Diamine Inkvent Marley Swatch Showing Multi-Shading Properties

Thursday Drops: New Ink Arrivals from Diamine and Waterman, Plus More TRAVELER'S and MD Paper!

June 4, 2026

We’re busy getting the store stocked for the summer season here in Nashville, and for online! We recently received a restock of Diamine Ink, including coveted colors like Writer’s Blood, Oxblood, Red Dragon, and more, in addition to several bottles of past Inkvent series (with the Black Series being my favorite). We continue to have limited stock of TRAVELER’S Notebooks, with distributor availability remaining low, so if you’ve been looking for a Standard size don’t sleep on these as the timing of any restock is always unclear.

Finally, we are steadily building out our stock of Pilot pens, including not just the recently arrived Custom 845 Urushi in Prussian Blue, but also additional nib sizes in the Custom 912 line, and more stock of favorites like the Custom Heritage 92, Capless Decimo and the Custom 74.

Come see these and more in-store during normal hours this week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday.

Diamine Inks, including Writer’s Blood, Oxblood, and Red Dragon. Yes, we restocked on all of our favorite red inks, including these three that are perennial top sellers.
Diamine Inkvent Series Bottled Inks. Each year Diamine releases the colors from the previous year’s Inkvent calendar in 50ml bottles. We currently have a small selection of a handful of colors, including some of our favorite Inkvent shimmer inks and multi-shaders!
Waterman Bottled Ink. The Violet (now “Tender Purple”) was a favorite inks for a long time, and we’re glad to now offer it. We will be adding additional colors as they come in stock.
TRAVELER’S Notebook Standard Size. We have a small number of Standard TRAVELER’S Notebooks in Brown. Unfortunately these continue to be in short supply and we will list these covers as we have them.
Craft Design Technology Leather Cases and Sleeves. When we last restocked on Craft Design Technology products, we added a wide selection of leather goods that include pen cases, pen sleeves, and portfolios. I took several of these to Japan with me and they travel well.
Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Fountain Pen in Prussian Blue. Additional nib sizes are now available! Pilot’s latest Custom 845 release features a deep Prussian Blue lacquer in a more compact format than the larger Custom Urushi. This pen also has a wonderful 18k gold nib.
Lamy Safari Neon Pink and Neon Yellow Special Edition Pens and Pencils. The latest Safari release is here! This year’s release features two bright colors in all pen formats and the .5mm pencil. The Neon Yellow with black trim is the current favorite.
Pentel Tradio and Pulaman Plastic Tip Fountain Pens. One of the big hits of the latest TGS Curated Box, the Pentel Tradio is a fineliner designed to feel like a fountain pen. The Pulaman is a disposable/non-refillable version of the same. We also stock the CDT Dark Green signature Tradio.
Life “Airmail” Onionskin Writing Pads. While the envelopes continue to be in short supply, we have received a restock of the coveted Life Airmail writing pads. Life’s Onionskin paper is some of the lightest, thinnest fountain pen friendly paper out there.
Kobeha Graphilo Notebooks. One thing we noticed in Japan is the enduring popularity of the Square notebook format. Graphilo makes some of the most ink friendly paper available, and the notebooks are available in A5 and A5 Square sizes.

Waterman Ink Bottles in Two Colors — So happy to finally be able to add these after a bit of a wait!

Japan Trip Journal: Ink Shopping in Tokyo

June 3, 2026

If you’re into ink, there’s no better place to visit than Japan. Most independent stationery stores have their own house inks, if not their own entire lines, and it can quickly get overwhelming due to the sheer number of shops. The trick is to recognize that you can’t possibly collect them all (though some people inevitably try) and to enjoy exploring the different offerings without necessarily feeling pressured to buy all of them!

Maruzen Athena Inks with Swatch cards displayed — Four Maruzen inks, in basic colors of Blue, Blue-Black, Sepia, and Grey.

Store Inks I Picked Up On My Travels: Maruzen, Bungukan Kobayashi, Sessai, and Ancora

I spent a lot of time in Tokyo perusing the ink section of Maruzen, a large Japanese bookstore with an excellent selection of stationery. In addition to Maruzen’s own “Athena” line of inks, the Tokyo Station location carried a handful of inks made for Bungukan Kobayashi in Shizuoka, as well as the “Sessai” series made for Bungukan Tokizawa in Niigata. All three series are made by Sailor, who appears to make many store-exclusive fountain pen inks in Japan, though Tono & Lims is also gaining a larger footprint. (Some of these Tono & Lims inks are being released globally as well.)

Sailor Bungukan Kobayashi Shizuoka Ink Swatches — Two inks from the Bungukan Kobayashi collection: Suruga Bay Night and Shizuoka Green Tea.

Sessai Inks from Bungukan Tokizaway — Two Sessai Inks. The one on the right is a subtle shimmer ink similar to the discontinued Iroshizuku Ina Ho.

Sailor Ancora Rainy Day Ink Bottle and Swatch

The most unique ink I acquired was the “Rainy Day” ink from Ancora, Sailor’s flagship store. As you might guess from the name, Ancora only sells this ink in-store on rainy days, so we were lucky to be in Tokyo during the rainy season! In addition to the ink, Ancora also carries a Rainy Day fountain pen and matching converter.

Perceived Differences Between the U.S. and Japanese Ink Markets

While admittedly I have a limited perspective, not having explored beyond the major Tokyo stationery stores, I made a few observations:

The Japanese ink market focuses less on things like shimmer inks, super-sheeners, and other “special properties” that U.S. users tend to obsess over. While this is changing, and shimmer ink is gaining more of a foothold, Japanese versions tend to be more subtle and feature finer particles than you find in many U.S. and European brands. I also saw several instances where these inks were being marketed towards glass and dip pens, as opposed to fountain pens.
Colors in general tend to be more subtle and understated. Take the Maruzen Athena series, for example. The core colors are blue, blue-black, sepia, and grey. The Ancora Rainy Day ink is a shading blue with grey undertones (generally a popular color that you often see in Japanese ink lines). This is fine with me, as I appreciate inks that I can use everyday for office work, etc.
Many ink lines seem to have 5-10 colors, with new colors introduced gradually or rotated in and out as they are available. I don’t think I visited a shop where all of the colors were available at one time. Maruzen had about five of the Athena inks available for purchase, with others showing as out of stock. I guess I’ll have to come back to pick up the rest later.

Sailor Ancora Rainy Day Ink Paired with Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Fountain Pen — A special ink needs a special pen, and vice-versa. I opted out of the Ancora Rainy Day Sailor - it appears to be a Pro Gear Slim with a steel nib - because it’s too small for my hand. But I did decide to pick up one of these Pilot Custom 845 Urushi pens, with a broad nib that shows off the shading.

Ancora Rainy Day Ink Writing Sample on Iroful Paper — Depending on the light and paper used, the Rainy Day ink can appear as a shading mid-blue (MD Cotton swatches at top), or a true blue grey (which is what it looks like here on Iroful paper).

Ink shopping in Tokyo was a fun adventure and I’ll definitely be returning in the (hopefully near) future! Most of the inks I purchased are store-exclusive, meaning that they are only sold in-store and not online, so to get your hands on these you will either need to visit the shop yourself or have someone in Japan go in person to purchase the inks and ship them to you. Most stores attempt to avoid resellers, with Ancora limiting customers to three bottles per person. Even on a relatively busy rainy day, everyone there got to leave with a bottle of ink.

Maruzen Athena Ink Bottle shown next to the Maruzen Box — The Maruzen Athena ink bottle might be one of my all-time favorites. I love the classic pharmacy-style design.

New Arrivals: New Pilot Releases, Additional 912 Nib Sizes, and Restocks on Favorites!

June 2, 2026

Our selection of Pilot pens continues to grow, from the new Custom 845 Prussian Blue to the Pilot Kakuno, which has become one of our top sellers in-store. We recently received a large restock of fountain pens, highlights of which include new nib options for the Custom 912 as well as the Kakuno Madoromi, Explorer, and more. We also have more Iroshizuku ink in all bottle sizes and cartridges, including many of the more popular colors that have been sold out. Keep checking back as new pens and inks arrive on a near-weekly basis!

Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pens Uncapped and on table — The Pilot Metropolitan/MR offers a medium italic (calligraphy) nib that many enjoy because it’s an easy way to add line definition to your writing.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Pilot fountain pens and ink. You can come see these and more in-person this week in our Nashville Shop, when we are open 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10-5pm on Saturday.

A display of Glass Pens at Bookstore in Tokyo

Sunday Reading for May 31, 2026

May 31, 2026

9 Years in the Rabbit Hole (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Happy penversary to Kimberly! I like this exercise of going back and re-inking the pens that first got you into the hobby.
In Memoriam: Platinum Curidas, 2020-2026 (via Pen Addict). I’m honestly surprised the Curidas actually held on this long. It was a decent attempt, but the design never caught on with mainstream fountain pen users.
Michael Schur & Joe Posnanski - Big Fan! (via Figboot on Pens). Not necessarily all pen-related, but this was a cool interview for David to get to do.
Did I Get Lucky? Gentleman Stationer Mystery Boxes! (via dwrdnet). I always have fun putting these together and watching people react to the unboxing. I will do more of these in the future.
I Bought Every Blackwing Pencil So You Don’t Have To (via dwrdnet). I guess the pencil box was successful…. :)
Baran’s Pen Sleeves (via UK Fountain Pens). I’ve not seen these before - I love fabric pen sleeves and rolls, especially from small makers with a story behind them.
Read on Expiration (via Dime Novel Raven). What will happen to all those journals?
My Top 3 3D-Printed Fountain Pens (via SBRE Brown). 3D-printing is never something that’s grabbed me, but you’re starting to see it more and more in the pen space.

Joe's Kakimori Inkstand Workshop Desk — Read more about my visit to the Kakimori Inkstand!

In Case You Missed It…

I’m back from Japan! In the coming week or so I’ll be publishing my trip recaps and sharing my experiences and, of course, all the fun stuff I brought back. I’ve published two recap installments so far, including a pictorial of my trip to Itoya and other shops, as well as a recap of a trip to Kakimori’s Tokyo location that included the custom notebook and custom ink experiences.

OnionBrand A5 Notebook Cover in Olde Walnut — OnionBrand A5 leather notebook cover in Olde Walnut.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

There were lot’s of fun arrivals this week, including the new TWSBI ECO Fluorite Purple + Bronze which sold out in under 8 hours and per TWSBI likely won’t be restocked for a month or so. We’ve also restocked on OnionBrand A5 leather notebook covers in a couple of different finishes, including Olde Walnut and Tanner’s Claret, the reddish-brown hue that was so popular in San Francisco. Finally, we have the new Pilot Custom 845 Urushi in Prussian Blue, and it’s a stunner, as well as additional MD Products Dot Grid A5 notebooks, among other items. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks!

Our Nashville showroom is open regular hours (Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday 10am-5pm). Come see these and more in person!

Caran d'Ache

Pilot

Midori and MD Products

Uni

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If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Picture of Joe's Kakimori Inkstand Setup Before Experimentation

Japan Trip Journal: A Visit to Kakimori, Including Custom Notebooks and the InkStand!

May 30, 2026

I’ve been waiting to post about one highlight of my trip to Tokyo: our visit to the Kakimori store, which included making our own custom notebooks and mixing a custom Kakimori ink at the “Inkstand” ink bar. While most people in the United States know Kakimori for their signature conical metal dip nibs, they actually offer a wide range of products, including an extensive paper and ink selection, high-end office supplies under the “Object Index” line, and a curated selection of products outside of their own brand.

The Kakimori Build Your Own Notebook Covers and Paper Section — All of the covers and papers in the sorter - the first step in the custom notebook process.

The Kakimori Custom Notebook Experience

Kakimori offers customers the ability to build their own spiral notebook, choosing from a diverse selection of covers, bindings, papers, and closures. While you can customize your notebook online via the Kakimori website, the experience is best enjoyed in-store, where you can make an appointment and hand-select everything in person.

A Curated Selection of Paper from the Kakimori Notebook Station — You can choose up to four packs of paper per notebook, an add dividers if you wish.

Kakimori notebooks come in two sizes: B5 and B6, with a spiral binding. I built one in each size, mainly because I couldn’t narrow my cover choices and wanted a leather cover and a fabric cover. Paper was a bit easier, because the choices are somewhat more limited (OK Fools, Neue Grey, Bank Paper, and Conqueror Laid) and you can select up to four papers per notebook. Once you’ve selected your cover and paper, you can add things like bindings, elastics, snap closures, and dividers.

Kakimori Paper Testing Station in Tokyo Store — If you’re unsure, you can test each of the papers on offer!

The total cost for the two notebooks came to around $68. While not inexpensive, you’re paying for the experience as well as the physical product, and if you visit the Kakimori store again they will even refill the cover with fresh pages! So if, like me, you opted for the leather cover you can continue to enjoy it as it ages. (Note to self: plan to go back for a notebook refill.)

Joe's Kakimori Leather and Canvas Custom Notebooks — I chose two notebooks: a B5 with burgundy leather and black trim, and a lighter canvas B6.

Joe's Custom B6 Kakimori Notebook Open to Neue Gray and OK Fools Paper — I love Neue Gray paper (right). For both notebooks I chose a combination of this one, OK Fools, and Conqueror Laid. All of the papers on offer are fountain pen friendly.

The Kakimori Inkstand Experience: Mixing a Custom Kakimori Ink

While I love notebooks, I might have had more fun mixing my own custom Kakimori ink at the Kakimori “Inkstand.” Available by appointment only, the “Inkstand” experience gives you an hour to mix your own Kakimori ink from the 14 available colors in the Inkstand line of pigment inks. You will have a 15-minute orientation, followed by 45 minutes to mix and test inks to achieve your desired color. My goal was a dark green, and I spent most of the time experimenting with various combinations of yellow, black, and cactus green. I ended up very close to what I originally had in my head! Note that Kakimori inks are pigment inks, which require that you clean your fountain pen a bit more frequently to avoid clogging, since they are formulated from particles of pigment suspended in dye. The upside is the permanence and vibrant colors, as well as the ability to mix colors among others in the same line.

Kakimori Inkstand Station Showing Joe's Ink Mixing in Progress — I made a mess very quickly. Not pictured: me spilling a bottle.

Joe's Kakimori Inkstand Color Swatches — A close up of my various experiments!

Joe's Kakimori Inkstand Ink Special Green Swatch on MD Cotton Paper — And, the final result!

Takeaways and Where to Find Kakimori in the U.S.

If you’re ever in Tokyo, I highly recommend a visit to Kakimori because it was easily one of the highlights of my trip. Even if you don’t want to mix your own ink or create your own notebook, they have an extensive lineup of standard products. We have worked with Kakimori for years and regularly stock their dip nibs, fountain pens, pigment inks, and the “Object Index” line. It can sometimes take a while to get Kakimori products into the store since they need to be imported - and most are small-batch and made in small quantities - but we intend to continue carrying them for the foreseeable future!

Joe's Kakimori Inkstand Ink with Added Shimmer — While I didn’t end up using shimmer, I did mix a bit of Kakimori’s “Pearlescent” additive to see what my color would look like. I dropped a bit too much in. :)

In addition to our physical store, the Gentleman Stationer is supported by online purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. For more Japan store visits, haul posts, and just some general commentary and observations from a place I’ve never visited before, be sure to follow the TGS Instagram and YouTube accounts!