Japanese Stationery
Japan is a country and culture that takes its stationery and stationery shops super seriously — arguably to the point of insanity. For those people who don’t care about what pen or pencil they use, the Japanese obsession with office and home supplies probably seems a waste. But for those who do care, Japan is a veritable heaven for stationery addicts.
There is absolutely no shortage of stationery shops; on the contrary, Japan is rife with them. Nowadays you can find high quality, brand name goods even at convenience stores, coffee shops, and 100 yen stores.
It requires a certain type of person to be obsessed with stationery. The most obvious trait being meticulous or organised at one’s work. But scratching the surface a bit deeper, the love for all things ink and paper, Japan’s emphasis on being helpful comes through. Ever so often, we receive notes, emails or memos that are extremely carelessly formatted providing unnecessary fodder to an already chaotic work life. Calm can so easily be restored by paying a bit of attention to the structure, hierarchy, highlights, and objective of your communication. These attributes are deeply ingrained in most Japanese written communication helping the reader easily navigate the contents of the document; the reward of a job well done is perceptible in the legendary Japanese work ethic.
Popular places, where one buy quality stationery:
The Journal Shop www.thejournalshop.com
Muji www.muji.eu
