ZenPop November 2018, Japanese Stationery Subscription Box

ZenPop November Stationery Box 2018, Winter Magic Pack

This box actually made really good time this month getting here, arriving early last week, but I was in California.  It arrived around the 12th, which is really good.

ZenPop Japanese Stationery Pack has 10 or more stationary items per box.  You can make a one time purchase, or select a subscription plan of 3 or 6 months.  One box per month and those who get a subscription receive a bonus item.  A single box is $29.50, 3 months is $28x3 = $84, and 6 months is $27.50x6 = $165.  Shipping is free (boxes come from Osaka Japan so this is a great deal) and plans don't automatically renew (which is fantastic).

All quotations throughout this post come from the info paper.

November 2018: Winter Magic Pack

"2019 is a special year for Japan because the current emperor will abdicate in May.  The abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era, and the government will announce the name of the next imperial era in April 1, 2019.  We are so excited to welcome this special year with you.  We hope you like the adorable stationery in this pack.  And we hope your new year will be filled with peace and positive growth!"

I actually really like this box.

I'm starting with my favorite item.

It's so cool.

 Kokuyo Harinacs No Staple Stapler

"This is one of our most unique stationery items we have ever included.  You can staple papers without any staples!  Can you guess how it works?  This works great for about 5 sheets of paper or less.  It punches a hole and folds in on itself.  Perfect for keeping notes or receipts together.  And there are no staples if you have children around or you need to shred stuff.  Cool, right!?"

I'm constantly trying to find staples when I staple things together, and have since just resolved to folding paper in various ways to keep them together, which never works.  This little paper-less stapler does the job well and easily.  I'm so glad this was included in the box.  This will probably get the most use.

It's neat how the paper is punched out and then tucked back in.

 Doggy One Point Markers

"2018 was the year of the dog.  But dogs are cute no matter what year it is, so use these adorable sticky notes when you need a smile or for a little extra boost in your life."

Being a 1982 babe, I was born in the year of the dog.  This box is nice because they're celebrating the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, having both dog and boar items.  I love these cute little doggies.  So adorable.

Otoshidama Pochi-bukuro

"Pochi-bukuro is a special envelope used to give Otoshidama.  Otoshidama is a custom where money is given from Parents and relatives to children on new year's day.  Children in Japan really look forward to getting their Otoshidama every year.  Make someone smile and give them something nice in these gorgeous little envelopes."

I've heard of this tradition, giving money in small envelopes.  I'm trying to figure our how to use them.  This pack comes with 3, and 2 of my nieces and my nephew are old enough to get excited by small amounts of money, so I should practice this tradition with them.  Or maybe I'll get gift cards or something.  Just the right size for that.  We'll see.

Winter Ippitsusen

"Ippitsusen literally translates as "one stroke paper," and it's meant to be used to write a quick note to yourself or someone else.  Of course you can use this pretty pad of paper any way you wish!"

This is really pretty paper.  These are suppose to be Winter themed, but with polar bears being in the north, and the nice constellation theme, I can use this all year long.  Sample pages are shown a few images below.

Kokuyo Beetle Tip Highlighter

"This highlighter has a tip that looks like a beetle horn, and you can use it 3 ways!  Make thin strokes, make double lines using two tips at once, or use the fat tip to highlight normally.  I'm sure there are more creative ways to use it as well, just gotta try it and see!"

This is an interesting highlighter.  Never seen one like it.  With the different shaped tip you do have to look before you mark, but getting different types of lines from a single tip is a neat feature.

Sakura Knock Ball Pen - Lamé

"This ball point pen has sparkly colored ink.  It's not lame it's lamé!  It has a translucent body, a unique shape and a handy little clip.  Use this pen anytime you need to add some color or sparkles to your day."

A nice sparkly pink pen.  I'll have fun using this.

Winter Washi Tape

"You'll get one of 8 different possible winter patterns of washi tape in this pack.  Cozy crafting time is coming!"

This washi tape is very pretty.  I love the deer with the simple Winter backdrop.

2019 Desk Calender

"In Japan, it is said that the animal of the year (from the twelve zodiac signs) will bring the luck to your family and prosperous business if you have the zodiac animal with you.  2019 is the year of the boar, so this desk calendar might bring good luck to you."

A nice simple desktop calendar.

Each sheet is double sided and features an image tied to that month.

Winter Letter Set

"In East Asia, there is a traditional way to think of "seasons", which we divide one year into 24 seasons.  Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are all divided into 6 micro seasons."  There's some good info of each micro Winter season on the information paper: Rittou, Shousetsu, Taisetsu, Shoukan, and Daikan.  Right now where I live we're in Shousetsu: It begins to get colder and colder.  It starts to snow, although it won't lay at this period."

I'm so glad this stationery set is large enough to send in the mailing system.  Deer again, a theme I don't mind repeating, and the little chickens are cute, too.  Really like this item.

Shibanban Flake Stickers

"Shibanban's washi new year stickers!  Let's say goodbye to the year of the dog.  All the designs of the stickers are something to bring you luck, such as noshi (folded paper), daruma (good luck doll) or inuhariko (papier-mashe dog)."

More cute dogs.  I really like these stickers.

Fun designs, especially the dog on top of Mount Fuji.

BONUS ITEM

Only received by those who subscribe to a 3 or 6 month plan.

Kiguru - Me Eraser

"A cute addition to your pencil case, this eraser comes in black or white and features a costume wearing bird!"

A simple, but nice easier.

ZenPop Japanese Stationary Subscription Box June 2018

I've been wanting to try a Japanese subscription box for the longest time.  There are so many!!  Kawaii type boxes full of plushes.  Japanese food items.  All sorts.  Then I found ZenPop, who do have food and beauty boxes, but they also have a stationary box! I love Japanese stationary.  With this box the items are small and very usable, not taking up space.  You can never have too many pens.  And I love stickers and notepads.

ZenPop Japanese Stationary Pack has 10 or more stationary items per box.  You can make a one time purchase, or select a subscription plan of 3 or 6 months.  One box per month and those who get a subscription receive a bonus item.  A single box is $29.50, 3 months is $28x3 = $84, and 6 months is $27.50x6 = $165.  Shipping is free (boxes come from Osaka Japan so this is a great deal) and plans don't automatically renew (which is fantastic).

When you get a plan the boxes ship by the 10th of each month.  Mine shipped out on June 4th and took just over two weeks to arrive.

In the Stationary Pack you can expect pens and pencils, washi tape, cute stickers, paper products, and accessories.   Brands included can be Sanrio, Tombow, ZEBRA, mt masking tape, Platinum, Kuretake, uni-ball, PILOT, and KOKUYO.

Each box has a theme.  The June box is Arigatai: "You've probably heard the Japanese word 'arigatou' which means 'thank you'.  Arigatai is an adjective that means grateful.  In this pack we found some items that you can use to express gratitude to those you care about.  Give a gift in a cute bag.  Write a letter.  Make a wish for someone.  Offer them an origami crane to let them know you care.  We are grateful to you!"

I love the theme and this is a fun box.

Under each item is a quoted description that comes from the information paper included in each box.

Bunny Paper Pack

"Have fun giving gifts with this cute paper pack from AIUEO!  Fold the ears together and tie it with the fastener to make a funny bunny bag!  This paper pack should fit many things inside.  What are you gonna put in the bag? 1 of 3 colors."

These little bunny paper bags are cute.  There's a video on the ZenPop Facebook page that shows how to fold the ears, which is very helpful.  Really cute, and goes nicely with the "Thank You" theme.  I think I'm going to have to give the nieces and nephew a cute little bag of candy.

Arigatou Washi Tape

"As many of you may know already, Thank you is ありがとう(Arigatou) in Japanese.  This washi tape has both ありがとうand Thank You on it."

I don't really use washi tape, so I've been looking up uses.  I think I'm going to do a strip of tape on the postcards I send through Postcrossing, placed in between the address and message.  That would be cute.  I like this colorful tape that says both Thank You and Arigatou in hiragana.

Rink - Watercolor Washi Tape

"Rink makes beautiful colored washi tapes with watercolor textures.  Use this one to make art, decorate you scrapbook, or brighten gift wrapping!"

There are eight different colors I could have received, and I got yellow.  The color is soft, and I like the watercolor affect.  This will look nice on the postcards I send.

A sample of what the tape looks like, placed on a notepad I got from the Dublin Disney Store.

Zebra Just Fit Highlighter

"Useful highlighter from ZEBRA called Just Fit.  ZEBRA uses a soft material for the tip of Just Fit, so it will blend very easily.  Therefore, you can draw beautiful lines without any concerns."

I don't know how many colors were sent, but I like the soft orange.  The two tips are a nice size, and I like the thin vs thick option.

Uni Jet Stream Color Gel Pen

"Very first Stream color ink pen in ZenPop stationary pack!  Jet Stream pens have an extremely light and smooth feel of writing regardless of how fast or strong you write.  Moreover, it has excellent drying properties of the drawn lines for less smudges."

This pen writes really nice.  So glad I got purple.  This will be fun to use in my planner.

Petta to Marker Glue

"'Petta to' is one of the mimetic word in Japanese we use when we paste something.  This is a marker type glue, which you can put on just like writing with a marker pen.  The color of the glue is blue, but it will become transparent when it dries!  Let the glue dry for a tacky finish and make your own sticky notes!  There are two ways to use this marker glue.  Put glue on and wait till it dries : tacky glue.  Put glue on and stick before it dries : strong glue."

I've never seen a product like this before!

It's a glue marker pen.

I pumped it a couple times, so a lot came out.  Be careful.  The glue comes out blue but dried clear.  The dried glue is tacky, which means you can write a note, place glue to dry, and temporarily place it on anything.  You can turn any piece of paper into a memo note.

 Negai Ema Sticky Notes

"Ema is a votive picture tablet which we offer to a shrine or temple when we pray for something, or after the wish we made came true.  In Japan, people used to dedicate living horses in the 17th century!  After that, people began to just draw a picture of a horse on a tablet, and this is the start of Ema.  Write a wish or messages to make your wish come true!"

These sticky notes are so cute!  I loved visiting shrines and temples in Tokyo, and I remember seeing wooden picture tablets hung in rows.  It was a neat experience.  Now I have a little Japan here at home and can write down my wishes.  This will be a nice visualization goal tool.

Present Mini Cards

"This mini message card looks like a present box!  Or you could also put a photo on the card.  Everyone who receives one of these present cards from you will feel very excited when they open it!"

I love this.  I'm in a birthday card exchange group, so I'll use these in a couple b-day cards I plan to send.  The note cards do fall easily out of the paper present.  So tip!  Use the marker glue pin, glue the back of the removable card, let it dry, and it will be sticky enough to remain in place, but can be removed and replaced to read the note.

One Piece Lock Notebook

"One Piece is one of the most famous Japanese manga, illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.  It has been serialized since 1997, and it became the best-selling mango in 2017.  This notebook has a key to lock it up, so now you have a safe place to write your secret Hatsune Miku fan fiction."

I'm aware of One Piece, but I've never read the manga nor seen the anime.  Regardless, this is a nice notebook.  It locks!  And the heart shaped locks are so small.  Thankfully this notebook comes with two keys.  Unlike some notebooks with locks in which you can use without really locking, it's hard to close this notebook without it locking.  Make sure you don't lose those keys.  Hmmm, now what to write in it?

Summer Stickers

"Summer is almost here!!  Summer in Japan is known to be humid and hot, and it is totally true.  However, there are many fun things in the summer, such as summer festivals and fireworks.  Decorate your schedule book or bullet journals with these fancy stickers and feel the summer heat coming!"

Fun Summery stickers to use in my planner.  Or I might have to use these in my travel journal.  These are cute.

"Chiyogami is Japanese traditional paper which [is] made of Washi, Japanese paper.  The biggest difference between Chiyogami and Origami is that Chiyogami has many patterns and designs on it.  Traditionally, it is used for paper crafting and decoration crafted products."

This Chiyogami paper pack has nice bold patterns. I've never really gotten into origami, but with this it will be fun to try a few patterns.  Maybe I'll finally learn how to fold a crane.  There's got to be a few good YouTube videos, right?

Mini Letter Set (1 of 2 designs)

"'Kiguru Me' express a Japanese word 'Kigurumi' which means animal suit.  This time, a polar bear is wearing a panda suit!  Make someone smile with a handwritten letter."

So cute!!!  I send postcards and birthday cards to strangers, but I really want to start sending snail mail letters to friends.  Snail mail will always be cool.  In a sea of PM's, texts, and emails, receiving a letter in the mail is extra special.

A polar bear pretending to be a panda. :0)

Bonus Item!!

3 or 6 month subscribers get a bonus item.

Summiko Gurashi Stamp

"Summiko Gurashi Stamp from San-X.  You will get one out of 18 characters.  What shy character did you get in your pack?"

Cute little onigiri stamp.

I love this box.  Cute practical items, some I can gift, some I can use myself.  I can't wait to see next months theme.  I have a feeling it's going to be character based.  The ZenPop Facebook page had a character competition and Gudetama, aka lazy egg, will be in the July box.  2nd place character Pom Pom Purin along with some other characters will also be in the July boxes.  If you want to get the July box you have 8 days to subscribe.  I think the onetime purchase receives the current box, but I'm not sure.