Complementary Notebook Systems and Stationery: Yamamoto Bullet Jotters

Of all the notebook systems, planners, and related products on the market, what I really appreciate is a brand or system that doesn’t lock you into a specific format, allowing you to experiment with different types of paper and to mix-and-match refills. It’s a big reason why I like flexible cover-based systems like the Lochby Field Journal series, the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter, and binder and disc-based systems that you can really unlock by buying a hole punch and using whatever paper you choose. In my Notebook Systems 101 workshops that I’ll be holding at the upcoming D.C. Pen Show next week, how different planner and notebook systems interact and complement one another will be a major topic of discussion.

View fullsize

To that end, I wanted to spotlight a new product from Yamamoto Paper: The “Bullet Jotter,” which is a Personal/Bible-sized notepad holder that can be used as a stand-alone product or as a companion to a Bible-sized binder from brands such as Plotter. This small portfolio measures roughly 4.5” x 7.2”, lies completely flat, and holds two pads of Bible-sized paper (one pad of Soliste and another of Sheep Clouds Bond are included). You can use the notepads as is, and the paper can also be hole-punched for filing, as shown below in my Plotter.

View fullsize

View fullsize

I used a Carl/Plotter hole punch to add the sheet of Sheep Clouds Bond to my Bible-size Plotter.

Yamamoto, a Japanese paper distributor, has sourced six different Japanese papers to fit the Bullet Jotter (or to use as individual notepads). In addition to the Soliste and Sheep Clouds Bond, there are pads of Sanzen Tomoe River, Canopus, Meringue, and Slight White. Some of these already have been made available in Yamamoto’s sampler packs and A4 looseleaf sets, but Canopus and Meringue are new papers that I look forward to exploring.

View fullsize

As of this morning you can get the Yamamoto Bullet Jotter, refills, and plenty of other Yamamoto papers in our shop. We’re somewhat frantically trying to get a ton of new inventory listed before the D.C. Show, and these might come with us. Please note that we are open today (Saturday) for in-person shopping, and will be open Thursday for limited hours before closing next weekend for D.C. You can keep track of updated hours here.

TRAVELER's Notebook vs. Yamamoto Ro-Biki: What's the Difference?

Since I’m becoming something of a notebook system specialist (Check out our new resource here!), I sometimes get questions about how the different systems compare to one another. While the Traveler’s Notebook is the most widely known “tall narrow” notebook format, there’s another option out there: The “Ro-Biki Note” series of notebooks from Yamamoto Paper. Online photos can create the perception that these two systems are related and/or interchangeable, and that’s not necessarily the case. Here are a few key differences:

View fullsize

The Ro-Biki canvas cover is actually more of a wrap. It ships with a velcro strap that not only closes the cover but also allows you to secure pens and other accessories in the outside pocket.

• Different Measurements. While both Traveler’s Notebook and Ro-Biki are the same height (8.25”), the Traveler’s refill notebooks are roughly 4.25” wide, and Ro-Biki notebooks are 3.75” wide. This means that Ro-Biki notebooks will fit in a standard-size Traveler’s Notebook cover but a Traveler’s refill will be too wide for the Ro-Biki canvas cover (unless you trim the Traveler’s refill down).

• Different Paper. Both brands use excellent paper that works well with a wide range of writing instruments - including fountain pens. Traveler’s Company mostly uses Midori MD paper for its standard refills (both companies share the same corporate parent), while also offering a wider range of options including watercolor, sketch, and ultralight Tomoe River paper. For the Ro-Biki notebooks, Yamamoto has chosen a soft cream-colored paper that I’ve seen identified as either “Chiffon Cream” or “Soliste” (which is one of the select papers in Yamamoto’s latest round of A4 packs). Again, both brands use good paper and this will come down to personal preference.

• Different Build/Aesthetics. Traveler’s Company uses a cord-based system to hold the refills inside a basic leather cover that closes with an elastic band. The Ro-Biki is a bit more unique, in that Yamamoto has commissioned a cotton canvas cover that incorporates a zippered case and pockets along the outside. If you enjoy the Ro-Biki paper and notebook dimensions, you might find that the Ro-Biki also offers more built-in functionality out of the box, though this comes at the expense of customization. Those looking to avoid leather might also prefer the Yamamoto option.

View fullsize

I might take a Ro-Biki to the beach next week, since I can take it to the pool and down to the water without worrying about water getting splashed on leather.

View fullsize

Sorry, some of my writing had to be blurred here, for personal reasons.

View fullsize

Ro-Biki notebooks attach to the canvas cover by sliding the back cover of one notebook into a pocket, and then attaching additional notebooks to the “anchor notebook” using two supplied rubber bands, which are very thin and unobtrusive. Oh, and can we also get a shout-out for reticle grid? It’s one of the more underutilized rulings, IMHO.

View fullsize

Regardless of which stationery pouch I’m carrying, I have post-it notes, stamps, and document flags with me.

Takeaways and My Personal Thoughts

Traveler’s Notebook and Yamamoto Ro-Biki Note are different products that I suspect will appeal to different users. Traveler’s Notebook is more of a truly customizable system/system techo, while I’d characterize Ro-Biki as a notebook with a bit of built-in functionality in the canvas cover (which may be perfectly adequate for many users). Update: I’ve published a YouTube demonstration of me setting up the Ro-Biki, plus a size comparison with the Traveler’s Notebook.

Personally, I love Yamamoto’s Soliste paper, and I’ve enjoyed using one of the Ro-Biki reticle-grid notebooks for testing. This was enough to make me grab one of the covers for myself, as I already have Soliste hole-punched in my Plotters for general writing and the Ro-Biki Note paper has the same soft feel to it. (I’d love to confirm whether these are indeed Soliste notebooks - stay tuned.) Whatever paper it is, it’s handled all my inks quite well, and it makes me want to keep writing with it.

View fullsize

As of today, we have Yamamoto Paper Robiki covers and Robiki-Note notebooks in stock, and of course we continue to offer the full Traveler’s Notebook lineup and the new similarly sized Lochby Voyager Journals. Come see us in-store this week, starting tomorrow and Friday from 1-6, and Saturday from 10-6. Next week (July 13-20) we will be on vacation so get your shopping in before then!

Plotter Walkthrough: How I Use My Plotter Binders (Video)

This one’s been a long-time coming. Readers have been asking me for more notetaking and organizational “technique” content, which I’ve discovered is pretty hard to do here on the blog. It’s much easier to show people how I use various notebook systems, and in-store customers have remarked that my store demonstrations and explanations would make compelling video content. I’ve previously done similar videos on Roterfaden and certain of the Lochby cases. Today I walk through three of my Plotter binders, including the Mini 5 (Pocket-size), Bible Size, and Standard A5. I’ve also written some about what Plotter is and how I use it, but in this video I actually flip through all of the notebooks and talk about the accessories and how they each fit into my workflow. I’ve also added Chapters so that you can jump to the specific notebook you want to hear about, but please do listen to the intro because it does provide a general overview of Plotter and the overall role it plays for me.

Note: We are not Plotter retailers, and have no affiliation with the brand other than that we enjoy using their products. I will note that many of the items we sell (including looseleaf papers and paper pads from Midori, Clairefontaine, Yamamoto Paper, Nakabayashi, and Iroful) can be trimmed and/or hole-punched to use in Plotter and other notebook systems, which is actually how I personally use much of the paper I consume.

We are supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Our brick and mortar shop will be open Thursday and Saturday this week, and this Friday by appointment. Typically we have regular Friday hours, but I need to finish upgrading some displays and plan to take the afternoon to do that work. Come see us on Saturday and check out the new look!

Searching for the Perfect Personal Notebook: How Does the Lochby Field Journal Mini Compare?

I’ve been thinking about notebooks even more than I normally do (and that’s a lot). Why? I’m in the middle of reading “The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper” by Roland Allen. This book has received a lot of attention in our circles, and for good reason. Though I’m still in the middle of the read, so far it’s a fairly comprehensive account of the role notebooks have played in human intellectual life over the centuries, and not just the work of artists, writers, and scientists, but merchants, businesspeople, and everyday readers and thinkers looking for a place to keep track of their thoughts. As someone who’s incapable of separating thinking from writing by hand, I bought this book immediately, and its given me many, many ideas for how I can better use my notebooks in my everyday life in a more systematic fashion so that I don’t lose track of ideas and merely preserve my own thoughts for posterity. You can expect to see more written on this book in the future, and some of the concepts already have popped up in recent posts on notetaking and related tools I’m experimenting with.

View fullsize

I use a lot of notebooks. My Plotter A5 serves as my main “working notebook.” I also keep an informal journal, which is a standard notebook that I write in regularly, as well as a Midori 5-year Diary that serves as a daily log. (You can read more about this setup here.) What I would love to find, however, is a functional smaller notebook that’s portable enough to take with me everywhere, yet still large enough to use for meaningful writing. The 3.5” x 5.5” pocket notebook, made popular by Field Notes, is the gold standard for many. My issue with Field Notes? They fall apart with heavy pocket carry unless you add a secondary market cover, and sometimes I wish I could easily carry multiples because they make great single-subject notebooks to rotate through depending on which project has your attention.

View fullsize

I find that the Field Journal Mini feels the best with two or three notebooks loaded into it. Four will fit, but it’s somewhat bulky and makes it difficult for the notebooks to lie flat when writing.

So is Lochby’s latest release, the “Field Journal Mini”, a possible solution? I took one of the covers with me on this past weekend’s trip to the NYC trade shows, and came away impressed with both the size and functionality. For those unfamiliar with the Field Journal layout, it’s a waxed canvas cover that includes four sets of cords, allowing you to carry up to four slim notebooks bound together “Traveler’s-style.” The larger A5 Lochby Field Journal has been around for years, and has proven to be one of the most enduringly popular item in our shop and at pen shows. Presumably in response to customer requests, Lochby recently released the “Field Journal Mini” designed to fit pocket notebooks.

View fullsize

The front cover features one single pocket and two card slots.

I personally like the Field Journal Mini A LOT - maybe even more than the A5 version. I currently have mine set up with two notebooks and index cards tucked into the back inside pocket. The front cover has smaller slots for cards, receipts, post-its, and more. While not traditionally “pocketable,” the Field Journal Mini slips easily into the outside pocket of a bag, and will probably fit a larger coat pocket. A full-size pen fits into the elastic pen holder, and won’t extend past the cover, which is an issue that makes smaller notebooks somewhat awkward to carry with a pen attached. All of this made the Field Journal Mini an excellent trade show notebook.

View fullsize

Lochby has also modified the aluminum closure - it’s lighter and not as bulky. Often with Lochby products there is a short “breaking in” period where the canvas loop needs to stretch and soften a bit for the hook-and-loop system to work easily, but I didn’t experience that at all with the Field Journal Mini.

I found it somewhat fortuitous that the Field Journal Mini was released just as I rediscovered index cards. While I don’t see myself carrying more than a couple of pocket notebooks at any given time, I’m happy to fill the rest of the binder up with index cards. 3x5 cards slip easily into the back and front covers. When I’m done with the cards I can then transfer them into a card filing system or discard them if they don’t have notes I want to retain long-term.

View fullsize

Lochby prices their products competitively, and this one is no exception. The Field Journal Mini is priced at $49, and comes in Lochby’s three standard color combinations of Brown/Honey, Navy/Tan, and Black/Tan. Each Field Journal ships with a Lochby 68gsm Tomoe River refill (pocket-notebook sized), and additional refills are available for purchase separately. I wanted to test these out for myself before I ordered a lot of them for the shop, but I’m impressed and will likely place a larger order in the coming weeks. As of now we still have a handful available.

Thank you for reading! The Gentleman Stationer is supported by the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our in-person location, you can view directions and up-to-date hours here.

Everyday Notetaking and Creating an "Idea File": On Perforated Field Notes and Index Cards

One thing I’ve struggled with in my notetaking system over the years is organizing and managing information for longer-term use. Sure, if my notes are immediately incorporated into a larger piece of work, like a blog post or a legal brief, this isn’t much of an issue because I typically won’t keep the raw notes and will just discard them when I’m done with the project. But what about those stray thoughts and ideas that I write down not necessarily for immediate, or even intermediate-term, use? An idea for a post or product or book that I might not get around to writing for a year or more? I’m sure that I have dozens of such ideas and stray thoughts buried in old journals and notebooks, but they’re not easily accessible, much less organized by topic or in any other useful way. Lately I’ve been preoccupied with creating a filing system for this type of information with minimal structure that doesn’t take too much time to maintain.

View fullsize

Some pocket notebooks from years past. Some are VERY old.

As I hinted at in my post earlier this year discussing my planner setup for 2025, I’m renewing my focus on finding and using the right tool for the job, rather than trying to make everything fit within the confines of a single system, like I tried last year with Hobonichi. So what’s the solution here? I spent some time over the holidays sorting through my personal “archive” of old notebooks, and honestly when I felt the most “organized” (relatively speaking) was when I consistently carried a 3x5 pocket notebook to collect the random stuff. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but when I finished each notebook, I was in the habit of quickly flipping through and extracting the important ideas from the shopping lists and other miscellany, and either transcribing it somewhere else, tearing out the page and photographing or scanning it, or simply writing up a quick index at the back to highlight the best bits and then filing the entire notebook away.

View fullsize

These are good perforations. They’re sturdy enough to hold together in the notebook, while still allowing you to remove pages cleanly. (The paper is what I would call “decently” fountain pen friendly, and very good for Field Notes.) I’m also considering testing some of the Maruman Mnemosyne A7 and B7 pads, which also have perforated pages and will have more fountain pen friendly paper.

I started considering a return to pocket notebooks when I saw that the latest Field Notes special edition (“Vintage”) featured perforated pages that are about the same size as a 3x5 index card when detached. I’ve also been using more index cards in general, and have begun carrying them around in my bag because I like being able to sketch out thoughts and ideas while visually rearranging the cards. I’ve had mixed luck with index cards, in terms of finding ones that can handle all the various types of pens and pencils that I use, but recently I’ve been very impressed with two brands: Levenger (a classic) and a new brand called Notsu, which makes very ink friendly dot grid index cards as well as some foldable “To Do” format cards.

The Notsu “Centre Rise” is a product I’m testing out. It’s a combination card case and stand that fits together magnetically and ships with dividers you can use for a mini filing system. I’ve been carrying this one around in my briefcase, and made a small-ish test order for the shop. You will likely see a separate post on the system itself.

A few weeks back I went on Amazon and purchased a 3x5 index card file box with dividers, which I’ve since been using to collect and organize not just index cards but torn out pages from Field Notes, old sticky notes and small slips of paper, Plotter cards and Mini 5 sheets and more. I’m still working on how broadly/specifically to organize topics and ideas, but I’m liking how the project is taking shape.

Isn’t This a Use Case for Digital Software?

Maybe for some people, but I’ve tried using tools like Evernote, Devonthink, and Tinderbox over the years, and for me, each of them adds another layer of complexity and digital work (mainly tagging files with hashtags) in order to make the system usable. It also requires you to regularly go back through your notebooks and journals and physically transcribe or type information. I end up spending more time tinkering with the software than actually writing. While some might find my system archaic (though probably not readers of this blog), I vastly prefer a simple physical filing system, though it does require a periodic review to keep it relevant and useful.

One thing I like about this Notsu card case - separate and apart from the “stand” functionality - is that it closes up into a fairly compact, sturdy box that slips easily into your bag for taking notecards on the go. (It fits any 3x5 cards, not just the Notsu brand.)

I’m also becoming more interested in index cards and how people use them. Do we have any other index card fans out there? I’ve read many articles on how professional writers - and particularly writers of nonfiction - use index cards to organize research and ideas, though these systems can get pretty elaborate and span multiple boxes of cards. Personally, I’d love to keep just the single card file for storage, and regularly prune it back by discarding those ideas that don’t turn into anything that I’d ever use. Stay tuned!

Thank you for reading! The Gentleman Stationer is supported by the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our in-person location, you can view directions and up-to-date hours here.