This past December, I made my second trip to Japan, this time with my daughter and nephew in tow, which made it especially fun. We visited Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Last year, I managed to visit a few stationery stores, but with a tight schedule I felt like there were a lot of stores I missed out on so this year I wanted to take the time to explore some that I missed.
Maruzen Marunouchi
Last year I stayed in Ginza, so I was able to make a couple of trips to Maruzen. This time I was mostly on a mission to pick up another bottle of their store-branded Athena ink. I love their Blue Black, so I decided to grab the Grey. Samples below.
Stationery Station
Stationery Station, located in the Mitsukoshi building, was a store I’d wanted to visit for a long time. I ran out of time last year, so this visit it was high on my list. I spied some store exclusive Tag Stationery inks so I picked up a few bottles before I left. Swatches below.
Bungubox
After following Bungubox online for years, I was excited to learn their store was relatively close to Jimbocho, where we were already heading. The staff was super friendly and helped me leaf through their ink swatch folder to pick out a few bottles to bring home.
Bumpodoo
We ran into Bumpodoo while wandering Jimbocho. Founded in 1887, it’s known as Japan’s first specialty art store—so stepping inside felt like visiting a piece of stationery history. Their ink selection was surprisingly good, and I finally picked up some bottles I’d been chasing from Sailor’s Ink Studio line.
Traveler’s Company (Tokyo Station)
On our way out of Tokyo, we had to stop by the Traveler’s Company store in Tokyo Station. This was my first visit to one of their physical locations, and after years of following the brand online, it was a treat to see how much care they put into even their smaller retail spaces.
After queuing for a bit, we headed to the stamping station and got our notebooks stamped.
All in all, I squeezed in a good amount of shopping for just two days in Tokyo. Next up: Osaka and Kyoto.