DEEPTOKYO
magazine
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DEEPTOKYO
magazine
EN
2026.04.10
A Stationery Shop in "Kuramae" That Makes Writing a Joy
Nearest Station
"Kakimori" is a specialty stationery shop in "Kuramae," a neighborhood in "Tokyo" with deep roots in craftsmanship. Beloved for its original products as well as its custom-made notebooks and inks, it draws visitors from far and wide. Guided by the concept “Write with joy,” the shop is filled with stationery that makes the act of writing itself more pleasurable. "Kakimori" also puts great care into creating original products of its own.
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The neighborhood of "Kuramae," where the shop is located, has become one of "Tokyo’s" most stylish and trend-conscious districts, with a growing number of creative select shops, specialty stores, and cafés. But when "Kakimori" opened around 2010, there were almost no shops in the area aimed at the general public. Owner "Hirose Takuma" looks back on those early days.
“Back in 2010, when we opened, there were hardly any other places in "Kuramae" that attracted shoppers or sightseers, so there was very little foot traffic. In general, it may not have seemed like the best location for opening a shop, but that did not bother me much. In fact, I wanted to create original products for the store, so I found it incredibly appealing to be close to skilled craftspeople who could offer detailed advice, and to wholesalers who were willing to respond to very particular requests. With the hope of contributing, even in a small way, to sustaining the skills and businesses of the craftspeople who support local manufacturing, I have continued developing new products.”
In this way, "Kakimori" continues to share the joy of writing while showing deep respect for the craftspeople who sustain the world of making.
This former auto repair garage, with its exceptionally high ceiling, was transformed into a refined retail space in consultation with an architect and an art director. From the moment the shop opened for the day, it was already bustling with international visitors from "Europe" and "North America," as well as school excursion groups from across "Japan."
Owner "Hirose Takuma." His family had run a stationery and office-supplies business for trade customers in "Gunma Prefecture" since his grandfather’s generation. "Kakimori" is the next-generation form he created as he carried that family business forward.
The display of work scenes and quotations from the craftspeople involved in making "Kakimori" products reflects the shop’s respect for their skill and labor.
Anyone who visits the shop can pick up a map featuring sightseeing spots and shops around "Kakimori." It has proven popular as a handy guide for exploring "Kuramae."
Under the concept “Write with joy,” the shop offers a wide range of stationery designed to make writing itself enjoyable. One of the clearest expressions of that idea is its custom ring notebook, which can be assembled from parts selected to suit each person’s taste. Covers, paper, rings, closures, and optional extras all come in a wide variety, and visitors can freely combine them to create a notebook of their own. The finished notebook can be picked up the same day, and at peak times the shop receives as many as 100 orders in a single day. On especially busy weekends and national holidays, advance reservations are required. Customers can also bring back a notebook after using up the paper and have the pages replaced, which is one reason the service has so many repeat visitors.
Several sample combinations are displayed around the shop so visitors can easily imagine how their notebooks might turn out. The possibilities are nearly endless: a cloth-bound cover with a snap closure and pen holder (left), a patterned cover with a snap closure (center left), a leather cover with a leather cord closure (center right), or a landscape-format notebook with the ring binding on the short edge and a rubber-band closure (right). The price depends on the parts selected, but most notebooks cost around ¥3,000 to ¥6,000.
Choose the cover. There are paper, cloth-bound, and leather options, with around 60 variations in color and pattern available at any given time.
Choose the paper. Around 30 types are usually available, each with different textures and characteristics, along with divider sheets, envelopes, and calendars.
Choose the binding ring, the closure, and whether to add reinforcement or personalization. Closure options include leather snap styles, leather cord styles, and rubber bands. Metal corner protectors and foil-stamped name personalization are available for an additional charge.
The binding is done in the shop by staff. If it is not too crowded, the finished notebook can be picked up in under 30 minutes. When it is busy, it is a good idea to explore "Kuramae" and come back at the scheduled pickup time.
One of the shop’s popular items is the dip pen, which is used by dipping the nib into bottled ink as needed while writing. The lines and letters made with ink shift delicately in tone depending on the speed of the pen, the timing of each refill, and the way strokes cross or stop, creating an expressive quality quite different from the even, uniform lines of a ballpoint pen.
A service especially recommended for those who want to enjoy writing with bottled ink is the custom ink-blending experience, where visitors can mix a color of their own. The second floor of the shop is devoted to this service, giving visitors plenty of time to create their ideal shade.
There are 17 base inks to begin with. From these, visitors choose two or three colors to blend.
Using a dropper, they add a few drops at a time into a small test container and mix the colors together.
A writing test follows to check the color. Since the ink can look different in the container and on the page, visitors repeat the process of blending and testing until they arrive at the shade they want.
Based on the recipe showing how many drops of each color were used, the staff finish the ink and bottle it in about an hour. One 35 mL bottle costs ¥5,000.
Once the ideal color has been created in the small test container, the staff prepare the final bottled version in a larger quantity. Each custom ink is assigned a serial number, and for up to three years, the same color can be reordered simply by presenting that number. In this way, "Kakimori" offers yet another pleasure to the people who come here to write with joy.
Alongside everyday writing tools such as ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, and pencils, the shop also carries many fascinating ready-made items that will delight stationery lovers. There are special pieces suited to gifts, as well as slightly more luxurious ones one might choose as a treat for oneself. From familiar essentials to things visitors may be seeing for the first time, the lineup is rich in variety, and staff are happy to answer questions while visitors test pens and discover what appeals to them most.
"Kakimori’s" original dip pen is sold with the handle and nib separately, to be combined as desired. It is designed to be compatible with standard dip-pen nibs. From top to bottom, the nibs shown are the Metal Nib (copper), ¥6,050; the Pen Nib, ¥2,200; and the Glass Nib, ¥7,700. Handle prices vary by wood species, including mountain cherry at ¥2,970, walnut at ¥4,400, and "urushi" lacquer (traditional Japanese lacquerware finish) at ¥8,800.
When the nib is dipped into bottled ink, the ink flows into its grooves, allowing that amount to be used for writing.
One of the most luxurious dip pens in the collection, the "Lauscha" glass pen has a one-piece form in which the handle and nib are made together. Based on a design by a Japanese maker, it is crafted by a glass artisan in the village of "Lauscha," "Germany." It is priced at ¥24,200.
This product is made by a woodcraft artist using carefully selected solid wood from more than 140 tree species. The design showcases the natural beauty of the wood itself. The click mechanism and tip are made of brass. The handcrafted ballpoint pen costs ¥16,500.
This original "Kakimori" pen was developed to make writing with ink an easy part of everyday life. Its body has a frosted-glass-like texture, and the color of the ink and the nib can be seen through it, so its appearance changes depending on the ink that has been filled inside. The fountain pen is ¥5,500, and the ballpoint pen is ¥4,950.
This cloth-bound A5 notebook is an original "Kakimori" product made with book paper that pairs especially well with fountain pens. It is sewn-bound so that it stays open even when you take your hand away, and it comes with a ribbon bookmark, reflecting thoughtful design for ease of use. From right to left, the prices are ¥3,300, ¥3,850, and ¥3,300.
The information contained this article was correct as of 04/10/2026 (the time of publication)
