How to buy fountain pens from Japan without paying hefty reseller markups.

One of the best parts of this hobby is discovering small fountain pen makers who do amazing work. Here are four of my favorites.

And overview of Pilot’s nib sizes, from the humble steel nib on the Kakuno and Prera to the majestic Namiki size 50.

Graphilo and Tomoe River are great, but can be expensive and hard to come by. Here are a few more budget-friendly alternatives, all with high-quality paper.

Hobonichi just sent me a replacement 5-year planner. This one has the new paper with adjusted ink absorbency. I test the new paper and recap the problems with this year’s Hobonichi planners

Ink maker Tono & Lims’s Christmas Party is one of the biggest stationery events in Japan.

Pilot recently introduced their latest addition to the Kakuno lineup - the Madoromi color series.

2022 was the year when stationery got more expensive, a new ink trend emerged, and traditional pen makers joined the dip pen craze.

2021 was the year when people went back to in-store events, Sailor kicked into high gear, Pilot woke up, glass pens became unobtainable, and a North American ink brand challenged Tono & Lims.

Kohei Kubo is over 90 years old and still makes his own nibs, in his workshop in Tokyo. He’s behind some of the most extreme nibs ever made, and also taught Tohma how to make nibs.