A few months ago, I said my bittersweet goodbyes to the Smudge Ink crew and left Boston to start a new job in Tokyo (narrowly escaping the Snowpocalypse!). While I miss gluten-free Treat Days, DJ Clayton’s sweet playlists, and the sound of the presses cranking away, it is pretty great to be back in the city where I grew up.
I’ve been a stationery aficionado my whole life and Itoya is my go-to store for beautiful stationery. Itoya has branches throughout Tokyo and sells art, office and school supplies from all over the world. There is always something adorable, colorful and unique to covet and I never walk out empty-handed. Over the weekend, I visited Itoya’s five-story flagship store in Ginza, one of Tokyo’s most popular shopping districts. Not surprisingly, the store was jam-packed with people looking for spring-themed greeting cards, stickers, and notebooks. Here are my Top Five Favorite Finds:
Animal-shaped paper clips. Every time I see these, I’m tempted to start an entire zoo of paper clips. Who wouldn’t want to jazz up their essays or reports with a whimsical crocodile or elephant paper clip?
Erasers shaped like macarons. They look delicious and they’re tiny, which makes them even more delightful.
Washi tape. So many colors, patterns and sizes. I use my collection of washi tape for decorating plain notebooks and pens, creating borders and adding accents to collages, and marking my umbrellas so I know which clear, plastic, and otherwise nondescript umbrella is mine.
Mini envelopes. These little guys are about the length of my thumb and just big enough to write a succinct salutation.
Stationery sets made to look like tea bags. As a dedicated tea drinker and letter writer, I was thrilled to find these letter sets that combine two of my favorite hobbies. I immediately bought a couple sets and wrote messages to my fellow tea-loving friends.
I’m excited to explore more cool stationery shops and write about stationery culture and history in Japan for the blog. Stay tuned!