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Whilst browsing for my Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 1 earlier this year at nibs.com, I happened to spot a Naka-ai in Ama-iro finish, which also happened to be “in stock”. *Incidentally, I love the new "in stock" page at nibs.com, and the ability to check out there and then. After all, I am not the type who is able to put in an order with Hakase, and then patiently wait 16 months for my creation to be painstakingly built from scratch. Though I fear it wont be long before I pull the trigger on one of those beauties....I think I could just about stretch my pennies to a Jade, though the one I'm REALLY after is the Water Buffalo with solid gold hammered belly roll-stopper and teardrop clip... Anyway back to Nakaya. I have always thought the sky blue of the Nakaya Ama-iro looks so cheerful and optimistic. The Ama-iro was offered in the Naka-ai shape. I had not seen the Naka-ai in person before, but had read it was quite a substantial size, with a comfortable section and an attractive tapered shape. I quickly decided I would go for a Double Broad Stub nib and with Rhodium-plate this time. With hindsight, I would have had the nibs the other way around- the BB nib in the Dorsal Fin 1 and the Broad CI/Stub hybrid nib in the Naka-ai. Here is the Naka-Ai with its fellow Nakaya's. Left to Right: Naka-ai Ama-iro, Dorsal Fin 1 Ao-tamenuri, Portable "Thick" Ao-tamenuri... Here is the Naka-ai with some of its urushi brethren from Danitrio...I wish I had lined up the pens from the bottom to give an accurate indication of height, oh well... View from the rear… Is it me or does the Naka-ai nib look ruthinium instead of rhodium? I’m sure I asked for rhodium, and it says Rhodium on the box- see here… However, I see they described my Dorsal Fin 1 as the Version 2. I can’t tell if the nib is rhodium or not as I do not have another nib in this finish. Either way I think it looks good. Here is a close up of the nib… Yup, looks ruthinium to me. Verdict: I really like the shape of the Naka-ai. The tapering is very attractive and it is also a very good length- same as the Dorsal Fin 1 but shorter than my 17mm Portable. The section as you can see from the pictures, is shorter and narrower, but I find it very comfortable to use. The Nakaya nib also looks more in proportion on the Naka-ai because of this. Some people have said the nib on the 17mm looks too tiny in proportion to the section and barrel. I don’t agree, but definitely the Naka-ai looks more harmonious. The colour of the Ama-iro is exactly as I would like it. It’s not really a bright sky blue like some I have seen, but more of a natural colour, quite sober, austere and to my liking. Not an in your face blue. I have read somewhere that Nakaya take their urushi colours from nature, and if you want a custom colour, you have to pick one from their massive list of “colours of nature” pdf. I like this idea. Quite in keeping with the Nakaya brand. The nib? Oh. My. Days. I asked for a Double Broad Stub with a “heavy” ink flow. It does not disappoint. The smoothness of this stub is like no other stub nib I owned. I currently have it filled Ishida Bungu, Hakodate Twilight, which only accentuates the smoothness even further. Here is a blurry writing sample... Needless to say I am happy with it. I am very pleased with the Nakaya's I purchased this year. My pen budget is now well and truly spent. Next year? Who knows, Blue Dragon…

Hi guys, I'm a newbie to fountain pen and recently got my first pen, a Lamy Safari. I was using one of the Lamy ink cartridges but for some reason, the ink 'disappeared' from the paper after a few days. I'm a student and I'm trying to find a blue ink that's slightly brighter, a similar colour to Zebra's Sarasa Cobalt Blue (not an FP). I've sort of stumbled upon Pilot Iroshizuku and I quite like the colours Tsuya-Kuya and Ama-Iro. Can someone help me with some of the pros and cons of these two inks? Are they good and is it worth the price? Thanks so much in advance!

I'd been meanining to write about this for some time, it won't be a revelation to anyone, but I was prompted into action by a recent and great review of Ama -Iro. This isn't a deep comparison of inks, I just want to deal with the topic of colour contrast. When I got this ink I though "oh dear", I felt I'd made a mistake, which is easy to do when you buy on the Internet, without the possibility of seeing the ink in person. But then a funny thing happened, this ink has grown on me, I really like it now, although nothing has really changed, except while writing I happen to use it next to Kon Peki, which was another "I'm not sure I like this" ink: to me they look really good size by side, they seem to bring out the best in each other, as well as next to other specific inks. So the lesson is to take into account the context of the ink, which includes the light, as well as the paper and the other inks you use it with. Kon-Peki looks a lot closer to Ama-Iro with a broader nib, in this case going from a lamy F to an M, so much so I would find it hard to use both at the same time.