I tested Sanzen Paper’s soon-to-be-released Tomoe River successor, using extra broad and calligraphy nibs, with chromo-shading and sheening inks, and compared it to both “old” and “new” Tomoe River.

Epigram is a stylish acrylic pen with a sterling silver band, made by a boutique pen maker in Turkey.

Tomoe River techo, DP (Plotter) paper, Kokuyo Thin Paper (Jibun Techo), and other planner papers compared.

Designed by a precision engineering company in rural Japan, Drillog is a stainless steel dip pen with glass nib-like ink channels that hold plenty of ink. While currently only sold in Japan, Drillog will soon be available overseas via a Kickstarter campaign.

What is going on with Tomoe River? Is it still being produced? What about the 68 gsm paper? Read and find out! I contacted both Sakae and Tomoegawa.

Fukushima-based retailer and stationery cafe Pentonote’s newly released Koseki Yuji Music Pen is a stylish, store-exclusive Pilot pen based on the Custom Heritage 912.

2020 was the year of online events, glass pens, pocket pens, e-commerce, and pastel-colored chromo-shading inks.

Japan’s biggest pen club commissioned a turquoise Platinum 3776, based on the standard Nice model, in 2018. It sold out fast.

Fenestro is Fine Writing International’s latest model: An acrylic, eyedropper-friendly cartridge-converter pen with an ink window and spring-loaded cap.

Sailor’s Theta pens, released in 1996, were inspired by a spiritual concept called hado. The nibs were said to be treated by a hado specialist and purportedly had mysterious health benefits.