Today, the November 3d s Bunka no Hi (Culture Day) in Japan, and I thought it would be a great day to share Japanese Stationery words & product names that you as stationery lover may have heard of, but has no idea what it means !!

For those of us who have love stationery, you may have already realized a lot of pens or popular planners are from Japan. Let's take a moment to celebrate Japanese Culture Day and explore some Japanese stationery words !

What do these word mean?

1. Techo

You may have heard of Hobonichi Techo or Jibun Techo. But what does it mean ? Well, if you love planner, you must remember this word.

Techo means "Planner".

You can read it as [Tet-choh]

So what does hobo nichi mean? that would be a great question to ask them but I have great guess, Hobo means Almost. Nichi means Day. I assume "Almost everyday" !

2. Washi

Washi is not tape ! (Shocker?) It seems to me that a lot of people use this word for Decorative Washi Tape.

So what is Washi? Wa means japanese, shi means paper.

Wahi means japanese traditional paper, made by plant fibers. Washi has rougher texture than regular paper, and it is very strong. because of this, Washi is not only used for wring but it is also used for traditional sliding door at home.

Some washi tape is made with washi and adhisive, however some "washi tape" doesn't look washi to my eyes !

3. Tombow (Pens)

Tombow is actually a Japanese word. Have you wondered why your Tombow pen has dragonfly logo?

it's because Tombow means Dragonfly ! More you know !

POPULAR JAPANESE STATIONERY

Zebra	My favorite pen brand, Zebra! I've been SARASA user for probably 20 years !
PILOT	Did you know that Pilot is japanese brand? The HI-TEC-C brings me alllll the memory from my 3rd grade. I probably had all the colors they have. For recet release, Juice-up is so amazing. I have it in brown color.
uni-ball	uni is under the company called "Mitsubishi Pencil". Yet another Japanese stationery company! I love uni-ball pen, it's my go to for everyday note taking. I also have Jet Stream, I had my name engraved in Japan. They also have POSCA line as well! If you are an artist, you may have heard of it
Kuretake	Have you heard of Dot marker? Yes, it's from Kuretake, another Japanese pen companies.
Kokuyo	I swear by thier notebooks especially for students. All my student years in Japan, i used Kokuyo Notbooks. (I love muji but muji notebooks can never) They also make great pens !
Pentel	This is yet anotehr popular japanese pen company, especially if you are an artist. They make amazing coloring pens !!!
SAKURA pencil	SAKURA pencil makes amazing pens and markers for artist! Have you seen a gel pen iwth round cap? Yes, they are from SAKURA Pencil.

There are a lot more Japanese brands I can think of, so I may do part 2 sometimes !

As we honor Japanese Culture Day, consider infusing a bit of Japan into your stationery collection. After all, what I love about Japanese stationery is that the essence of Japanese stationery lies not just in the materials but in the details that goes into every aspect of products. I aspire to do the same with my "Techo" shop and deliver the best Japanese stationery to you!

Happy Japanese Culture Day from AMW PLANNER !

Japanese Stationery Words & Brands : A Celebration of Japanese Culture Day