As someone attending college for East Asian studies focusing on Japanese culture and language and a lover of fountain pens and inks, I'm super invested in this line of videos. I love the fact that you're going for more hard-to-find exclusives. And I laughed when you mentioned the "no photography" rule and not even seeing it until looking at your photos. Thank you so much for making these videos!
11:32 This appears to be an ink produced by Tsutaya in collaboration with a calligrapher. There were three inks in total, and this seems to be leftover stock (just like the ink-ink-ink inks you saw). I liked the "mouse ink" - I feel like many TAG inks have great shading. This might go on my list... And the Tsuwa-iro Blue looks great as well! By the way, in traditional Japanese color naming conventions, the "mouse" stands for greyish or other kind of "drab" colors in reference to a mouse's fur. There was a time in Japanese history when commoners were forbidden from wearing colorful clothing, and that lead to a fashion trend of sorts where people would try to get as fancy as possible within the limited color spectrum of dull-ish colors. Also, yeah, the Kakimori prices are pretty crazy ... I find their inks to be very prone to feathering even on FP-friendly paper, so I haven't been back at their store either.
You may wish to visit Ancõra, Ginza on your next visit. They sell Sailor exclusive inks, including one called 'rainy day ink' which can only be purchased if it has rained on the day of your visit.
Loving your journey Matthew. I've followed @inkyrocks for years but your map has given me more insight / orientation into these stores. I'm going to keep watching to see what you discover. ❤
Thanks Michael! I've been watching InkyRocks, too... her videos are beautiful! I wish that I'd been able to meet up with a few of the popular RUclipsrs/bloggers in Japan while I was there, to get some insight into the scene... but it didn't work out this time. Maybe I'll go back in the fall, and I'll be better prepared.
I could manage the Indian inks but the Japanese inks are beyond all reach and reason so I enjoy the daylights out of your videos. Over the years, I have found that my tastes have leaned toward a deeper, more saturated array of colors and it seems that many Japanese colors are leaning toward shades of pastels. I am sure this may be just what I am aware of in my limited scope, so some information would enlightening.
Japanese inks are pretty expensive, outside of Japan... it's remarkable how reasonably priced they are in Japan, though. Well, at least compared to their prices in the US... they're not in the same range as Indian inks. I did buy one bottle in Japan for 400 yen... only about $3.00. A lot of new Japanese inks (from the past few years) are pretty pale... I agree, though of course not all of them. Previously, though, there were lots and lots of dark, saturated ones, so I'd say that Sailor inks in particular cover the whole gamut.
@@thewetpen The Sailor Ink Studio line has some incredible colors but the price point puts it out of the market for me. Besides, I,ve already spent years as a collector so my several hundred bottles won't miss it. It's just the idea. Still, every time InkyRocks does something I get all mesmerized and I'm looking at my shelves again thinking "Well, maybe....".
Thanks so much for this series, it's been great seeing the inks you've picked up on your travels. My wife returned from Tokyo just before this series, otherwise I'd have asked her to pick up some of these inks. She did buy me a bottle of the Nandoiro ink, so it was great to hear that this was from a pen show, and it's a lovely ink.
Another great list! Couple of questions and a suggestion! 1. How did you bring so much ink back in the plane? 2. Ideal way to pack, without spilling or risking the rest of the luggage 🤪 All these places, you could plot them on a map and embed then in the show notes. Living resource forever! Thanks again!
Bringing the ink back was not hard. Each bottle was already in its own little box, and I have a hard-sided suitcase. I brought several heavy-duty, gallon-sized ziplock bags to Japan with me (I'm sure I could have purchased them there, but I had them at home already) and I packed several boxes of ink per bag and sealed them. Then, I put all of the ink into the lid-side compartment of my suitcase (though it could have been anywhere), and made sure that there was some padding on all sides around them (I used my dirty laundry for padding). Before packing the ink, I did take a moment to go through all of the bottles and make sure that that all of the caps were nice and tight. None of the bottles leaked at all, but the ziplock bags would have stopped any minor leaks. All of these glass bottles are heavy enough that breakage isn't really a concern. I've thought about making a Google or OpenStreetMaps map of all of these places, and maybe I will. It would be useful for me, too.
@@thewetpen thank you so much. I ended up not buying anything in Osaka and Kyoto as I was traveling so much and didn’t want more stuff in my tiny bag. I an going to restrict myself to a very vibrant blue - less dark and more turquoise, a vibrant pink purple, and a yellow-brown. If you have any recommendations, I am all ears. I have heard there are custom ink formulations also available in places! Doing some research on them!
The ink swamp is entering my vernacular. I found this video because upon looking for the old style 50 ml Sailors on ebay, I found some resellers doing the store exclusives and... oh they're making bank and I don't know that I should support that sort of behavior BUT THEY ARE SO PRETTY. But I wanted to see some first before I decided. Yes, I'm already subscribed! No, youtube doesn't like to call my attention to your vids, I guess!
So great that you are doing this series! I was at some of these places just a month ago. Funnily enough, I was so distracted by the fountain pens at Itoya that I didn't even look at the inks.
Thanks! Unfortunately, the "Eslite" is mis-marked on that map. I've corrected it on my main map from the 2024 series of videos. That live map is here, although it's for exclusive inks, not strictly pen shops (which would just be too much to map, in Japan): www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ZzIXCrNTQ1QWo2PVVgfTQ3GbP_hjhfU&ll=35.6419364005856%2C139.93624856619806&z=10
I have mixed feelings about that. Of course it would be nice to be able to get the inks that I want immediately when I want them, but at the same time, I feel as though I have a pretty good selection of inks available already... and I do really like the process of hunting these inks down in Japan. It wouldn't be nearly as fun if I could just go home and order them.
@@thewetpen Sometimes the hunt is just as satisfying as the treasure. When I was in Japan, CDs were the rage. Just looking for titles was part of the fun as much as finding items that I didn't know existed was exciting.
Great video series! Do you reuse your ink swabs? I know you’ve mentioned ink dying them different colours after washing. Are you able to use them for more than one ink? I’m trying to find an ink swatching process for myself. I don’t like wasting a bunch of q-tips and find I really have to rinse out my paint brush for awhile between inks. And info would be awesome. Thank you!
Hey Liz! Yes, I do reuse my swabs. Generally, I wash them as soon as I'm finished swatching with them, while I'm waiting for the ink to dry, and I'd say that 70% of the time they wash out entirely clean, but the rest of the time the ink stains. I re-use them either way, but I don't re-use the stained ones in videos, generally, because I think it might cause confusion or concerns about contamination. I like the foam swabs because they're a good size and they work well, but I'm not crazy about the plastic waste in the end.
I don't even blink and eye at numbers like 32 anymore ;-) It's a good thing I wasn't in China or India, where bottles of ink are just a few dollars or less. I am very literally running out of space on my ink shelves, though. Time to start building more...
That bottle of Sailor’s Sailor (ocean blue)… you should’ve broken your rule and grabbed it. It’s probably my favourite blue ink and I believe it’s no longer made.
Sir, how did you carry these many ink bottles on flight? Do they allow ink bottles in cabin luggage 🧳? Pls let me know as you inspired me to travel Japan ❤
I carried all of these bottles in my checked suitcase (which is a hard-sided suitcase). I put all of the ink bottles in zip-lock plastic bags in case of leaks (there were none) andI wrapped the plastic bags in a little bit of bubble-wrap that I happened to have, but mostly they were wrapped in my dirty clothing from the trip. From the USA, my ticket included two 23kg suitcases, so weight wasn't a problem.
In general, fountain pen inks are not waterproof or water-resistant, although Pilot Blue-black, Black, and blue do have some water resistance. Generally, if you want water-proof, then you should get a pigment ink, like the one shown in this video from Pilot, or Sailor Seiboku or Sailor Soubuku. Or, if you're in the USA (or near a major pen shop in the rest of the world), then there are lots of options from Noodler's inks.
How very frustrating that they all seem to wear mask! Where you made to wear a mask yourself? I want to go to Japan, but if they are all wearing mask I don’t know. All those pretty little Japanese girls, but to not be able to see their pretty little faces would be a real bummer.
![FNAF vs TF2 - Episode 2 [SFM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z5b3V2-VLb0/mqdefault.jpg)
As someone attending college for East Asian studies focusing on Japanese culture and language and a lover of fountain pens and inks, I'm super invested in this line of videos. I love the fact that you're going for more hard-to-find exclusives. And I laughed when you mentioned the "no photography" rule and not even seeing it until looking at your photos. Thank you so much for making these videos!
I am living vicariously through your ink travels 🫢
11:32 This appears to be an ink produced by Tsutaya in collaboration with a calligrapher. There were three inks in total, and this seems to be leftover stock (just like the ink-ink-ink inks you saw).
I liked the "mouse ink" - I feel like many TAG inks have great shading. This might go on my list... And the Tsuwa-iro Blue looks great as well! By the way, in traditional Japanese color naming conventions, the "mouse" stands for greyish or other kind of "drab" colors in reference to a mouse's fur. There was a time in Japanese history when commoners were forbidden from wearing colorful clothing, and that lead to a fashion trend of sorts where people would try to get as fancy as possible within the limited color spectrum of dull-ish colors.
Also, yeah, the Kakimori prices are pretty crazy ... I find their inks to be very prone to feathering even on FP-friendly paper, so I haven't been back at their store either.
Ah ha! That makes sense. Thanks for the wonderful information!
You may wish to visit Ancõra, Ginza on your next visit. They sell Sailor exclusive inks, including one called 'rainy day ink' which can only be purchased if it has rained on the day of your visit.
You should watch my 2024 video series 😉
Your videos are really soothing. Looking forward for more videos
Loving your journey Matthew.
I've followed @inkyrocks for years but your map has given me more insight / orientation into these stores.
I'm going to keep watching to see what you discover. ❤
Thanks Michael! I've been watching InkyRocks, too... her videos are beautiful! I wish that I'd been able to meet up with a few of the popular RUclipsrs/bloggers in Japan while I was there, to get some insight into the scene... but it didn't work out this time. Maybe I'll go back in the fall, and I'll be better prepared.
I could manage the Indian inks but the Japanese inks are beyond all reach and reason so I enjoy the daylights out of your videos. Over the years, I have found that my tastes have leaned toward a deeper, more saturated array of colors and it seems that many Japanese colors are leaning toward shades of pastels. I am sure this may be just what I am aware of in my limited scope, so some information would enlightening.
Japanese inks are pretty expensive, outside of Japan... it's remarkable how reasonably priced they are in Japan, though. Well, at least compared to their prices in the US... they're not in the same range as Indian inks. I did buy one bottle in Japan for 400 yen... only about $3.00. A lot of new Japanese inks (from the past few years) are pretty pale... I agree, though of course not all of them. Previously, though, there were lots and lots of dark, saturated ones, so I'd say that Sailor inks in particular cover the whole gamut.
@@thewetpen The Sailor Ink Studio line has some incredible colors but the price point puts it out of the market for me. Besides, I,ve already spent years as a collector so my several hundred bottles won't miss it. It's just the idea. Still, every time InkyRocks does something I get all mesmerized and I'm looking at my shelves again thinking "Well, maybe....".
Loving this series, Matthew! This and your holiday videos are so memorable and enjoyable.
Wow, what an adventure !
Thanks so much for this series, it's been great seeing the inks you've picked up on your travels. My wife returned from Tokyo just before this series, otherwise I'd have asked her to pick up some of these inks. She did buy me a bottle of the Nandoiro ink, so it was great to hear that this was from a pen show, and it's a lovely ink.
Another great list! Couple of questions and a suggestion!
1. How did you bring so much ink back in the plane?
2. Ideal way to pack, without spilling or risking the rest of the luggage 🤪
All these places, you could plot them on a map and embed then in the show notes. Living resource forever!
Thanks again!
Bringing the ink back was not hard. Each bottle was already in its own little box, and I have a hard-sided suitcase. I brought several heavy-duty, gallon-sized ziplock bags to Japan with me (I'm sure I could have purchased them there, but I had them at home already) and I packed several boxes of ink per bag and sealed them. Then, I put all of the ink into the lid-side compartment of my suitcase (though it could have been anywhere), and made sure that there was some padding on all sides around them (I used my dirty laundry for padding).
Before packing the ink, I did take a moment to go through all of the bottles and make sure that that all of the caps were nice and tight. None of the bottles leaked at all, but the ziplock bags would have stopped any minor leaks. All of these glass bottles are heavy enough that breakage isn't really a concern.
I've thought about making a Google or OpenStreetMaps map of all of these places, and maybe I will. It would be useful for me, too.
@@thewetpen thank you so much. I ended up not buying anything in Osaka and Kyoto as I was traveling so much and didn’t want more stuff in my tiny bag. I an going to restrict myself to a very vibrant blue - less dark and more turquoise, a vibrant pink purple, and a yellow-brown. If you have any recommendations, I am all ears.
I have heard there are custom ink formulations also available in places! Doing some research on them!
The ink swamp is entering my vernacular.
I found this video because upon looking for the old style 50 ml Sailors on ebay, I found some resellers doing the store exclusives and... oh they're making bank and I don't know that I should support that sort of behavior BUT THEY ARE SO PRETTY. But I wanted to see some first before I decided.
Yes, I'm already subscribed! No, youtube doesn't like to call my attention to your vids, I guess!
So great that you are doing this series! I was at some of these places just a month ago. Funnily enough, I was so distracted by the fountain pens at Itoya that I didn't even look at the inks.
It's a good thing that I'm not really a pen collector. If I'd come home with 30 new pens, instead.... ouch. 🙂
Great video report, and the map at 1:07 deserves separate praise.
Thanks! Unfortunately, the "Eslite" is mis-marked on that map. I've corrected it on my main map from the 2024 series of videos. That live map is here, although it's for exclusive inks, not strictly pen shops (which would just be too much to map, in Japan): www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ZzIXCrNTQ1QWo2PVVgfTQ3GbP_hjhfU&ll=35.6419364005856%2C139.93624856619806&z=10
Wonderful video, Matt!
oh wow! wish i was there with you :)
Yes! Japan is a paradise for pen and ink lovers... so I don't feel so bad after missing out on the big pen shows in India over the past month or so. 🙂
Thank you for the exposé of these inks. I just wish there was a way to find these inks stateside.
I have mixed feelings about that. Of course it would be nice to be able to get the inks that I want immediately when I want them, but at the same time, I feel as though I have a pretty good selection of inks available already... and I do really like the process of hunting these inks down in Japan. It wouldn't be nearly as fun if I could just go home and order them.
@@thewetpen Sometimes the hunt is just as satisfying as the treasure.
When I was in Japan, CDs were the rage. Just looking for titles was part of the fun as much as finding items that I didn't know existed was exciting.
Great video series! Do you reuse your ink swabs? I know you’ve mentioned ink dying them different colours after washing. Are you able to use them for more than one ink?
I’m trying to find an ink swatching process for myself. I don’t like wasting a bunch of q-tips and find I really have to rinse out my paint brush for awhile between inks. And info would be awesome. Thank you!
Hey Liz! Yes, I do reuse my swabs. Generally, I wash them as soon as I'm finished swatching with them, while I'm waiting for the ink to dry, and I'd say that 70% of the time they wash out entirely clean, but the rest of the time the ink stains. I re-use them either way, but I don't re-use the stained ones in videos, generally, because I think it might cause confusion or concerns about contamination. I like the foam swabs because they're a good size and they work well, but I'm not crazy about the plastic waste in the end.
Fantastic! 💙 I'm still stuck on the 32 inks from part 1 🤣
I don't even blink and eye at numbers like 32 anymore ;-) It's a good thing I wasn't in China or India, where bottles of ink are just a few dollars or less. I am very literally running out of space on my ink shelves, though. Time to start building more...
@@thewetpen Oh I'd be in so much trouble.😂 I've grown out of my 'drawers of denial'. 😏 Shelves sound like a great idea...🤔
6:37 INK INC. WOULD BE PROUD!
That bottle of Sailor’s Sailor (ocean blue)… you should’ve broken your rule and grabbed it. It’s probably my favourite blue ink and I believe it’s no longer made.
Yep, that one is near the top of a pretty long list of inks that I wish I had just bought while I was there. Too late now :-)
Sir, how did you carry these many ink bottles on flight? Do they allow ink bottles in cabin luggage 🧳? Pls let me know as you inspired me to travel Japan ❤
I carried all of these bottles in my checked suitcase (which is a hard-sided suitcase). I put all of the ink bottles in zip-lock plastic bags in case of leaks (there were none) andI wrapped the plastic bags in a little bit of bubble-wrap that I happened to have, but mostly they were wrapped in my dirty clothing from the trip. From the USA, my ticket included two 23kg suitcases, so weight wasn't a problem.
@@thewetpen Awesome 👍 Nice to know. Thank you.
Lemon musical joke! 🎉
what brand is better with watter in general
In general, fountain pen inks are not waterproof or water-resistant, although Pilot Blue-black, Black, and blue do have some water resistance. Generally, if you want water-proof, then you should get a pigment ink, like the one shown in this video from Pilot, or Sailor Seiboku or Sailor Soubuku. Or, if you're in the USA (or near a major pen shop in the rest of the world), then there are lots of options from Noodler's inks.
How very frustrating that they all seem to wear mask! Where you made to wear a mask yourself? I want to go to Japan, but if they are all wearing mask I don’t know. All those pretty little Japanese girls, but to not be able to see their pretty little faces would be a real bummer.