Japan's Paper Culture

• How Japan Uses Paper Today
• Spotlight on Japanese Paper Companies
  • Kokuyo
  • Tomoegawa Paper Company
  • Midori
• A Brief History of Washi (Traditional Japanese Paper)
• Modern Uses of Washi
• More Resources
• Conclusion

Giving out shūgi-bukuro envelopes and New Year’s cards are traditional ways of using paper.

Despite Japan’s international reputation for using futuristic technology, the country still uses a lot of paper. We spoke with YAMAMOTO PAPER and learned that paper became a central part of Japanese life because of its many uses and ties to culture. Old, traditional ways of using paper are still prevalent, from the gohei (a paper offering made to gods) in shrines, to the shūgi-bukuro (money envelopes) given at celebrations, and New Year’s cards. In more modern uses, purchases are typically made with cash; important documents are faxed rather than emailed; and nearly everyone uses hanko, a personalized stamp used in lieu of a signature.

Japanese paper companies consider how different pens, like fountain pens, pair with their paper.

Japan’s dependence on paper, combined with their high expectations for consumable products, means that companies design products with the smallest details in mind. One quality of their products that Japanese paper companies emphasize is the interaction between a writer, their paper, and their pen. In addition to characteristics like bleedthrough, showthrough, and thickness, they also consider how different pens pair with their paper. Various paper-pen combinations drastically change qualities like resistance and feedback, which is the sensation of the writing instrument moving across the paper.

When compared to American notebooks, Japanese notebooks have many more options for paper color, sheet style, and other features. Japanese paper companies want people to have an exact paper type for every use.

Japanese notebooks have many options for sheet style and paper variety.

Students in math classes might use dotted rule to draw graphs while still taking notes on lined paper. Bullet journalers looking to do art in their spreads might choose a dot grid notebook for its versatility. Perhaps the most unique paper product we carry is the Yamamoto Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection, which has 18 different kinds of paper, all with different properties. One interesting find in the collection is Kin Kaku Den, a paper commonly used for prayer writing by Buddhist monks. The Glassine paper in the collection weighs 30.5 grams per square meter (gsm), which is even lighter than newsprint paper at 45 gsm!

The Hobonichi Techo is a planner that can be paired with charming covers that are released every year.

The Hobonichi Techo and Kokuyo Jibun Techo are two of our most popular planner systems. Techo is the Japanese word for “pocket notebook” or “planner.” Japan’s “techo culture” means that people use their paper planners as ways to creatively express their lives. Techo users are drawn to them because they provide concrete and permanent records of life. As tangible ways to record memories, techos allow for handwriting and journaling in a digital world—two activities that can improve overall mood and concentration.

Some might use a techo as a simple way to keep track of tasks, while others use their planners for daily art challenges.

While some people opt for a simple to-do list in their techos, others might use them as opportunities to keep track of sketch-a-day challenge progress. Other users might write down things that they’re grateful for, boosting their mental health and providing some reminders to refer to when a day isn’t going well. From the most minimal of bullet journals to food and fashion diaries, techo users’ personalities come through their planners.

Founded in Osaka in 1905, Kokuyo originally sold covers for account ledgers. While the covers were 5% of the cost of a ledger and didn’t bring in much money, founder Kuroda Zentaro believed that success would come if Kokuyo did “something that [would] be of use to people.”

Kokuyo Campus Notebooks are some of our most popular notebooks. Campus Paracuruno Notebooks feature slanted pages that makes it easier to flip through the pages.

Surprisingly, the first Kokuyo Campus Notebooks from 1965 were a flop, even though they were spiral-bound and had printed images on the front—a new feature for the time. In 1975, the notebooks took their modern form with adhesive binding and have since been revised five times. They’re now one of our most popular notebooks. In 1995, Kokuyo introduced Universal Design (UD) principles, which advocate for products that can be used by as many people as possible. UD products include the Campus Paracuruno Slanted Page Notebooks, Punyo Punyo Pin, and the Kadokeshi 28-Corner Plastic Eraser.

Pages of the Paracuruno notebooks extend to different lengths, creating a slant that makes it easier to flip through the pages. The PunyoPunyo Pin has silicone around the points so you don’t poke yourself, while the Kadokeshi eraser ensures you always have a sharp corner to erase with.

Kokuyo PERPANEP Notebooks contain different paper types, like ultra-smooth Tsurutsuru or textured Zarazara.

In 2021, Kokuyo’s new PERPANEP line was created to focus on the intersection between paper and pen with three different paper types that produce different textures and sounds when writing. The Tsurutsuru notebooks have ultra-smooth paper that’s best for fineliners and markers. Pens that normally have a lot of feedback pair best with the Tsurutsuru paper. On the other side of the PERPANEP notebooks are the Zarazara notebooks. These have the thickest paper at 90 gsm and have the roughest paper texture. Thicker gel pens, pencils, fountain pens, and other smooth pens are great with the Zarazara paper.

Our favorite part of the Zarazara paper is the type of feedback the pen and paper give while writing—pens have lots of control and the toothiness of the paper comes through, yet writing doesn’t feel scratchy. If the Tsurutsuru paper is too smooth and the Zarazara is too rough, the Sarasara notebooks might be perfect. These have the same Sarasara paper in Kokuyo’s famous loose leaf papers. We recommend using the Sarasara paper if you like gel pens and ballpoints.

Kokuyo paid attention to small details in the PERPANEP line, from the lay-flat binding for double-page spreads and the unobtrusive light grey ruling, to the eco-friendly cheesecloth binding that is soft and strong. The PERPANEP notebooks come in 4 mm dot grid, 5 mm graph, and 6 mm steno ruling.

Compared to Sarasara paper, Shikkari paper is softer and thicker. It works well with pencils and ballpoints.

Along with loose leaf Sarasara paper, Kokuyo offers Shikkari loose leaf paper that’s softer, thicker, and more textured than Sarasara paper. We find it works well with pencils and ballpoints, especially if you’re a heavy-handed writer. Kokuyo decided to offer two kinds of loose-leaf paper after conducting a study on what kinds of paper people enjoyed using. Participants generally fell into two categories: some liked a smooth, loose fiber paper (Sarasara), while others liked tighter, thicker paper (Shikkari).

Midori began in the 1960s with the goal of creating a paper that would “cultivate the unique sounds of writing by hand.” Undoubtedly, the company makes a lot of paper—pulp sheets are stored in a section of their factory that is about 1.5 million square feet in area! Part of why Midori’s paper is so great is because of their commitment to details in the entire papermaking process. Many of their techniques used in the factory come from traditional washi-making techniques. For instance, Midori still uses river water to clean and bleach branches, but refines it based on the season to ensure that it has the same viscosity throughout the year. Instead of using bamboo mats to individually form paper sheets, Midori’s craftsmen use fast-rotating wires to evenly spread out the hardwood pulp. The final step of Midori’s manufacturing process is their writing quality test, in which workers write specific characters and patterns to check for consistency between batches.

MD Notebooks are Midori's flagship product.

MD Paper is Midori’s flagship product. It is made using hardwood pulp, yielding a softer finish than rigid paper made from conifer trees. We think it’s a fantastic all-around paper, as it works well with all different types of writing instruments. In our testing, we found it has no bleedthrough, better-than-average showthrough, and a medium balance of feedback and smoothness.

MD Cotton Paper is made with 20% cotton pulp and has a softer, bouncier texture.

In 2016, Midori released the MD Paper in Cream. The color was chosen to complement fountain pen inks while being less straining on eyes. The MD Cotton Paper came out in 2013 and is made with 20% cotton pulp in addition to the hardwood pulp. This results in a softer, bouncier texture when writing, and works especially well with fountain pens, gel pens, and pencils.

The TRAVELER'S notebook is a refillable leather cover that can be customized with different notebook inserts and accessories.

One standout product line that contains MD Paper is the TRAVELER’S COMPANY TRAVELER’S notebook lineup, which is meant to be customized with dozens of notebook inserts and accessories. Some of these include blank notebooks, daily and weekly planners, a file folder insert, and sticker pages that allow you to peel off and transfer stickers with ease. The customizability of the TRAVELER’S COMPANY TRAVELER’S notebooks and the quality of the MD paper used in them ensure anyone can use and enjoy the system.

The Nihon Shoki records the arrival of Chinese paper and ink to Japan.

We know from Nihon Shoki (the Chronicles of Japan) that Doncho, a Korean Buddhist priest, brought Chinese paper and ink to Japan in 610 C.E. At the time, Prince Shotoku wanted a stronger paper and popularized the use of mulberry branches in paper production because they were already used to make textiles. This paper became known as washi, which is stronger, more absorbent, and more durable than modern commercial paper. Its properties meant that it was great for calligraphy and artwork, as well as official documents that had to be preserved. Its capacity to let light through led to its use in lanterns and lamps.

Many farmers were unable to produce high-quality crops in winter and began to grow mulberry. Winter was the perfect time to produce washi because the cold river water was best for removing lye and other impurities from mulberry fibers. Sakoku, Japan’s closed-country policy before the Meiji period that started in the 1860s, forced Japanese people to make use of the resources they had for papermaking to cultivate their craft over centuries. Moreover, paper’s inherent connection with nature related it to gods from Japanese mythology, inspiring reverence for the product among Japanese citizens.

Today, artisans continue to use traditional techniques to make washi.¹

Even today, some washi makers still use traditional techniques and complete all steps by hand in a several-weeks-long process. They must follow exact specifications developed through centuries of experience and passed down through family lines and apprenticeships. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization awarded the sekishubanshi, honminoshi, and hosogawa washi-making techniques the Intangible Cultural Heritage status because they are such a big part of their regions’ identities and have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

Artisans need to meet specific qualifications to give their washi certain titles of guaranteed quality. For instance, to call their washi honminoshi, the highest quality washi from the city of Mino, washi makers must train for at least ten years under a member of the Association for the Preservation of Honminoshi. The cultural and historical significance of Mino washi extends even to those that have modernized washi paper production. Though Furukawashiko—a stationery company based in Mino—uses machine-made washi paper in its letter sets, they are proud to source much of the paper from local manufacturers.

Along with the preservation in manufacturing techniques of high-quality washi, Japan also makes paper a large part of its culture through festivals and traditions. In Echizen, a city in the Fukui Prefecture known for its washi, production of paper can only start after craftsmen visit the paper goddess Kawakami Gozen and pay respects at the Okamoto Otaki shrine. Children, elders, and citizens of Echizen take part in a three-day festival to honor the goddess, bringing offerings to the top of a mountain.

Following Commodore Matthew Perry’s opening of Japan to international trade in 1853, the use of washi declined as industrialized techniques for making western paper spread to Japan. Mass-producing paper using machinery became cheaper and less time-consuming than making it by hand. So, washi makers have come up with innovative ways to sell their washi. Aside from the older uses of washi in lighting, new developments in adding polycarbonate to washi create a new material that can be stronger than the glass used in automobiles. Some companies even make earrings, clocks, windscreens, and walls for housing from washi!

Washi floats showcasing Japanese culture and mythology are a main attraction of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri festival.²

Washi is also used in Japanese religious ceremonies, like the 300-year-old Aomori Nebuta Matsuri festival. The main attractions of this annual festival are the washi floats that showcase Japanese culture and mythology. For most of the festival’s history, the floats were made using traditional washi. However, one year, rain ruined the floats, and synthetic fibers were added to the formula to ensure the floats were water-resistant in future years.

Other washi makers have taken a more direct approach to sell washi. In the Ozu Washi museum, visitors can purchase a washi-making experience where they learn traditional techniques to make their own washi. Some craftsmen sell to government agencies and businesses who use washi for important documents that need to be preserved.

Washi tapes come in a variety of colors and patterns, such as these William Morris-inspired mt Washi Tapes.

Stationery lovers are most likely acquainted with washi paper through its use in washi tape, a kind of masking tape that comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Washi paper's features—namely its matte texture, translucence, and the ease with which it can be printed on—are what make washi tape so popular for scrapbooking and decoration.