Kokuyo Campus Teeny-Tiny Adorable Notebooks (A7)

[Plume145]

Okay, I'm no good with paper reviews, so I'll just skip over that in this case since Kokuyo Campus paper is an old classic practically on par with Rhodia (at least for those of us who love our Japanese/Asian paper!) so it's bound to have been reviewed already. That's my story, etc.

 

But I just HAD to share this totally adorable version that I recently found on Rakuten, because it is a total darling. Just look at that! That's a clip from a Lamy Safari for size:

 

The best part for me, as a big fan of all things miniaturized, is that this is an exact replica of the larger Kokuyo Campus notebooks - all the way through, not just the cover! The paper stock is the same smooth but not slippery perfection, same line spacing, same setup with the two dots for the date top right and the two bold lines top and bottom with dots as guides for vertical lines, basically everything you get in the larger Kokuyo Campus notebooks is here:

 

OMG, cute cubed!

 

What should I use it for. do you think? Do you like miniatures too?

[androids.conundrum]

Gosh, thats adorable.

 

I do have a soft spot for miniatures...in all things other than notebooks unfortunately . I have tried a number of mini notebooks over the years and while I love them visually, I can't stand writing in them, they are just uncomfortable for me. I need to keep reminding myself of that fact otherwise the cuteness may overwhelm me .

[zerotester]

This is a beautiful miniature notebook!! What should you use it for? Well, put it in your bag, jot down how you feel, what you do every day, anything you experience, anything you'd like to remember, happy or sad.

 

I can't say I am particularly fond of only small (miniature) nice things, but I love all better things in life. I am a big fan of Japanese diaries and notebooks so I love to go to diaries/notebooks corner as much as to the pens department. I would like to share with you some in my 'collection' (though the smallest green one on the right is not a Japanese one but a UK-made notebook, a present from my wife). Well it is not as tiny as your Campus, but it's not big at all.

[Plume145]

  On 2/25/2014 at 4:39 AM, androids.conundrum said:

Gosh, thats adorable.

 

I do have a soft spot for miniatures...in all things other than notebooks unfortunately . I have tried a number of mini notebooks over the years and while I love them visually, I can't stand writing in them, they are just uncomfortable for me. I need to keep reminding myself of that fact otherwise the cuteness may overwhelm me .

I don't do great with really tiny notebooks either, not for extended writing such as journaling or extensive planning, long lists, etc. I mostly just use them like you'd use a memo notepad or some sticky notes, for notes to self and short lists. This one is just extra cute and I feel bad using it for that lol. But maybe I should since after all that would give me an excuse to buy another one of these cuties

 

 

  On 2/25/2014 at 8:59 AM, zerotester said:

This is a beautiful miniature notebook!! What should you use it for? Well, put it in your bag, jot down how you feel, what you do every day, anything you experience, anything you'd like to remember, happy or sad.

 

I can't say I am particularly fond of only small (miniature) nice things, but I love all better things in life. I am a big fan of Japanese diaries and notebooks so I love to go to diaries/notebooks corner as much as to the pens department. I would like to share with you some in my 'collection' (though the smallest green one on the right is not a Japanese one but a UK-made notebook, a present from my wife). Well it is not as tiny as your Campus, but it's not big at all.

It's too big for my bag! lol The minis love extends to my bag, or should I say my daily carry because it's so small I often don't use a bag at all My bag notebook is more like the Midori Memorandum, and my bag pen is the Luoshi Cigarette Pen. It's a whole different scale!

 

I love Japanese stationery too! I like everything about it, the paper quality, the color that is often off-white and cream not bright white, the page layouts, the room given for customizing, and of course all those innovative ideas and designs

 

The little green book is awesome! Is it a particular brand?

[zerotester]

  On 2/25/2014 at 7:59 PM, Plume145 said:

It's too big for my bag! lol The minis love extends to my bag, or should I say my daily carry because it's so small I often don't use a bag at all My bag notebook is more like the Midori Memorandum, and my bag pen is the Luoshi Cigarette Pen. It's a whole different scale!

 

I love Japanese stationery too! I like everything about it, the paper quality, the color that is often off-white and cream not bright white, the page layouts, the room given for customizing, and of course all those innovative ideas and designs

 

The little green book is awesome! Is it a particular brand?

 

Oh Midori is 2.25" x 3.33" and the cigarette pen is amazing. Even that small beauty with a blue cap also looks like a real cigarette - I've seen a brand of Chinese cigarette with a blue filter cap like this pen. I can tell you really love nice little things

 

Japanese stationary, yes, it is awesome. My favourite notebook is LIFE (will show some pics). The creamy yellow colour is very comfortable and the paper is so good to write on.

 

The little green book is a Smythson.

[mobilebibliothek]

Love this!

 

I made a small Traveler's Notebook the other day that I'm going to give to a friend and it's so darn cute I may just have to make another one to keep.

[Fabienne]

I have had mini notebooks. I carry them in my purse. They don't weigh much (a big consideration) and I can jot down a wise comment, a good suggestion, or a sage observation with ease. Also, carry a pen (ballpoint so accidents don't happen) unless you are a real risk taker (because you will forget it's there and fountain pens HATE to be ignored). I have a beautiful hard cover tiny notebook with Rene Descartes on the cover. Alas, it's too good to carry every day. And a Salvador Dali one.

[zerotester]

Though this is not quite mini (It's a B6 size notebook), LIFE is alway my fav notebook. The paper colour is comfortable to look at. I use all kinds of pens on it- pencils, ball pens and fountain pens and all go well with the paper.

 

 

 

[BamaPen]

If you like mini and you like Life, then how about this L!FE "Name Card Size" Memorandum book. It measures 56 x 91mm and has 20 sheets of paper. However, the paper sheets are lightly glued on one edge, apparently designed to be used as notes, not as a journal. That's a Lamy Safari beside it as a reference, being consistent with the OP.

 

 

 

 

[dcwaites]

I have been using the Apica A7 notebooks for some years now.

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-1.jpg

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-2.jpg?_ex=330x330

 

They have 6mm ruling, as seen in the second image, have the excellent Apica paper, have sewn binding and are remarkably robust. I have had one living in my hip pocket for a over a year, and while looking a little tired, the cover and binding were still in good condition.

[Plume145]

  On 2/26/2014 at 10:58 AM, zerotester said:

 

Oh Midori is 2.25" x 3.33" and the cigarette pen is amazing. Even that small beauty with a blue cap also looks like a real cigarette - I've seen a brand of Chinese cigarette with a blue filter cap like this pen. I can tell you really love nice little things

 

Japanese stationary, yes, it is awesome. My favourite notebook is LIFE (will show some pics). The creamy yellow colour is very comfortable and the paper is so good to write on.

 

The little green book is a Smythson.

aaah, I've been wondering about that blue cap! I'm no expert on cigarettes (never smoked) but I don't remember ever seeing one with a blue filter. The pens only seem to come in the two colors - blue and a more cigarette-like muted orange - so it wasn't like they had the color that was cigarette-like, plus a few others for variety. Now I know there are blue cigarettes, it all makes sense! Thanks

 

I've heard about Smythson! It's on the expensive side though. Is the paper nice? What about consistency? Do we know?

 

The midori and ciggie pen combo is the best compromise I've found between small size (weight as well as bulk) and usefulness in a decent range of situations. The cool thing about the ciggie pen is that it's actually comparable in size to many 'wallet pen' offerings that are ballpoints (wallet pens are the smallest and thinnest, pens sold as 'mini' or 'pocket' are usually a little longer and a lot fatter - and all wallet pens I've seen are BPs). So I totally get to have my cake and eat it too - I can go tiny but not sacrifice having a fountain pen, which I much prefer to ballpoints!

 

  On 2/26/2014 at 12:24 PM, mobilebibliothek said:

Love this!

 

I made a small Traveler's Notebook the other day that I'm going to give to a friend and it's so darn cute I may just have to make another one to keep.

 

So, that's a traveler's notebook smaller than the Midori Passport size then? Well that would be a sight for sore eyes! Are you going to post a picture of it? (please please please)

  On 2/26/2014 at 1:07 PM, Fabienne said:

I have had mini notebooks. I carry them in my purse. They don't weigh much (a big consideration) and I can jot down a wise comment, a good suggestion, or a sage observation with ease. Also, carry a pen (ballpoint so accidents don't happen) unless you are a real risk taker (because you will forget it's there and fountain pens HATE to be ignored). I have a beautiful hard cover tiny notebook with Rene Descartes on the cover. Alas, it's too good to carry every day. And a Salvador Dali one.

eh, I'm not too keen on BPs. I give them a try every once in a while, but IME they too have starting issues if left unused for long (especially small BPs, which might not use the best refills). And a recalcitrant BP irritates me infinitely more than an equally (bleep)-dragging FP.

 

I'm not a snob; I've been known to also use fineliners and gels, especially for different ink properties like marking on smooth surfaces or 3D ink, as well as pencils. It's only BPs I don't get along with, but for very small pens, it's pretty much either BP or the ciggie pen

 

A tiny notebook with Descartes on the cover must be quite something! Love the contrast between the cuteness and frivolity of a tiny notebook and the seriousness of the figure

 

 

  On 2/26/2014 at 3:38 PM, zerotester said:

Though this is not quite mini (It's a B6 size notebook), LIFE is alway my fav notebook. The paper colour is comfortable to look at. I use all kinds of pens on it- pencils, ball pens and fountain pens and all go well with the paper.

 

 

 

Wow, that looks great! I love the B format - lately I've developed an appreciation of B formats, especially B5. B6 would be a good one to try next. The color of the paper looks sort of cream - am I right? I love cream paper! Do you know whether they do a grid shape as well? Where did you get yours?

 

  On 2/26/2014 at 9:52 PM, BamaPen said:

If you like mini and you like Life, then how about this L!FE "Name Card Size" Memorandum book. It measures 56 x 91mm and has 20 sheets of paper. However, the paper sheets are lightly glued on one edge, apparently designed to be used as notes, not as a journal. That's a Lamy Safari beside it as a reference, being consistent with the OP.

 

 

 

 

That's great! I need to track this down too now :-) Where did you get yours?

[Plume145]

  On 2/26/2014 at 10:43 PM, dcwaites said:

I have been using the Apica A7 notebooks for some years now.

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-1.jpg

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-2.jpg?_ex=330x330

 

They have 6mm ruling, as seen in the second image, have the excellent Apica paper, have sewn binding and are remarkably robust. I have had one living in my hip pocket for a over a year, and while looking a little tired, the cover and binding were still in good condition.

oops, this went up while I was cooking my reply These are nice too, sort of the same idea as the Kokuyo but the Apicas apparently have white paper, so that's an option for those who prefer white paper!

[BamaPen]

  On 2/26/2014 at 11:49 PM, Plume145 said:

snip...That's great! I need to track this down too now :-) Where did you get yours?

I got a three pack of these little guys at Maido in San Francisco. It was at least two years ago, however.

[BamaPen]

I'm not familiar with the Cigarette Pen, but I see from the ad on ebay that it is filled from an ink bottle and appears to be a simple ink sac that one must squeeze manually. Also, the cap is quite short, so the posted length is probably on the short side as well.

 

I have an OHTO Tasche pen that is a Japanese "short-long" design. Capped, it is 97mm vs 88mm for the Cigarette Pen and it is 9mm diameter vs 7.5mm for the cigarette pen. But, with the cap posted, it is as long as any normal pen and in my mind at least, much more comfortable for writing. Mine also has a very smooth-writing nib, albeit a Japanese "fine" which is on the extra-fine side.

John

[Plume145]

  On 2/27/2014 at 12:01 AM, BamaPen said:

I got a three pack of these little guys at Maido in San Francisco. It was at least two years ago, however.

 

meh, looks like they don't have those anymore. I could only find Life notebooks in A5 and B5 at Maido. Guess I'll have to look elsewhere!

  On 2/27/2014 at 12:13 AM, BamaPen said:

I'm not familiar with the Cigarette Pen, but I see from the ad on ebay that it is filled from an ink bottle and appears to be a simple ink sac that one must squeeze manually. Also, the cap is quite short, so the posted length is probably on the short side as well.

 

I have an OHTO Tasche pen that is a Japanese "short-long" design. Capped, it is 97mm vs 88mm for the Cigarette Pen and it is 9mm diameter vs 7.5mm for the cigarette pen. But, with the cap posted, it is as long as any normal pen and in my mind at least, much more comfortable for writing. Mine also has a very smooth-writing nib, albeit a Japanese "fine" which is on the extra-fine side.

John

Yep, the Cigarette Pen is short alright - even posted, although it does post securely because it screws on, so that's a plus. AND it's skinny. So it's not for extended writing, definitely. It's not a pen you carry with you to sit down for some journaling at your favorite spot outside of home, it's a pen you carry to take down a phone number while you're on the phone, or to sketch some directions, that kind of thing.

 

But then, none of the pens usually advertised as wallet pens are, either - like the pilot birdie, the derringer wallet pen, the levenger walletini, etc. I used to have an OHTO tasche, and while I thought the design was cool, it's still noticeably bigger - you can really feel that extra 1.5mm diameter and 9mm length when you're looking for something to slip into the front pocket of a pair of (women's) jeans without having it ruin the line or poke you in the hip when you sit down! And that's not even counting the added bulk of the clip

 

I do like all kinds of miniatures, so I have a lot of smaller pens besides the OHTO tasche, like the pilot petit, the Sheaffer Agio compact or that aluminum AG Spalding. It's a bit like this: these are all described/advertized as 'mini' pens, but the cigarette pens could be called micro pens

[BamaPen]

Plume, I understand your explanation and it makes perfect sense. I have an attraction to smaller pens myself. I have a Birdie, a Pilot Petit, the OHTO, a handful of Sheaffer Compact Cartridge pens (which are huge compared to these others), and some 1930s vintage celluloid golf or bridge pens and matching pencils. I have a cute little golf pen that is only 81mm long capped, but the cap is 11mm in diameter. It's a lever filler with a 14K flexible nib and actually writes rather smoothly. When posted it is really pretty comfortable to use. It's in the second picture from the top on this page. The nib has been straightened since that picture was taken http://jehubbard.com/small_pens.htm

 

I think I have to get a Cigarette Pen!

 

John

[zerotester]

  On 2/26/2014 at 10:43 PM, dcwaites said:

I have been using the Apica A7 notebooks for some years now.

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-1.jpg

 

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/kyotobunguya/cabinet/other/apica/cd5-7-2.jpg?_ex=330x330

 

They have 6mm ruling, as seen in the second image, have the excellent Apica paper, have sewn binding and are remarkably robust. I have had one living in my hip pocket for a over a year, and while looking a little tired, the cover and binding were still in good condition.

 

Yes, Apica makes beautiful notebooks too! The first and only I have is an A5 CD Notebook I bought at Itoya in the last trip to Japan. It lies flat nicely, very writer-friendly. I usally write with a Pilot drawing pen (1st pic) and a Sailor 1911 FP (2nd pic). The paper is of very high quality, and gets along well with both pens.

 

Edit：don't know why the first pic is yellowish. The paper is white. The 2nd pic shows more of the actual colour.

Edited February 27, 2014 by zerotester

[zerotester]

  On 2/26/2014 at 11:49 PM, Plume145 said:

aaah, I've been wondering about that blue cap! I'm no expert on cigarettes (never smoked) but I don't remember ever seeing one with a blue filter. The pens only seem to come in the two colors - blue and a more cigarette-like muted orange - so it wasn't like they had the color that was cigarette-like, plus a few others for variety. Now I know there are blue cigarettes, it all makes sense! Thanks

 

I've heard about Smythson! It's on the expensive side though. Is the paper nice? What about consistency? Do we know?

 

The midori and ciggie pen combo is the best compromise I've found between small size (weight as well as bulk) and usefulness in a decent range of situations. The cool thing about the ciggie pen is that it's actually comparable in size to many 'wallet pen' offerings that are ballpoints (wallet pens are the smallest and thinnest, pens sold as 'mini' or 'pocket' are usually a little longer and a lot fatter - and all wallet pens I've seen are BPs). So I totally get to have my cake and eat it too - I can go tiny but not sacrifice having a fountain pen, which I much prefer to ballpoints!

 

 

 

I don't smoke either but I see all those blue cigarette butts on the ground in the city centre where a lot of people smoke. It's a Chinese brand as far as I know.

 

Smythson is good - I believe it's really good, smooth, feather-like, and no bleed-through, the book is nicely bound, paper colour is exceptionally beautiful, however, it's way overpriced.

 

I also don't like to use ball point on notebooks or diaries. Ball points just don't have feel I can get from a fountain pen, especially writing on good smooth paper. I think the cigarette pen is truly amazing given the size. I checked taobao.com - the pen is sold in China for 3.80 renminbi (about USD 0.6). That's incredible! Likely the cost of shipping is much expensive.

[mobilebibliothek]

  On 2/26/2014 at 11:49 PM, Plume145 said:

So, that's a traveler's notebook smaller than the Midori Passport size then? Well that would be a sight for sore eyes! Are you going to post a picture of it? (please please please)

 

 

Sure thing:

 

http://distilleryimage4.ak.instagram.com/ee8bdf169f6f11e3b7d512b0a3aaf2c4_8.jpg

[also on my instagram]

 

It's just a bit smaller, I made it to fit the small Moleskine Volant notebooks (6,5 cm x 10,5 cm). I'm probably going to end up making an even smaller one though.

Edited February 27, 2014 by mobilebibliothek

[zerotester]

  On 2/26/2014 at 1:07 PM, Fabienne said:

I have had mini notebooks. I carry them in my purse. They don't weigh much (a big consideration) and I can jot down a wise comment, a good suggestion, or a sage observation with ease. Also, carry a pen (ballpoint so accidents don't happen) unless you are a real risk taker (because you will forget it's there and fountain pens HATE to be ignored). I have a beautiful hard cover tiny notebook with Rene Descartes on the cover. Alas, it's too good to carry every day. And a Salvador Dali one.

 

Would you kindly share with us a picture of your beautiful notebooks with Descartes and Dali, if it's not too inconvenient? I love all stationery items. Thanks.