Miko Desk Set - January 2024
December is a busy time for many, but the busiest of all are creatives in Japan preparing their Nengajo. The traditional Japanese new year cards can look however you like, but typically features traditional patterns as well as the Chinese Zodiac animal of the year, which in 2024 is the Dragon!
ZENPOP New Year orignal sticker
The first sticker set of the year is made by our in-house Japanese artist who poured her heart into this incredible new years inspired design. As you may know, new years are deeply connected to Shinto religion in Japan, and it’s commonplace to visit a shrine on January 1st to pray for the new year. Thus, this design features a variety of shinto imagery, such as: - A miko (shrine maiden) - A praying person wearing kimono & traditional hair accessories - A kadomatsu (bamboo & pine decoration) - A braided straw wreath - The Chinese Zodiac animal of the year (Dragon) - A kagami mochi (the mochi decoration with a daidai fruit on top). The sheet is a full sticker sheet, meaning you won’t have to leave behind the beautiful traditional patterns in the background, and the text reads: “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu” which translates to “Happy new year”.
Rokkaku Fude-zutsu from Haibara
Japanese tradition, minimalism, craft and elegance all in one item. This is a brush cylinder or pen stand made entirely out of chiyogami, a form of high quality washi paper with traditional Japanese crests and patterns. It comes flat in your box, but simply press the edges, insert the bottom piece and it will shape itself into a gorgeous container that will really make your desk stand out. It can come in a wide variety of traditional patterns and can also be closed and taken on the go, if you so desire.
Kin-ran Donsu from mt×SOUSOU
This gorgeous washi tape really exemplifies the WA in washi (meaning Japanese culture). It’s adorned not only with stunning traditional designs, but they are even gilded with golden shine, making it the perfect washi tape to use for a Kimono design, border for Japanese inspired art, decoration for your phone case or anything else you put your creative mind towards.
uni-ball one Wa-taste 3 Colors Set 0.38mm from Mitsubishi Pencil
Mitsubishi has blessed us this new year with a set of limited run gel based ballpens. These colors will not be made again after this limited run, and feature 6 different “WA” (Japanese culture) inspired colors. The ones you have a chance of receiving are: - Bellflower - Mame daifuku - Loquat - Sakura monaka - Jade - Sweet Chestnut The package design is reminiscent of a wrapped kimono, and thanks to the specialized colors, you can easily draw some gorgeous Japanese patterns yourself.
Seigaiha A6 Hougan Note from Kokuyo
This elegant notebook follows suit with many of the other items in this collection, being adorned with Japanese traditional patterns. This notebook in particular is adorned with seigaiha wave patterns in a unisex, silvery sleek color scheme. The paper is high quality, does not bleed too much and it’s itching to see what you're going to fill it with.
Clear Tape Brown Palette 7mm from Mind Wave
You’d be surprised how far 7mm can take you when it’s decorative tape. Thanks to the unique composition of the material, it not only blends well with paper, but can be hand torn with no resistance. Use these for monthly journals, decoration, borders and such. It seals well, but can also be removed without trouble. It’s even water resistant!
Wahu Seal Wa-Modern from NB
Traditional Japanese patterns with a modern spin! These type of stickers are very fashionable among Japanese stationery aficionados, thanks to the nod to tradition, quality and modern colors that really make them “oshare” (stylish). The glittering gold is all thanks to gold leaf and makes these great for sealing letters and gifts as well as incorporating in your drawings and designs. Did you know that many temples and shrines have round Japanese designs painted in the ceiling on grids like these sheets?
OKINI Design Paper Wagara Asobi Gami from Tsutsumu
15cm square design paper with Japanese style patterns that go well with the theme of this month's box. This is the optimal size for traditional origami and can be used to fold chopstick rests, “pochibukoro” (pocket size bags) and pretty much anything else. These have been popular in our boxes lately thanks to the volume in each pack, and the variety of designs you won’t find elsewhere in the world.
Fujisan Sky Blue Keshigomu from Iwako
I want to simply quote a translated version of our supplier's description to really drive through how strong people in Japan feel about Mt. Fuji, and how we got to the point that we’re making erasers based on its image.. “The heart of Japanese people, a world cultural heritage. It’s a masterpiece you want to admire♪” Yes, the musical was included.
