Discovering Japan's Unique Stationery Treasures

I’ve always known that Japan was famous for its stationery, but experiencing it in person — that's something else entirely. I had the incredible opportunity to attend Japan’s largest stationery show, Bungu Joshi Haku Stationery Festival in Osaka, as well as visiting several unique stationery stores, including one with six floors!

Bungu Joshi Haku Stationery Festival 2025

This four-day event was held at ATC Hall (Asia and Pacific Trade Center), a convention center in Osaka. The festival showcased a variety of stationery, ranging from smaller independent brands to major names, with plenty of limited-edition items. In 2019, the event attracted over 25,000 attendees, so I knew it was going to be huge. Fortunately, I arrived early, but what truly amazed me was the scale of the festival. This was probably the largest stationery show I had ever been to, filled with so many incredible products that it quickly became overwhelming!

I was fascinated by the creative and unexpected designs—such as a flat glass fountain pen and ultra-thin but incredibly sharp scissors (who knew there was such a dedicated audience for scissors?). The journaling, stickers, and washi tape section was especially impressive, with displays that managed to feel both curated and wonderfully scrapbook-like.

One particularly unique find was a company that made fabric-textured pens, giving them a tactile, felt-like surface. There was also a surprisingly large selection of fountain pens, more than rollerball and ballpoint options. The exclusivity factor was another highlight—the festival was so vast that there was an entire room dedicated to show-exclusive products!

Show Exclusive Room

I had to get this special edition ink because the color was just stunning. Despite the massive checkout line, everything was so well-organized that the process moved smoothly and efficiently.

Though I only attended for one day, the experience was unforgettable. The festival left me inspired, and I can’t wait to incorporate some of these discoveries into my future projects.

Inks and Impressions

One of the most surprising things I discovered was Japan’s thriving stamp-collecting culture. Almost every train station and many stores had their own stamp stations where visitors could collect unique designs.

I visited TRAVELER'S FACTORY, a well-known store specializing in vintage stationery, which has locations across Japan. During my trip, I explored their stores in both Tokyo and Kyoto. Each store carried a variety of stamps exclusive to that specific region, which was really cool! Surprisingly, they carried Pan Am merchandise—something I had never seen in physical stores before.

Another highlight of my trip was visiting Sekaido, a massive stationery store in Shinjuku. Spanning six floors, it was filled with art supplies and stationery products that I had never seen here in the states before. Some standout finds included a spiral grip that wraps around pens and pencils for added comfort, a build-your-own spiral notebook/journal section, and even colored pencil leads! Every floor had so many interesting products that I could have easily spent hours there (which, of course, I did).

My time in Japan was an incredible deep dive into the world of stationery, and I was truly amazed by everything I saw. I know I’ve only scratched the surface, and I’m already looking forward to returning in a few years to see what new and innovative products will be in store next!

Photo of the Officially Licensed Smithsonian Bijutsukai Rollerball in front of Senso-ji Temple

About the Author: Angel P. is a creative designer and social media coordinator at Retro51, collaborating and working with the entire Creative department. She tries her best to be a well-rounded artist that includes designing, illustrating, and anything that is a creative hands-on project. Additionally, she is a romance and thriller/horror book lover.

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