2015 March Tokyo Trip! Loot And Itoya Pictures

[ethernautrix]

Oo, great photos! Must have been heaven. I, too, like the green and black Nakaya. Beautiful!

[pelman]

wonderful pics. thanks for sharing such an experience. Love the Ohashido.

[koofle]

Some close-up photos!

http://i.imgur.com/DWQ0gTq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AIqK8Co.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qIQApra.jpg

 

 

Wow! What a haul. On behalf of all of us living in the Tokyo area, let me say "thank you" for your contributions to the local economy.

I see we have similar tastes in pens. Our Ohashido pens differ in chasing patteren only. I too had my pen ground to a music nib at the show I bought it at, but it was my Ohashido. I was planning on getting a Nakaya this year but was not able to.

I didn't see the LE Mistsukoshi ink, not interested in reds?

Glad you had a nice trip. Enjoy your new toys.

It was a pleasure to shop in Tokyo! I saw the Mitsukoshi ink but it was red and as someone with Chinese heritage I'm still a bit wary of using red hahaha. Usually reserved for tombstones. I don't mind other people using it though, nor do I mind really reddish oranges or the like.

 

Wonderful post - thank you brings back fond memories of my own trip to Itoya.

Where did you buy the Hakese ink?

I bought the hakase ink at Kingdom note!

 

Out of curiosity, what was the Mitsikoshi pen show like?

I didn't take any pictures out of politeness so I'll have to draw it for you instead. Please excuse the roughness, and I think I have the Sailor booth in the wrong place, but they were definitely there!

http://i.imgur.com/ecXzH4U.jpg

 

It was a a quadrant of counters, all staffed by people very well versed in their brand. By "other western brands" I recall Kaweco, Waterman, Parker, Conway Stewart, Aurora, Delta and a few others. Most of the attention was on the Japanese brands and Pelikan. Nakaya, Pilot, Platinum and Pelikan all had full sets of test pens out. Nakaya even had test bodies. I went twice. The first time, I browsed through Eboya's offerings and then sat down to test and buy a Nakaya. Never have I felt so much attentiveness placed upon me while others waited, or sat in line as Mr. Yoshida assembled the nib unit and body I requested. And then spent half an hour grinding a stub from an extra broad as they had no fitting music nibs as I sat in rapt attention. Wrote down the price in clear neat block letters for my affirmation, asked what ink I wanted (black or blue-black) and then packaged everything up.

 

Same type of service everywhere else in Tokyo! It's an amazing feeling after you've waited patiently for the customer in front to be done and all attention and care is placed upon you. Neither pushy nor patronising, just the right amount. Where I live I'd have to flag down a clueless shop assistant who won't even let me dip test anything. Meanwhile, the Sailor clerk was dipping all their speciality nibs for me to try as soon as he knew I'd bought the demo KOP. (Those naginatas are so smooth...)

 

The second time I went, the man at the Ohashido booth (Really sorry I forgot his name! It's that man.) even conversed with me in google translate! Really nice people. As I was testing an Ohashido and admiring the more intricate urushi and raden pieces, a young lady sat down beside me and started testing some of the other pens by drawing rabbit faces. We started talking, and she couldn't believe I'd come all the way to Japan just for the show.

 

They also had the limited edition Moomin fountain pen there. Even cuter in person. Thankfully there were no vintage pens on sale, I wouldn't have been able to save my wallet. (that's what Euro-box is for)

[daintydimsum]

Wonderful account! Thank you for sharing.

 

That Nakaya looks amazing, and quite different from the Ao-Tamenuri I had. The beauty of handmade goods

[Acer]

Hi Rare,

 

Thanks for the wonderful photos & descriptions.

 

Your post brought back lots of memories of my recent visit to Tokyo a couple of weeks ago for work. I had a few hours to spare on the day before I left & visited ITOYA (as I usually do) & had two of my pen nibs adjusted by the repair technician on the 2nd level (you can see him in one of your photos) & also purchased a Namiki Yukari Royale Urushi in Vermillion. The service was fantastic & I really enjoyed visiting their new smaller store dedicated to fountain pens.

 

Cheers,

 

Michael

Edited March 21, 2015 by Acer

[hooper]

Thanks for the close-ups - what a stunning, stunning pen!

 

Very interesting side note about the color red in Chinese culture.

 

Thanks again for this very evocative post.

[nicholasyeo]

Amazing! If I ever plan a trip there, I'll make sure to save 10,000 dollars before even thinking of walking through the door.

[Algester]

Amazing! If I ever plan a trip there, I'll make sure to save 10,000 dollars before even thinking of walking through the door.

and then there's those elusive sailor inks which is more or less worth half than that :3

koofle I'm surprised that you didnt pass through the other stores like shousaikan since your in the area? or you were pressed for time?

 

PS: my second stay in Tokyo when an American travel adviser in a hotel tells you how Ito-ya is a very nice place you know you hit something still eh... there are more shops to check but there are just so little time :<

Edited March 22, 2015 by Algester

[Misfit]

Wow! What a great haul. They are all lovely pens, but I sort of like the Nakaya piccolo cigar ao-tamenuri because of the green accents.

[Tinjapan]

Thanks for sharing about the red ink.

 

I forgot to mention in my earlier post, you and I share similar tastes in Ohashido pens. First seeing yours, I thought we had the same pen, the overall style is the same. Ours differ in chasing pattern only.

[koofle]

koofle I'm surprised that you didnt pass through the other stores like shousaikan since your in the area? or you were pressed for time?

Shosaikan was high on the list, but out of the way when taking into account the shopping tastes of my travel companions. I was pretty satiated with pens by the time I reached Shibuya too. There's always next time! Won't be as worried about people getting lost then. We ended up going to Tokyu Hands and buying a bunch of other stuff.

 

Wow! What a great haul. They are all lovely pens, but I sort of like the Nakaya piccolo cigar ao-tamenuri because of the green accents.

Thank you!

 

Thanks for sharing about the red ink.

 

I forgot to mention in my earlier post, you and I share similar tastes in Ohashido pens. First seeing yours, I thought we had the same pen, the overall style is the same. Ours differ in chasing pattern only.

I chose it over the other pens on offer because I had already purchased an urushi pen and had never owned a modern BCHR. The balance and texture appealed to my hand. Having used it to write and sketch extensively in my travelogue, I definitely have no regrets!

[Tinjapan]

Ah, mine is laquered over the BCHR, most of theirs are or were. When I bought mine three years ago, they had a couple nonlaquered pens. I was told that there were a few people who prefered them unlaquered. Your's is without the laquer then?

[koofle]

Ah, mine is laquered over the BCHR, most of theirs are or were. When I bought mine three years ago, they had a couple nonlaquered pens. I was told that there were a few people who prefered them unlaquered. Your's is without the laquer then?

I believe mine is lacquered? It looks too shiny to not be lacquered. I may have overexplained myself, I really meant I just got the Nakaya and wanted something different I hadn't tried before.

[Buzz_130]

Very nice purchases! I miss being able to go to Itoya and shop, and you certainly made your time worth it. Good thing you didn't show the cost of those Iroshizuku inks... people would be really jealous!

 

Buzz

[Algester]

Very nice purchases! I miss being able to go to Itoya and shop, and you certainly made your time worth it. Good thing you didn't show the cost of those Iroshizuku inks... people would be really jealous!

 

Buzz

what they are about 1500 yen per bottle... without tax and if you paid 10000 yen on a single receipt you get tax exemption if your a foreigner

[koofle]

Very nice purchases! I miss being able to go to Itoya and shop, and you certainly made your time worth it. Good thing you didn't show the cost of those Iroshizuku inks... people would be really jealous!

 

Buzz

 

what they are about 1500 yen per bottle... without tax and if you paid 10000 yen on a single receipt you get tax exemption if your a foreigner

 

Cheap inks, cheap pens, great service, great food! I'll get to focus on the sights next time.

[katanankes]

This thread was so "inspirational" that I could not help myself and booked a trip to Tokyo in the last week of April... is there any pen event at that time? I am also considering a day trip to Tottori...

[katanankes]

Probably a silly question, but for those of you that are familiar with Tokyo, what could be a good accommodation/location to maximize exposure to pen shops? Like Marunzen, Itoya...

[tinkerteacher]

Do they still have the shop ladies with the white gloves?

 

That's what miss most about Japan, the presentation they put into the shopping experience. That and getting 7 bags when I bought 6 apples.

 

Thanks for the photos.

[koofle]

This thread was so "inspirational" that I could not help myself and booked a trip to Tokyo in the last week of April... is there any pen event at that time? I am also considering a day trip to Tottori...

Glad to be an enabler! Unfortunately, I don't think there are any major pen events happening at that time, but you can still have a blast going to the various pen places and flea markets on Sundays.

 

Probably a silly question, but for those of you that are familiar with Tokyo, what could be a good accommodation/location to maximize exposure to pen shops? Like Marunzen, Itoya...

I enjoyed my stay in Ikebukuro, though I could see myself staying near other areas like Shinjuku, Ginza, or Nihombashi. The metro is mildly confusing but convenient so it's not too big of an issue. I saw a really good deal on a Pelikan m101n red tortoiseshell in a Bic Camera, but didn't bite...

 

Do they still have the shop ladies with the white gloves?

 

That's what miss most about Japan, the presentation they put into the shopping experience. That and getting 7 bags when I bought 6 apples.

 

Thanks for the photos.

All the shop assistants do! The presentation and customer service is amazing, probably hasn't changed at all from when you visited. Coming from a city implementing a charge-for-plastic-bag policy, all those plastic bags with my purchases was a surprise!