Japan Trip Journal: Days 2 and 3 (Stationery, Stationery, and More Stationery)

I’ve now spent two days in Tokyo, although I’m operating at half-speed due to jet lag and relying on adrenaline to carry me through. As you will see from the pictures here, we’ve visited several of the major Tokyo Stationery Stores, including Itoya and Maruzen; the Sailor boutique Ancora; and a handful of smaller market-stall stores. We also stopped by the TRAVELER’s Factory Store and the Tokyo Starbucks Reserve Store (known for its TRAVELER’s Company collaborations and special edition stationery products). To be honest, the past couple of days have been overwhelming, without much time to digest everything I’ve seen into a comprehensive post. Tokyo easily has more stationery than any city I’ve ever visited, so for now, enjoy some pictures I managed to snap. More to come!

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The flagship Itoya store has a diorama featuring a model of their original storefront. There’s been a big history component to this trip in addition to pure shopping.

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Yes, that is an entire wall of 6-ring binder refills.

We spent a Saturday afternoon exploring a market area with a local fountain pen enthusiast who was kind enough to show us around! Several of the stalls featured fountain pens - mostly modern and late-vintage pens.

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A case full of fountain pens in one market stall.

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I managed to pick up another now-discontinued Pilot Capless in the Japan-only Mustard Yellow color, with the special alloy nib.

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We had to wait in line to enter the TRAVELER’S Store. Demand doesn’t seem to be slowing down globally….

These glass pens were mostly house exclusives to Tsutaya Books, located near the TRAVELER’S Factory Store.

Don’t forget our memorial day weekend sale!

Through Monday evening (5/25), take 10% off Paper and Ink in our online shop using “TOKYO10” at checkout. We are also open in the Nashville store regular hours, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-5pm Saturday. Be sure to come by and say hello to Lisa and Nick!

In addition to our physical store, the Gentleman Stationer is supported by online purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. For more Japan store visits, haul posts, and just some general commentary and observations from a place I’ve never visited before, be sure to follow the TGS Instagram and YouTube accounts!

Weekly Drops: New Lamys, Zebra Sarasas, and a Holiday Weekend Sale! Take 10% off Paper and Ink!

I’m getting settled during my travels and regular posting will resume tomorrow, but the team in Nashville is busy making sure all orders are going out and holding down the fort at the shop. Through Monday evening (5/25), take 10% off Paper and Ink in our shop using “TOKYO10” at checkout. We are open in the Nashville store regular hours, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-5pm Saturday. Come by and say hello to Lisa and Nick!

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As for this week’s drops, check out the following new Lamy Safaris and more! We continue to add new products, including thousands of Zebra gel pens that arrived in recent days. We’ve also recently added new leather products from Craft Design Technology, including portfolios, clutches, and card holders. Enjoy!

1. Lamy Safari Special Edition Neon Pink and Neon Yellow. The new Lamy Safaris are here, in both Neon Pink and Neon Yellow! in addition to the fountain pens, we have the rollerballs and ballpoints and mechanical pencils.

2. Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pens (Standard Line). The Zebra Sarasa Clip gel pen line offers over 20 different ink colors and four different tip sizes. If you’re looking for a specific shade, you should be able to find it here!

3. Zebra Sarasa Clip Gel Pens (Milk and Decoshine Line). The “Milk” and “Decoshine” Sarasa colors are designed to write on either white or black paper.

4. Pilot Frixion Waai Erasable Gel Pens. Now available individually, the Frixion Waai pens combine a .5mm tip with Pilot’s erasable Frixion ink technology. We have up to 8 colors, all of which are available individually.

5. Craft Design Technology Leather Cases. We’ve expanded our selection of CDT leather accessories to include a set of clutch cases, card holders, and more!

6. Blackwing Volume 343 Pencils. Inspired by the classic T.V. test patterns, Blackwing’s latest release features their extra-firm graphite, the same as contained in the Blackwing Natural pencil.

7. Lochby Field Binder 6-Ring Binders. Lochby’s new 6-ring binder systems have been a hit, both the binders themselves and the 6-ring Tomoe River 68g refills.

8. Lochby Field Sling A5 Pouch. The popular Lochby A5 Field Sling is back in stock, in all colors. I kind of wish I had brought one of these with me to Tokyo as a secondary carry device, actually.

9. Kaweco Sport Rollerballs and Ballpoints. We’ve added rollerball and ballpoint options to our Kaweco Sport lineup, so you can create a matching set as you like.

10. TWSBI ECO Bahama Yellow Restock. We’ve received a shipment of additional Bahama Yellow fountain pens, as well as more TWSBI Diamond 580 and ECOs in styles and nib sizes that have been out of stock.

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Japan Trip Journal: Day One (Travel Day)

And we’re off! This will be my last dispatch from the U.S. before we land in Japan in approximately 20 hours. I say “approximately” because departure has been delayed out of LAX for two hours, but at least we have some time to catch up and decompress. (This is a three-layover, 25+ hour journey, which I’ve not done in many, many years.)

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My everyday pen case for this trip will be my Rickshaw Fillmore, and my everyday notebook a TGS_25 Roterfaden (we hope to have more this summer).

So here’s where things stand, stationery-wise. I posted earlier that I was considering a two-pen carry. That did not happen, though I did thin out my notebooks a bit and made my bag a bit lighter. You can read more about how I chose my gear for this trip in last week’s post, but future posts will focus more on new discoveries.

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I added another fountain pen for the trip - a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 - as well as a few gel pens.

Despite a busy schedule, I plan to do regular trip updates, even if they might not be daily. You can expect store visits, haul posts, and just some general commentary and observations from a place I’ve never visited before. Stay tuned, and also watch the TGS Instagram and YouTube accounts!

Things will remain business as usual in Nashville while I’m gone! Come see TGS in our Nashville showroom, open regular hours this week (Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday 10am-5pm).

New Arrivals: Zebra Sarasa Clips in ALL the Colors, Plus Pilot Frixion Waai!

I may be leaving for Japan tomorrow morning, but that doesn’t mean new arrivals aren’t still flooding into the shop. Coincidentally, we just received a massive shipment of Japanese gel pens, including the Zebra Sarasa Clips in 20 different colors and four tip sizes (.3mm, .4mm, .5mm, and .7mm), as well as the “Milk” and “Decoshine” collections in .5mm. The latter are perfect for writing on black paper, such as these Black Edition Notepads from Craft Design Technology!

We also have a restock of the erasable Pilot Frixion Waai, now available in individual colors instead of a five-pack. There are eight new pens, with the Black, Bronze, and Cherry additions being particularly legible and well-saturated for Frixions. Enjoy!

Come see these and more in our Nashville showroom, open regular hours this week (Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday 10am-5pm).

Sunday Reading for May 17, 2026

1. TGS Mystery Box May 2026 - What Did I Get? (via dwrdnet). Derek unboxes the first Curated Box of 2026! As a note, the box shown in this video is one of the curated stationery boxes that we do every few months through our Patreon program, which are distinct from the Mystery boxes we currently have on offer in our clearance section.

2. At the Swap Meet (via Typewriter Revolution). A fun event for typewriter enthusiasts, as people thin out their collections.

3. Unplug and Get Off Grid For a While: Tactile Turn’s Newest Seasonal Design Pen (via Inkdependence). Since I’m going on Japan, I need to be on a no-buy for the next three days, but this one is hard to resist. Maybe when I get back….

4. The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword…the Conway Stewart Indiana Jones (via Figboot on Pens). I typically dislike movie collaboration as well - just not my thing - but this one is well-executed.

5. Video Review: Pilot Custom Heritage 91 (via Scrively). Did an orange Custom Heritage 91 just go on my Japan shopping list?

6. What’s in the Bag for Stationery Park? (via Pen Addict). Kimberly’s off to another stationery show adventure and show’s us what she’s bringing along. I love a good bag dump video.

7. Pen Show Schedule - Updated! (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana runs what is probably the most comprehensive pen show calendars on the internet. I agree with her point that there really is no “pen show season” anymore - there’s something happening year-round!

8. Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink Review (via Pen Addict). The Platinum “Classic” series are some of the more interesting inks out there by virtue of the fact that they contain iron gall, which as Sarah points out allows them to be both permanent and shade.

In Case You Missed It…

It’s been busy around here getting ready for what I hope is an epic two weeks away! This past week we released Episode 9 of On The Paper Trail, which includes a discussion of the On The Paper Trail Live Event that will take place in Nashville October 16-18. (Tickets are now on sale and hotel information is also live.) I spent most of yesterday on back-office matters, including updating a new “Events” page that contains information on which pen shows and other events we will be attending for the rest of the year.

This Week in The T.G.S. Curated Shop (And Last Call for Mystery Boxes)

Our goal for this week was to get all of our inventory backlog processed before I’m out of the country, so that my colleagues don’t have to deal in my absence. :) In addition to the new Lamy Safaris in Neon Yellow and Neon Pink, we now have Pilot Metropolitan fountain pens, rollerballs, and ballpoints, the entire lineup of Zebra Sarasa Clip gel pens, new Lochby 6-ring binders, and a whole lot more! Finally, all mystery boxes will be removed from the shop this evening at 5pm CT. Last Call!

Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of the new arrivals, and these posts will continue for the next two weeks since I’m on a work trip, not vacation.

Kaweco

Lochby

Craft Design Technology

Zebra Sarasa

As a reminder, the online store will continue to be open with orders shipping regularly, and our Nashville showroom will remain open regular hours (Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday 10am-5pm) during my absence. Please be patient if we do take a bit longer to respond to e-mails and social media inquiries due to travel.

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.