG TRP!
Thank you! Yes, Tsubame is just amazingly good value, and there's something charming about the old-fashioned way they're made.
Thank you so much. I have ordered a Campus notebook to try. Happy New Year.
Happy new year! I hope you like it.
Yes, yes, yes - Tsubame. Virtually as good as the higher priced Apica CD Notebook quality. The Tsubame A4 96 pages version has been my loyal companion for almost 30 years now.
The video author, for all his balanced and carefully chosen praise, omits one key element - these recommendations apply to fountain pen users.
Thank you! Personally, I've had mixed results with Apica and other Nippon Note brands (Kyokuto, etc.) Tsubame's trusty university notebooks never disappoint, though.
Yes, fountain pen fans have a harder time finding notebooks, but the recommendations here are obviously usable with other types of pens as well. I find Logical Air particularly nice to use with pencils, and my son does all his homework in Campus notebooks with pencils and ballpoints.
Great review, Jacob. I was really happy to see your endorsement of the Tsubame notebooks - I think they are under appreciated and an incredible value. I’ve tested them with a number of inks and they seem to be absolutely bulletproof with respect to feathering and bleedthrough. And the water-based ink used for lines is also a great touch.
I have found that one has to be a little bit cautious with Tsubame, though - I recently ordered a 5-pack of A5 plain (i.e., unlined) notebooks, and it turned out not be the laid Fools paper, but a more run-of-the-mill wove paper that was not as fountain-pen-friendly as the University line of notebooks. Probably fine with gel pens and the like, though.
I’d be curious to know if there is way to tell the Fools paper from the wove paper by product code. These A5 notebooks I bought have a product code of N2009. But all the University-line notebooks I’ve seen have codes starting with H, W, or Y. The cream notebooks, which also have fantastic paper, have codes starting with C. Google hasn’t turned up any info on how to interpret Tsubame’s products codes.
You're right, Tsubame also sells notebooks with what it calls "high-quality" paper (上質紙), which, despite what the name suggests, isn't nearly as good as Fools. Anything that says "フールス" has the good stuff.
The best reference I know of is Tsubame's own product listing:
www.tsubamenote.co.jp/product.html
In short: Stay away from the A6 and B6 pocket notebooks as well as the A5 blank (白無地ノート) notebooks.
@@fudefan Thanks very much for that information! Very helpful.
All excellent choices!
Thanks for watching!
This is a wonderful video and list, thank you!
Thank you! Happy to hear that.
I still have an untouched LE Tsubame notebook from the Cygames fest. Wouldn't say the paper is all that good (although still on par with the budget options here in Russia), so it's mostly just used for photoshoots, because hey, dragon waifus.
Kokyo though...I've tried a great many "top" japanese papers. Once the excitement dies down over the Tomoes and the Takasagos, the gel ring bound Kokyos are still my favorite notebooks, on par only with (or I guess, coupled with - due to size) the B5 TAG Some pads.
Imo, both outperform the "peak" overindulging connoisseur stuff when it comes to just writing things down and not splashing ink around. Not sure if it's considered the top in the Kokyo lineup, but iirc they weren't all that pricey back in the day.
Yes, can't go wrong with Kokuyo. Those soft ring notebooks are some of my favorites as well. What I really wish for is a notebook with the Campus 'shikkari' paper, which currently is only available as A5 and B5 lined refills, for reasons unknown to me.
if you in the US, the Office Depot "professional" writing pad is not bad. The white one that is. Not bad at all.
Good to know -- thanks for sharing!
I found 2 dusty old Tomoe River notebooks tucked away on a shelf in Maruzen Kyoto. I sold one which covered more than the cost of both..if you don't account for the international flight and lodging..
Haha! Well done. Can't go wrong with OG Tomoe River.
This was wonderful. I use a lot of such notebooks for my research and teaching notes. I usually stock up on 5-packs of Muji and Campus… and some Apica CD ones. I will have to check out Tsubama and Nakabayashi. Where do you go for notebooks? Itoya Maruzen and Tokyu Hands often seem out of what I want. Happy new year and thanks for the video. MD and other notebooks are wonderful but I like a good price to feel starting a new notebook for a project. American notebooks are not at all FP friendly.
I also want to know the source. I don't like American notebooks, either. For me it's either Clairefontaine or, better still, Japanese notebooks. They never disappoint. I much prefer Japanese fountain pens to American or European ones. I just bought an Ellington and I regret it.
Thanks! Muji stores are everywhere here, and most stationery stores carry Campus and Tsubame. Logical Air can sometimes be more difficult to find, so I pick it up whenever I see it. Last time it was at an Aeon supermarket.
Everything is available on Amazon as well, so that's always an option. Not as fun as buying in stores, though.
Of the US retailers I mentioned, I think Jetpens has the biggest selection. They've been doing this for a while.
@@fudefan thanks got the suggestions. Ginza Itoya and Yokohama Itoya seem often to sell out of what I want. But yes Muji is all over. Thanks.
@@AndrewWertheimer one store that has an unexpectedly good assortment of notebooks is Yodobashi in Akihabara. I wouldn't go there just to buy stationery, but if you're heading there anyway to buy e.g. camera gear, I'd suggest taking a look at the stationery selection as well.
@ thanks for the good suggestion. I used to browse there often when I was more of a camera otaku and would transfer there to the Tsukuba Express. Yes there was less competition in the stationery section… st least years ago. Nice discussion on the podcast.
I mentioned in another comment an upcoming trip to Japan, so I'm curious if you'd be willing to make a video with stationary stores recommendations for notebooks and fountain pens? I've been googling but it's a bit hard even with a translator.
That's an interesting idea. Let me think about it. I do plan to do a short video about Okamotoya, a lesser-known one and probably my #1 destination for ink.
For now: If you're in to paper, you definitely want to check out Kakimori in Kuramae, Tokyo.
@@fudefan I definitely will, thank you for the suggestions!
I like to make my own notebooks, do you have any suggestions on affordable, loose leaf paper?
Take a look at Kokuyo's KB A4 sheets (KB-39N). Those are sold in packs of 500 sheets for around 20 USD and are said to be ink friendly.
Tsubame. Thank you for the tip. Campus is great, but … I'm not a student anymore. ;) I just don't like any of their designs.
Tsubame is great! Regarding Campus, there's also a "Campus Biz" lineup. Stylish black, navy, and gray notebooks.
@fudefan I haven't ever seen one that was attractive.