Hello everyone! How have you been?
This time, we’d like to shine a spotlight on one of Japan’s stationery!
Compared not only to Western countries but also to neighboring Asian nations, Japan offers an astonishing variety of stationery. Beyond their everyday practical uses, many Japanese stationery items feature clever, innovative, and sometimes delightfully unexpected functions — a hallmark of Japan’s attention to detail and creativity.
Our Tokyo Oasis staff recently visited LOFT Shibuya, one of the largest and most well-stocked stationery destinations in Tokyo, to hunt for uniquely Japanese items that truly stand out. We’re excited to share our finds with you, so we hope they inspire your next stationery adventure!
Located just a few minutes on foot from Shibuya Station, LOFT Shibuya is the very first LOFT store. Established in 1987, it underwent a major renovation in 2012.
Today, this expansive seven-floor store boasts an astonishing selection of approximately 80,000 items, including cosmetics, kitchen tools, outdoor goods, and much more. With its incredible variety and convenient location, it continues to be a beloved shopping destination for both locals and visitors alike.
Among all its product categories, stationery is especially popular at LOFT Shibuya. In fact, the entire basement floor (B1) is dedicated exclusively to stationery, offering an incredibly diverse and extensive selection of items. It’s a true paradise for stationery lovers!
From the vast selection available, I’ve picked out eight standout items — including bestselling products born in Japan and stationery with uniquely creative features — so be sure to check them out!
We’re also displaying each of these items at our Tokyo Oasis location, so if you have the chance to visit us, we’d love for you to see and try them in person and try them out for yourself.
A beloved brand of ballpoint pens and markers enjoyed not only across Japan but all around the world, Frixion has become a global stationery icon.
After nearly 30 years of development, this revolutionary thermo-sensitive ink disappears with a simple rub. Simply rub the special rubber tip at the end of the pen, and the colored ink magically vanishes with the heat generated — even bright colors erase cleanly!
Some of you visiting from overseas may already be familiar with it, but did you know that Frixion was originally developed in Japan by Pilot Corporation? It’s a true homegrown innovation that changed the way people write.
After its release in 2023, the product quickly gained attention on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Thanks to its buzz and overwhelming popularity, it went on to win the Grand Prize at the 2024 Japan Stationery Awards.
With its wide-opening design, this clip keeps books open without causing damage, making it perfect for cookbooks, sheet music, and more. When used with thicker books, it can even secure the pages firmly enough to let the book stand upright on its own.
Binders and loose-leaf paper are must-have stationery items for students in Japan. They’re great for keeping notes neatly organized, but many students have struggled with the rings getting in the way while writing. This clever product addresses that frustration head-on.
With the number of rings reduced to the bare minimum, this binder lets you write comfortably across an open spread without any obstruction. Made from a lightweight, highly flexible material, it can even be folded back 360 degrees like a notebook, allowing you to use it as if it were a single page!
For Japanese students, an eraser is truly one of the must-have school essentials. However, after continued use, the edges tend to wear down, making it difficult to erase small, precise areas neatly.
This common frustration led to the development of the Kadokeshi. With its unique design featuring a total of 28 corners, it allows you to erase with a sharp edge at any time—almost like using a brand-new eraser.
Not only is it highly functional, but its cool, distinctive design also made it incredibly popular. Back when I was a student, it became a big trend among my friends as well!
If you keep writing with a pencil or mechanical pencil, the tip of the lead gradually becomes flat, making it harder to write clean, sharp lines. I’m sure many of you have experienced this at least once.
Focusing on this common issue, the Kuru Toga was designed with a mechanism that continuously rotates the lead at regular intervals, keeping the tip sharp at all times.
Although more than 15 years have passed since its release, total shipments have exceeded 100 million units. It became a massive hit and continues to be loved by many users today—truly one of Japan’s most iconic and innovative stationery items!
Sticky notes are one of the most popular categories in Japan’s stationery market. They’re no longer just simple memo pads—there are countless creative and adorable designs available today.
The item I picked up this time is a charming set that combines two types of sticky notes:
one featuring adorable animals lying down, and another shaped like cozy blankets.
After writing your message on the animal sticky note, you simply place the blanket sticky note on top. This way, you can hide your message while leaving behind an irresistibly cute little surprise for the recipient!
You’ll also find many other sticky notes filled with cute and clever ideas in the sticky note section of stationery stores. When you visit, be sure to take your time and look for your own favorite design!
Featuring a chic black cover accented with the brand name in elegant gold lettering, this notebook is designed with professionals in mind.
The paper itself is thick, durable, and exceptionally smooth to write on. In addition to its premium feel, it comes in a wide variety of formats—including grid, ruled, and plain pages—so you can choose the style that best suits your needs.
One of my longtime favorites is a uniquely designed A6-size notebook that features two checkboxes on each entry line. You can use them to mark deadlines and task completion separately, making it incredibly useful for managing your schedule in a business setting. 💡
When you think of traditional scissors, they’re often fairly bulky, with exposed blades—hardly something you’d casually toss into your bag.
That’s exactly the problem this product set out to solve. When not in use, it stores neatly in a slim, pen-like shape. Simply remove the cap, and it transforms into a pair of scissors that work just as well as regular ones—without sacrificing convenience or safety.
With its cute, pen-like appearance, it’s hard to imagine that it actually transforms into a pair of scissors—making it a fun little surprise.
That’s why it also makes a great souvenir to amaze your friends!
How did you like our selection?
From world-famous Japanese stationery with uniquely innovative features to adorable items that solve surprisingly specific problems, we’ve handpicked these finds from LOFT Shibuya.
And of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Japan is home to countless other fascinating, cute, and high-performance stationery products waiting to be discovered. When your friends from abroad visit Japan, why not take them stationery shopping and explore together?
Until next time—see you in our next article! 😊
