Save Me, Japanese Stationery

I bought these hoping they would fix my life, they did.

Early on in college, my sister introduced me to LePen. My handwriting is now dependent on these pens. I own every color and carry at least three in my bag to avoid having to write without them. Fast forward to now, every single notebook in my bag is from a Japanese brand.

My notebook and planner history ranges from composition to Leuchtturm1917. I've really tried it all. After taking my hunt more seriously, I found the holy trinity of notebooks.

First, you need the Hobonichi Techno. I read about it in the Strategist, then my sister got it, then I caved when it went on sale. Goodbye, Papier. This planner has changed my life. It lays flat which is so, so important to me. It also has an extremely minimalist daily design that I find perfect for keeping daily to-do's, writing astrology reminders and taking a note about the day. Diehard fans and the website itself seem really into having a cover for it. I like it just how it is though.

I've always rolled my eyes at these, but this legal pad-esque notebook has singlehandedly raised my productivity at work. The paper is thick enough that it stays in place while writing, but not thick enough to make the notebook bulky. It also made me fall in love with grid paper. Seriously, being able to write like normal, have check boxes for lists and having a nice base to sketch on is life changing.

My final perfect notebook is the Stalogy Editor's Series. When I was nearing the end of my journal, I knew I wanted something that felt like my planner but had more space to write. It has the same great lay flat design, smooth paper and soft grid lines. Writing in it feels more intimate rather than official, and that's what I need from a journal.

Long story short, all of these stationery finds make me want to write. And as a writer, that's pretty mandatory.