daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
I stopped by Kinokuniya today to look at stationery and manga. I expected a few 2027 Hobonichi items, but they had way more than I thought. The single item I wanted from the 2027 line-up was actually in stock, but I managed to resist. Instead, I picked up a small sketchbook and a dot-grid notebook for drawing. Browsing stationery stores is easily one of my favorite activities these days! ✏️📖
Today started off with a bit of rain, but the cloudy skies eventually left and a bright sun appeared. I was happy to be able to use three of my stamps in the Hobonichi today! ☀️📖
I’ve been slowly working my way through the candy and snacks we picked up at Ohmachi Shop. The actual candy inside is pretty basic, just sweet pressed sugar powder, and not particularly good. But I feel a sense of obligation to finish every one. The packaging though is really fun, very retro Japanese, and each wrapper is getting glued into the daily pages of my Hobonichi. 😄🍬
I’ve been using this old sake glass as a pen holder on my desk. It has a little leaping deer and maple leaves on it, and it’s just too cute not to put to use. Repurposing things like this is fun to do. 😊
I’ve been using the Hobonichi Cousin Avec for a couple of weeks now, and I’m really enjoying the bigger size. My little A6 techo is compact and cute, but the A5 is just a better writing experience overall. The pages lie flatter, so I can use my Clampy, and I get to write at my normal size instead of concentrating on keeping my letters tiny. There are still spots where small writing is a must, like the daily timeline in the photo, but even there I’ve got twice the space to work with. And on the free-writing pages, I can just write without worrying about size at all. As a bonus, I’ve got more room to print bigger photos too. Overall, I’m happy with the mid-year switch to the Avec ✏️
I made an Aperol Campari Spritz in one of the glasses we brought back from Mexico. I love the color combination so much. And then the pen is my beautiful new Zento Signature. Just for fun. 🍹✏️
I made a quick trip to Kinokuniya today on a bit of a long shot, hoping to track down the Zento Signature pen. I honestly wasn’t expecting to find it, so I asked one of the clerks behind the counter. Turns out they had a few in stock, just not out on the floor. ✨ I looked at the silver one and decided to just go for it. It’s a little spendy for a gel pen, but it feels like a genuine buy-it-for-life situation. No rubber parts to degrade over time, and refill cartridges are easy to find. I’m already thinking about swapping the stock .7 mm Zento ink for a .38 mm One cartridge, which is my go-to ink.
I also picked up a multi-pen Juice Up with red, blue, and black inks, which means I can finally retire two separate pens for one sleek little thing. It’s so pretty too! 🖊️ Really happy with today’s stationery haul.
