Why you need to try Japanese paper

Isolated from much of the outside world until the mid-19th century, the meeting of long-standing Japanese traditions and European stationery led to some distinctive takes on pens and paper. Influenced by a rich calligraphic tradition stretching back to the 4th Century and paper-making processes unique to the island nation, modern Japanese paper bears a great deal of history, and offers stationery lovers a writing experience unlike any other.

Though we mostly hear the word in terms of the decorative tape, washi paper has a storied history in Japan, being used everywhere from traditional calligraphy to ikebana, clothing, furniture, and even weaponry. Washi paper is typically tougher than wood pulp paper, while able to be made remarkably thin yet still retaining durability. Washi paper-making was traditionally a winter activity, calling for cold, pure water to keep the fibres from decomposing, keeping them tight to give the resulting paper a crisp feel.

Since the 1960s, Midori has drawn on these traditional methods to produce the cult brand's beloved MD Paper. Midori uses filtered river water to break down the hardwood pulp until it has a texture similar to oatmeal, and develops the creamy-yellow colour that is a defining feature of MD Paper.

Though the production process is much more machine-driven these days, Midori has adapted traditional techniques (sieve-like tool called a sugeta) into larger-scale approaches, preserving the care put into making washi paper as the production line scales up to meet demand.

The attention to detail is one thing machines can't replace. That's why Midori's quality control process is so meticulous, with experienced craftspeople assessing each batch of paper to make sure both its appearance and texture are in keeping with MD Paper's high standards.

That creamy colour might seem like a subtle difference, but it's an important feature of Japanese papercraft. In contrast with bright European paper, MD Paper is gentle on your eyes and graceful under your pen, with a fine balance of sleek movement and subtle texture that really shines when you write, especially when paired with Japanese fountain pens.

Traveller's Co notebooks also use MD Paper, making them a wonderful way to document your adventures on the move!

That same human touch is what adds something special to each notebook and notepad made in a workshop just outside Tokyo by Life Stationery. Founded after World War II, Life Stationery has always been a small-scale operation, with a handful of artisans doing everything from product design to binding to shipping. That intimate production process allows for a level of quality control that mass-produced notebooks just can't match, so every item that leaves Life Stationery's workshop lives up to the graceful, finely-crafted standard that fans of the brand have come to expect.

The care that goes into Life Stationery's range really does highlight how much of notebook-making we take for granted. When done by hand, even the stitch-binding of the Noble Note range involves precise skill, and you can really feel how that hands-on approach delivers a notebook that feels like no other. The soft card covers of Life's notebooks house paper with a similar warm tone to Midori's MD Paper, which pairs with Life's faint blue page rulings to create a gentle, welcoming space where you can express yourself.

The paper itself is smooth and graceful, with just enough texture to let you properly feel the pen moving across the page (unlike some European brands, which are so frictionless you have to look to make sure you're actually making a mark). Like washi paper, Life Stationery pages feel relatively thin, but despite the slim profile, this paper is strong and ready to handle rich ink with grace. Bound with care, a Life Stationery notebook is a singular pleasure that you simply must experience for yourself.

Maybe the best-known brand on this list, Delfonics is still rarely seen outside of Japan. With a simple yet elegant design aesthetic and a fondness for bold colours, the brand's range of pouches, pencil cases and bags have a strong connection to the Japanese fashion scene, but it's the Shibuya brand's pitch-perfect notebooks that make Delfonics such a Milligram favourite.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, Delfonics' Rollbahn Notebook looks as good as the day it was born. We've already celebrated its simple, timeless design before, but we can't get enough of the Rollbahn's magnificent paper. Like Midori and Life Stationery, the pages in Rollbahn notebooks have a subtle creamy quality that makes them a little easier on the eyes that plain white paper, and have a lightly-drawn grid layout that gives you structure that you can use or ignore as you prefer.

And don't let their remarkably thin, light paper fool you – Rollbahn pages are deceptively good at handling fountain and rollerball pens, so you can scribble freely in your notebook without fear. Rollbahn notebooks were also designed with practicality in mind, and that extends to what you do after you've filled the pages, with each sheet being neatly perforated so you can easily remove them page by page to fill journals, holiday diaries, give someone special your phone number, and anything else you can imagine.

Far from just recreating Western notebooks, Japan's distinctive culture and history has led to paper products that are quite unlike the European-style offerings that you find on most stationery store shelves. With inviting colour and a unique feel, Japanese paper is an experience any stationery lover should try at least once (and probably a few more times after that).