Review: Midori Join Dots

Dot markers/highlighters might seem niche but I think they're pretty useful. 

I loved the colours of Midori's Join Dots so I decided to give it a try. 

 

Each Join Dot is the length of a pen but has 3 different colours that are stackable. 

I bought the Mocha set, which includes mocha brown, cafe latte and greige. 

The round pen tip is quite stiff, this helps in making different thicknesses of lines when used as a highlighter. 

Also, the colours are very pretty. Muted and warm. 

Like with other dot highlights/pens, you can use the pens for making to do lists, highlighting and cute illustrations, making it perfect for diaries and journals. 

I love this set for the colours, and because it's by Midori, the quality is really good. 

The ink did not bleed through the paper, although I did find certain pens did not over when trying to write over it. 

I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for this series and buy other colours. 

What do you think? 

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Review: MIDORI 2023 MD Calendar Weekly

We are a month into 2023 and I have been using my new diary calendar from Midori. So I figured it was a good time to post a review!

MIDORI 2023 MD Calendar Weekly

Weekly View

You are able to stand it up for easy viewing.

Includes memo pages

As you would expect, every page is made with MIDORI's signature MD paper which we here at TN5C are HUGE fans of. It writes smoothly and does not allow pen ink to bleed through.

What do you think? Would you try it out?

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Midori Decoration Crayon - Marble Color

 

I've seen this Midori Decoration Crayon in stores and it's very eye catching so I decided to pick one up. 

I  purchased the pink/purple from the Marble color line.

There is also a neon colour line and refills are available for all colors. 

It's a really simple crayon in a retractable case and it's roughly 7cm in length, which makes it very portable and compact. 

It works similar to a retractable eraser, the mechanism is smooth and there are no snags. 

The holder will also prevent dirty hands from having to hold the crayon directly. 

The crayon is colourful, easy to use. 

You can pick any side/corner to write with and the color combination changes all the time which is really fun! 

The crayon itself is good quality, as expected of a Midori product. 

There is no residue, it doesn't smudge and you can write over or under it without affecting the ink from the pen.

It can also be used with another Midori product, the paintable stamp, which we've reviewed previously. 

The Midori Decorative Crayon is very versatile, you can use it to highlight, to decorate, to color, it's a great addition to any stationery kit. 

What do you think? Will you be picking this up? 

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Midori Double Schedule 2023

 

It's time for the 2023 diary/journal releases.  

I used the same one from Midori for the last 2 years but I’ve changed my workflow recently so I decided it would be time to try something new. 

 I wanted something smaller, lighter and I didn't need a weekly layout anymore. 

The Midori double schedule seemed to fit those needs and it had an October start so I picked it up. 

The double schedule refers to a Monthly appointments layout and a Monthly To Do layout. 

The notebook is B6 sized, comes with a plastic cover (which is always appreciated) and has it's title in simple gold printing on the front.

I should mention that the title is on the plastic cover and not the notebook itself. 

Inside is a page explaining the suggested use for the to-do layout, which is the unique selling point of this notebook. 

Also, there is a ribbon bookmark, I like that this is a standard item in all planners/diaries. 

First up, we have the monthly appointments page layout. 

This has the month set out on 2 pages, it's meant to be an overview for your month, a quick way to see what's going on. Other than a title, it's a bit difficult to write descriptions or even time but I definitely appreciate being able to see everything happening in the month. 

After the monthly layout is the to do layout. 

It is also monthly set out in 2 pages but the month is set out on the top in a linear view. 

Above that are 2 lines with check boxes, these are your goals for the month. 

The linear month view is more suited to the Japanese language or similar languages where vertical writing can be used. It's a bit awkward to write english vertically but if you use abbreviations, it's definitely usable. 

Under each week is a column for to do items, this is my favourite part. 

I write constant lists, I use so many list apps and I need them to function. 

Separating the to do lists into weeks makes it easier for me to make sure things get done, planned, or scheduled.

The check boxes can be used in a bullet journal type situation, using symbols to mark items as in progress, done or to be moved to the following week. As a former bullet journal user, I took to this really quickly. 

My one gripe is that the spaces are a bit small which has meant I have had to write smaller and learn to use less information.  

Finally, there are 16 blank lined pages at the back for random note-taking, I've started using this feature more and more over the years because I don't like carrying too many notebooks. 

Midori even thought about how to separate the 2 layouts and there are notches in the pages so it's easier to flip between the monthly appointments and monthly to do pages.  

I really appreciate this feature although it might take me some time to get used to. 

As this is a notebook without a weekly layout, it is pretty thin, which makes carrying around in my bag pretty easy. 

I added a Leuchtturm1917 adhesive pen holder and it perfectly holds my pen. 

Together with my pen, the notebook weighs 137grams. Nice and light. 

Overall, I am extremely happy with this purchase, if you like bullet journalling but don't have time to set up the layouts every month or just need a basic monthly and to do list layout. This is a great notebook. 

Also, this uses Midori's classic creamy paper, which means less bleed and easy writing, the yellow paper is also easy on the eyes. 

If you're looking for a new journal/diary for 2023, definitely check this out! 

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Review: MIDORI Quick Tape Cutter (Masking Tape Dispenser)

A while back, we reviewed the NICHIBAN Masking Tape Dispenser and today we review another! This time made by Japanese stationery brand Midori. It is a dispenser that can quickly feed the tape and cut the cut end cleanly with a light force.

Features: 

It can cut masking tape neatly with the same length. 

It is a convenient item that solves the problem of finding the cut end of the tape.

Keeps the tape clean.

Makes it easy to use for purposes like wrapping.

To use it, simply pull the slider and 2cm of tape will be sent out. There is a cutter blade on the upper side of the tape outlet, and you can cut the tape cleanly with a light force by pulling the tape upward.

It is also possible to pull the tape and pull it out to any length before cutting with aforementioned cutter.

Due to size, it is only for masking tape width 12 ~ 15mm. 

Masking tape with an inner diameter of less than 25 mm and an outer diameter of more than 54 mm cannot be used.

With a built-in magnet, it can be fastened to metal surfaces so you do not need to worry about storage space.

Personally I have found this extremely useful and have purchased another for use in the kitchen as well.

It is a lot more compact that the Nichiban version so if you were trying to choose between the two, I would recommend this. ^^

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Review: Midori Color Pens for Paintable Stamp

This is part 2 of the Midori paintable stamp review. 

The pens come in 2 different sets, relaxing feel (left in the below picture) and positive feel. 

Each set has 6 colours/pens, the colours are really nice I feel.

The pens have dual tips, which is common for a lot of brush pens. 

One side is a brush tip for colouring, the other is a fine point pen for writing. 

The colours for the relaxing set are aptly named. 

Cool pastels of blues, greens, greys, they're very pretty. 

The only colour that stood out for me is the magenta, it comes out more neon than pastel, which was unexpected. 

Good for a pop of colour, but I would've preferred a pastel colour. 

The positive set has more warm colours of green, brown and yellow. 

Unfortunately, this set also suffers from the same issue I had with the relaxing set, the mandarin orange is more neon than pastel.

It feels like the pen came from another set, this does affect the overall cohesiveness of the pen set. 

From left: Midori paintable stamp, Versacraft, Versafine, Stazon, Shachihata forcoat.

I used the brush pens on different stamp inks. 

Obviously it worked best on the Midori paintable stamp. 

There was a little bit of smudging with the Versacraft and Versafine, which is to be expected as they are water based inks. 

The pens worked well on the Stazon (solvent based ink) and Shachihata (oil based ink)

In conclusion, if you're looking to pair the paintable stamps with some colour, the color pens are a must have. Use them with other similar oil based inks for the best result. 

It's a pity about the random neon colours but I do like the pastel pens and I can see myself using them a bit. 

What do you think about the colour pens? 

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Review: Midori Paintable Stamp and Notebook

The midori paintable stamp series is not that new but I decided to pick it up when I spotted the notebook and color pens (this will be a different blogpost)

The stamp is self inking and the ink is oil-based. 

There are english instructions included on the inside of the insert and a useful disclaimer that says there might be too much ink released on first use. 

The notebook comes a few colours, included are instructions. 

There's also a really cute sample print. 

One of the features of the notebook is a fold over cover to prevent ink from transferring between pages, which I think is a great idea. 

There are 59 cream coloured grid pages. 

The paper is designed to prevent the ink of stamps from bleeding through. 

The rings in the centre are omitted to allow for easier stamping. 

The stamp is easy to use, it takes a few tries to get the pressure right. 

The stamps are a bit more expensive than what I expect to pay but they are good quality and the designs are good for different uses. 

The paper of the notebook is true to its claims, I tried other stamps/inks and there was no bleed whatsoever. 

However, the paper is thick and not great for using it in other journals, the notebook would have to be a dedicated stamping journal. 

I probably wouldn't buy the notebook again but I would like to try the other stamps from the range.

 

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Review: Deli Cream Correction Tape

 

Midori notebooks with their signature cream coloured paper are a staple here at TN5C. 

Mistakes when writing are inevitable so having to use a white correction tape on the cream paper can be very frustrating. 

There are a few options for cream coloured correction tape out there but some are difficult to procure. 

These deli ones were the easiest for me to purchase. 

I bought 2 different types, a regular tape which is 5mm wide by 10m and a 2 sided cream/white tape where each side is 5mm by 5m. 

The colour of the cream coloured tape matches the midori paper really well. 

Above you can see writing,  and below after the use of the correction tape. 

It blends in so well. 

The tape quality is good too, no peeling and the surface is easy to write on. 

There are a few cons, the first is that after using the tape, the ink is not as pigmented as before. 

The other con is that it only comes in a 5mm width, making is difficult for people with smaller handwriting or smaller notebooks. 

Overall, I use this tape quite often, I no longer get annoyed by the mismatch of white tape on midori paper. 

I highly recommend buying cream coloured correction tape if you're a fan of cream coloured paper!

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2021 Planner: Midori Professional Weekly Vertical Diary (Slim A5)

 

We're in the tail end of 2020 and it's diary/planner buying time! 

I looked around for awhile before finally deciding on a Midori professional slim A5 diary. 

Here were my requirements when I was looking at planners: 

• Able to use it for work
• Good paper
• Easy to carry around
• Not too small
  
• Vertical weekly layout

For reference, my 2020 diary is the Hightide Nahe schedule book. 

Before I continue, I'd like to point out the planner does not come with the buckle pictured. 
However, it is also by Midori and I highly recommend it. 

It secures the notebook closure and is also a penholder. 

Midori Belt Seal Snap

The Midori planner has a nice soft touch matte cover that looks very sharp.

The notebook paper is Midori's signature off white paper, which is amazing quality paper.

It comes with the standard yearly, month pages, a small section for notes, to-dos and small sections of international holidays and Japan metro maps. 

What I really liked is the vertical layout fit nicely in the slim A5 size. 

As a bonus, the Travelers Notebook pencil board fits perfectly. 

My planner starts in December and I can't wait to start using it. 

There's something about starting a new notebook that is just so satisfying. 

If you'd in the market for a new planner, this is one you might want to look into too. 

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