Japanese pens and stationery

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Due to their complex language, pens and stationery in Japan are designed differently from their Western counterparts.

Contents

[edit] Background

There is a belief that inexpensive Japanese pens are of unusually high quality. This is caused by the need for precise writing in Asian culture. The Japanese use kanji, or script derived from Chinese characters. A single Chinese character can have more than a dozen strokes, so the need for accuracy and precision is apparent. That's why the Japanese have so many thin pens, while in comparison the US has a lot of thick pens.

[edit] Pens

Uniball Signo Bit 0.18 mm

The Signo Bit is the World's thinnest pen. It writes so small you can write on a grain of rice.
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The Signo Bit is the World's thinnest pen. It writes so small you can write on a grain of rice.

One of the more incredible Japanese pen inventions is the Uniball Signo Bit 0.18 mm gel pen. This pen currently ranks as the world's thinnest pen. Its claim to fame is that its tip is so thin it can write words on a grain of rice! The pen works great for writing in between lines or in tiny margins, and comes in eight different colors. The Uniball Signo also comes in a 0.28 mm and 0.38 mm thickness.

Pilot Hi-Tec-C

Class notes taken with a 0.25 mm green Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen.
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Class notes taken with a 0.25 mm green Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen.

Pilot Hi-Tec C pens are special pens that are currently very popular in Japan. Though they have been around for more than a decade, they still rank as one of the top-selling gel pens in Japan as well as the rest of Asia. They are highly sought after in the US, but are very difficult to find in stores.

The fine tipped point of Pilot Hi-Tec C pens allow you to write with incredible precision. Moreover the ink is chemically formulated so that it will not bleed after it dries. Artists and writers immediately recognize the brilliant design of these pens. They are available in 0.25 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm sizes and come in over two dozen colors per size. The line also has a new "Waragi" color line (soft pastel colors) that were just introduced in 2005.

The thinnest size, the 0.25 mm pen can have some impressive results.

Pilot Petit1

Picture of popular Pilot Petit1. Comes in 12 different colors, is refillable with a cartridge and costs less than $5 each.
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Picture of popular Pilot Petit1. Comes in 12 different colors, is refillable with a cartridge and costs less than $5 each.


The Pilot "Petit1" paved the way for high school and college students to enter the world of fountain pens. Such new pens provided by Pilot, Ohto as well as other Japanese pen manufacturers were revolutionary in that they cost less than US$10 (some fountain pens are very expensive, from hundreds to even thousands of dollars; many cost between US$20 and $100). They are described as the "Fountain pen for the young and modern adult", and are disposable or refillable with a pop in ink cartridge.

Uniball Mitsubishi Alpha Gel Pen

The gel in this pen's grip is famous for its ability to keep an egg from breaking when dropped from a three meter height. The super grippy feel of this pen is incredibly squishy and soft.

[edit] Pencils

Ohto Pure

The Ohto Pure is a creative mechanical pencil that looks like a regular wooden one.

Shaker pencil

Shaker pencils are pencils with an internal weight mechanism. Just shake the pencil and the weight pushes out the lead for you. No need to click!

[edit] Manufacturers

[edit] Erasers

Kokuyo Kadokeshi eraser

One of the most interesting erasers from Japan is the Kokuyo Kadokeshi eraser. It is a 28 corner eraser that won the 2002 Kokuyo design award. It utilizes a clever design to stack multiple cubes upon each other. The result is an eraser that is "never without a corner". You can keep erasing but you'll always have a clean edge with which to erase.

Novelty eraser

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In Japan a wide variety of novelty erasers are sold. Most of them resemble food items, such as this Iwako sushi eraser set. Others include famous shrimp cracker chip bags, sake bottles and soda cans.

[edit] Where to buy

[edit] Online

[edit] In-Person

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