Laconic Tokyo Restock Image Items on Desktop

Curated Shop Updates: Laconic Tokyo Restock!

October 10, 2023

I’ll post a bit more later this week (albeit probably briefly) about the pens and notebooks that I’ve chosen to accompany me on my current vacation, but one brand easily got the nod: Laconic Tokyo. You can read more on how this system works here, but to briefly recap, Laconic makes a line of softcover A5 notebooks, similar to the Midori MD light series, in a variety of different formats and layouts with specific purposes: Undated Planners/Diaries/Journals, Productivity/Planner Ad-ons such as “To Do” and “Spreadsheet” formats, and Creativity/Life-Logging layouts. What I love about this system is that while Laconic makes their own slim covers, the universal sizing makes it quite easy to combine these refills with the cover of your choice. I currently have one of their undated monthly calendars in my Roterfaden A5 (you can see the exact setup in this YouTube demonstration), and they should also fit A5 covers from Midori, Lochby, or other brands of your choice.

Laconic Tokyo Planner and Refill Layout (Monthly and Life)

You can view the entire range of Laconic Tokyo offerings here, with nearly all layouts of the A5 notebooks in stock. Many of the Bookmarks are in short supply, and we are trying to restock as soon as we can.

While we are currently on vacation, order processing shouldn’t be delayed by more than a few business days, and will be fulfilled upon our return in the order received. The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Laconic. We truly appreciate your support!

Thursday Drops: 2024 Traveler's Notebook Refills and Limited Accessories, Laconic Restock, and the TWSBI Kai!

October 5, 2023

It’s Planner Season! Whether you enjoy sticking with traditional dated calendars or prefer the flexibility of the undated calendar, we have you covered. This week, the 2024 Traveler’s Notebook inserts arrived in both Standard and Passport size, along with the “Traveler’s Town”-themed 2024 limited accessories, which you’ll recognize from the recent Traveler’s Hotel, Traveler’s Diner, Traveler’s Records, etc. limited edition sets. You can view these and the rest of the Traveler’s Company lineup here.

TWSBI Kai Fountain Pen on Wooden Pen Stand — The TWSBI Kai features a deep blue acrylic with rose gold trim.

We also have a few remaining TWSBI Kai fountain pens, which is the latest limited release that will only be available in fixed quantities and then go away. (Personally, I think TWSBI should make this pen a regular edition, as the colors are great and people seem to love the format!)

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold. Please note that we will be traveling from 10/7 through 10/14. Orders placed after 12pm CT on 10/6 (Friday) will have a 3-5 business day processing time, depending on when the order is placed. As always when we are on vacation, we make up for the slight delay by including fun “extras” with the order. Many thanks for your support!

Traveler’s Notebook 2024 Limited Accessories. Each year, Traveler’s Company releases a series of accessories for the Traveler’s Notebook based around that year’s theme. This year, it’s “Traveler’s Town,” and the accessories include clear plastic folders, pencil boards, and sticker packs that allow you to customize your notebook.
Traveler’s Notebook 2024 Dated Refills in Standard and Passport. The Traveler’s Company dated planner refills are now in stock and available to ship! We have monthly, weekly vertical, and weekly + memo in the Standard size, as well as monthly and weekly layouts for the Passport size.
Traveler’s Notebook “Olive” Passport Starter Kits. Passport-sized Traveler’s notebooks in Olive have been on backorder for some time, but we received a shipment yesterday! Standard size Olive notebooks are also available.
Laconic Notebook and Planner Restock. The Laconic system has turned into exactly the hit that I predicted. We have stock of all A5 refills available for purchase once again, as well as the Laconic notebook covers in black, milky white and clear pvc.
Laconic Style Bookmarkers. Sadly, I’ve been unable to reorder certain of the Laconic Bookmarker layouts but purchased whatever I could get my hands on. I will keep trying for a full restock.
TWSBI “Kai” Limited Edition Fountain Pen. The latest TWSBI release is now available for purchase. We only have a few of this actual limited edition (non-numbered) for sale right now, though we’re told there will be at least 2 more batches before it’s gone, like the “Draco” and “Aurora” before it.
Anterique Ballpoints in New Colors. We recently received a new shipment of the Anterique ultra-low viscosity ballpoints, as well as new mechanical pencils that match certain of the pens! All are refillable.
Midori MD “Codex” Day-to-a-Page Notebook. One of our best sellers is the Midori MD “Codex,” a page-per-day notebook/diary/undated planner that is a larger-format version of the standard MD notebooks. Available in blank or dot grid format, with page headers that allow you to date the page (or not) as necessary.
Stalogy 1/2-Year and 365 Notebooks. Lightweight Stalogy paper now comes in light grey grid and dot rulings, and these notebooks are favorites of both writers and planners alike. The pages are laid out with subtle date/time headers and margins that allow you to use the notebook as either a journal or planner. Also take advantage of these undated diary stickers that allow you to add monthly calendar functionality.
Washi Tape and Pins. We recently brought in all sorts of fun new washi tape patterns and new enamel pins, with a focus on quirky stationery and snail mail themes.

Laconic Notebook Refills in A5, alongside Bookmarkers

Building the Perfect Notebook for Brainstorming: Quirky Refills and Erasable Pens

June 28, 2023

I think I’ve permanently given up on notebook minimalism. While I have a core set of 3-4 notebooks that I use on a daily basis and take with me pretty much anywhere I go, I also have a “healthy” stockpile of special-purpose notebooks that I pull out periodically - some more often than others - to help me with various tasks and to hold information relating to specific projects that don’t require daily attention.

Laconic Tokyo Mandala Layout — The “Mandala 9x9” layout. You start with a central goal or idea, with eight key inputs, which you can then break out into their own box.

One such notebook is what I’ll refer to as my “brainstorming” notebook, which I use when I want to work through ideas for a project, piece of writing, or simply to hash out a problem I’ve been dealing with, personal or professional. I’ve used many different notebooks for brainstorming over the years, with different rulings ranging from blank to dot grid to meeting, but what about something more structured?

Concentric Circle Think Layout — The “Concentric” Layout from the Laconic Think Refill. I’ve honestly not figured out how I want to use this one yet.

I discovered the Laconic Style system at NY Now back in January. To me, the beauty of this particular notebook system is the combination of a formal structure and customization. Laconic has blank notebooks, standard diary/planner refills in daily, weekly, and monthly formats, as well as special purpose notebooks that you can use to build out your system. Two specific refills that I’ve recently used from this latter category include “Think” and “Spreadsheet” layouts that I’ve not previously seen elsewhere. The “Think” refill features four different templates (16 pages for each pattern): a “Mandala Chart 9x9”, a “Coordinate Axis” layout (for your classic “SWAT” analysis), a “Concentric Chart,” and a “4 Panels” Memo (consistent with what you might use to plan slides or storyboards). While I’m not an expert on how to use these various layouts other than having some experience with the 4-panel storyboard, the common theme seems to be that the different designs allow you to visually link your ideas together as you go. I’ve long been a flow-charts and mind-maps on blank paper type of guy, but lately a bit of structure has been helpful to mix things up.

Laconic Style Storyboard Layout — The 4-Panel/Storyboard Layout from the Think Notebook

The second refill I’ve been using is the “Spreadsheet” refill. It’s exactly as described: a notebook full of spreadsheet cells that serve multiple purposes: to organize notes on my personal pen collection, such as where I purchased each piece, price paid, etc.; as a content calendar (which is something I’ve tried very hard to stick to, with limited success even though it would make my life infinitely easier); and as a ledger for running down monthly finances and tracking invoices.

The start of my “Spreadsheet” Pen Journal!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’ve enjoyed using the Laconic notebooks (as well as the add-on accessories like the bookmarks), and have mainly been using them with Pilot Frixion gel pens in the .4mm and .5mm tip sizes. While I would compare the Laconic paper to something like that featured in the Kokuyo Jibun Techo Planner (i.e., it works perfectly well with low-maintenance fountain pen inks in a fine or extra-fine nib), these erasable gel pens lend themselves quite well to writing in planners and charts, given that you may want to (1) write very small in the way that a micro-tipped gel pen can do; and (2) erase and change information that you may be “logging.” You can purchase the .5mm Frixion pens at most big box (or even grocery) stores, and there are plenty of online retailers, including Jetpens or Amazon, that sell the .4mm needle-tip versions. The ink has come a long way in terms of legibility, and I’ve found the pens to work as advertised.

SWAT Chart with Erasable Pen — The “Coordinate” Layout from the “Think” Journal with the Pilot Frixion. The ruling is pretty small on these notebooks, so for filling out charts, etc. I’ve used either a super-extra-fine fountain pen with Pilot Blue-Black ink (which holds a fine line quite well) or the Pilot Frixion gel pen.

As mentioned above, the notebooks shown here are from Laconic Tokyo, one of the brands we carry directly in our shop. While I’ve been carrying these two inserts around in the Laconic Style cover, I’m thinking of building out a larger brainstorming notebook using a higher-capacity option. The A5-sized refills are compatible with most A5 covers, including the Midori MD covers, and multiple-notebook covers and cases such as the Lochby Field Journal and Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid advertising or affiliate links.

Notebook Systems: Introducing Laconic Tokyo

May 6, 2023

If I had to describe the Laconic Style notebook system, I would best characterize it as a modular, full-size A5 version of the Kokuyo Jibun Techo. (For those unfamiliar, the Jibun Techo is a dated planner/journal system that combines elements of the Hobonichi Techo with the “tall/slim” format of the Traveler’s Notebook.) The beauty of this particular notebook system is it’s customizability. You can choose from ten different 60-page A5 notebook refills, including four different planner formats (daily, weekly, monthly, or “100 days” with two days on each page), four “productivity” formats (To Do, Meeting, Spreadsheet, and Gantt Chart), and two "Lifestyle/Creativity” formats (Thinking and “My Life,” which some may recognize as similar to the “Life Book” component of the Jibun Techo).

Laconic Notebook Covers A5 — The full range of colorful Laconic covers!

While Laconic makes their own plastic notebook cover, capable of holding two refills, the beauty of this system is that the standard A5 size allows you to expand far beyond that using a system cover/organizer like the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter or the Lochby Field Journal (which holds up to six of these softcover A5 refills). For example, you could select a Monthly Calendar, Weekly Calendar, and Daily Journal for your “Planner” section, and combine that with Meeting, To Do, and a “Thinking” refill for brainstorming sessions. All of the planner refills are undated, and therefore flexible for those who might skip a day/week/month every now and then.

Laconic Style Multiple Notebooks Cover — You can fit up to two of the A5 Notebooks into the Laconic Style plastic covers.

So how’s the paper? I’ve been testing a Monthly refill since I first spotted these at NY Now back in February, and I would compare the paper to standard Rhodia or Kokuyo Campus. It will work fine with most fountain pens in fine or medium nibs, though extremely wet inks and wider nibs (and particularly a combination of the two) will see some bleed-through. That said, I’m not sure it will be an issue for those drawn to this particular planner, because it’s plainly intended for those who write small. (To that end, a Lamy 2000 EF nib with Pilot Iroshizuku Shin Kai gave me no issues.)

Bonus: Laconic Style Bookmarkers

Honestly, even moreso than the notebook system, what really caught my eye were these Laconic “Bookmarkers,” a set of eight different bookmarks in various formats that allow you to take notes while you read or write in your journal.

The Bookmarkers are sold in packs of 24, and fold over the page to prevent slippage. It’s also occurred to me that the “Planner” and “To Do” bookmarks could be taped or pasted into a bullet journal or other notebooks to add functionality. Personally, the “Reading Memo” layouts appeal to me the most, but I’ve kept a set of each for myself and since I churn through bookmarks fairly regularly I’m sure they’ll get plenty of use.

Laconic Style Multiple Notebooks Bookmarks — As with most notebook systems, all of the Laconic products are designed to work together.

Takeaways and Further Reading: Where Does Laconic Fit in the overall universe of notebook systems?

In the grand scheme of things, Laconic probably fits somewhere in between a single notebook system (each of these refills can be carried individually) and a modular notebook system, because you can combine them in a multi-refill cover to create a planner/organizer/journaling system tailored to your own needs. Laconic Style covers, notebooks, and bookmarkers are available for purchase in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and they’re actually quite inexpensive, starting at $5 for a pack of 24 bookmarks, and individual notebooks priced at $6.

Laconic Style Zippered Cases — The largest Laconic Zippered case is large enough to accommodate an A5 notebook or two.

I’ve previously written several pieces on “System Techo” and the different types of notebook systems available. If you’d like to read more, see below:

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We are an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Laconic. Please note that due to scheduled travel, orders placed after noon, U.S. Central Time on Saturday May 6, 2023 will have a 3-5 business day processing time. As always, we appreciate your support and slightly delayed orders will include extras!