At the end of the National Stationery Week I thought it would be nice to do an overview of small Japanese stationery shops. In the upcoming weeks I will be reviewing 4 shops that sell official cute stationery. These posts are unsponsored reviews, about items bought with my own money (without breaking the bank, haha). I hope that this series might help you in deciding where to score you next stationery haul ;).

Cute Things from Japan

Cute Things from Japan originally started out as an Etsy shop in 2014. It’s run by two Japanese sisters called Ayako and Junko. They only sell items that they would buy, or use themselves. What I really like about the shop is that they will also sell items from independent Japanese artists, not just from the larger well-known stationery brands.

I had not bought from Cute Things from Japan before, but decided to give the shop a try because it looked so nice. It’s almost like you would visit a physical shop in Japan and I loved browsing through all of the stationery items. My package arrived within a week and it was beautifully packed.

Inside was a small gift (the tiny fish envelope), a personal note and discount stamp card. Also included was the newsletter from Ayako and Junko. It contains information about cute local shops and places, facts about Japan and a 10% discount code. I will certainly keep the newsletter, for the day I will finally travel to Japan.

The stationery items that I got are mainly for my bullet journal. Which has been a recent obsession of mine. Washi tape is great for journalling and at Cute Things from Japan they carry various brands. One of them is a Japanese washi brand called BGM. To be honest I had seen these tapes on AliExpress under a different name. So I was happy to find the original! The 5mm checkbox washi comes in very handy for planning. I will use the penguin and kooku (grain rain) washi for monthly themes. The quality of these tapes is very good, it’s similar to MT washi.

Almost everyone in the bullet journal ‘community’ has been raving about Zebra Mildliners. So I was curious to see what the hype is about. Luckily there’s a good selection of pens and markers at the shop. I bought a Mildliner in Mild Violet, because of the subtle color. Mildliners have tips on both sides, one broad and one small one, which makes them very versatile. I think they might have got a new fangirl.

Stickers are also an addiction of mine. As you can see I did really well, by picking up only 2 sheets of character stickers 😉 You’ve probably heard of Sumikko Gurashi, which I think are really cute and fun characters. This sticker sheet comes with tiny designs, aimed at planners. I had not seen the Amenomori Fumika Stickers before, but couldn’t resist getting anything from this Japanese designer. Cats and Unicorns, mixed with an 80’s vibe! Cute Things from Japan carries her washi tape and sticky notes as well.

Lastly I got some planner dot stickers, that I use to highlight days or goals. Since these stickers are a little transparant -like washi tape- you can place them on text. You can also write over the stickers, for instance to make your own numbering stickers. They come in a set of 5 sheets, so this should keep me going for a while ^_^. I have the pink and green version, both are sold out now, but they do still have the neon versions and other colours.

Cute Things from Japan Review Summary

Cute stationery in this shop

Washi tape, deco rush tape, stickers, stamps, pens and markers, letter paper, postcards, memo pads, notebooks, pen cases and even pins. Pretty much all of the cute stationery items you can think off. Cute Things from Japan also sells products from Japanese and international designers, such as Momoro, Kirico and Liang Feng.

Packing and shipping

My order was carefully and beautifully wrapped and arrived within a week by airmail.

Product and shipping prices

The product prices are very reasonable IMHO!
Cute Things from Japan offers a flat rate shipping of $3.90 and free shipping for orders over $39.00. For about $3.00 extra you’ll receive a tracking number.
Given the fact that some European countries (including the Netherlands) currently can’t use the cheaper SAL shipping, the flat shipping offer is great!

Customer service

This section doesn’t get the full 5 stars. I accidentally ordered 2 violet Mildliners and send an email, asking if I could switch one colour. I didn’t receive a reply, but it could be that my message arrived in a junk folder.
When you’ve finished your order, you can always see it on a detailed order page. This page will also show you the tracking status of the package.

Overall I can really recommend this shop, it offers a wide range of affordable cute stationery and receiving the package almost feels like a getting a gift.