Introducing the new "Zen" paper. Great for ballpoint pens, gel pens, various other kinds of pens, pencils....but for fountain pens, not so much. Too much bleed-through! So, if you want a high-quality, high page count notebook, and don't intend to use fountain pens, this may be the book for you!

To be honest, I really had high hopes for this paper as a Tomoe River 52gsm replacement. But, it was not meant to be, and the search goes on. And, who knows, maybe in the future, this paper can be reformulated with a thicker sizing (coating) so that it is more bullet proof.

I thought about not selling this at all, but it would be a shame to make it unavailable, because in every other respect, it is still an excellent notebook - our partner in Japan really has the craft down, and everything about it is just so...beautiful. But - I also don't think I can justify the same price as Tomoe River, so for now, we are lowing the price.

Finally...please note: the slip case says "3.5mm grid", but it is really a 3.7mm grid, as stated on this product page.

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The Zen paper is very similar to 52 gsm Tomoe River paper; slightly thicker than the "old" Tomoe River, perhaps about the same as the "New" Tomoe River. The writing experience lies somewhere in between the old and new TR, but it's so subtle that I am not really sure. It IS somewhat toothier than the old TR, which some people will like, others may not.

Finally, because of the slightly thicker paper, the page count has been reduced from 480 to 432...it makes a difference of about 1mm.

PLEASE NOTE: All reviews dated before 6/16/2021 are for the prior version which used the OLD TR paper!

If you'd like to try our new ZEN paper, please ask for a free sample by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Nanami Paper
Att: Samples by Mail
P.O. Box 17422
Irvine, California 92623-7422

I'm confident that you will like this this paper as long as you don't expect it to be fountain-pen-bullet-proof like Tomoe River, but I always encourage "trust but verify", so please don't hesitate to ask for a sample.

Specifications:

• Size A5, 210x148mm, 8.3x5.8 inches
• White-color ZEN "Notebook" paper,  52gsm
• 432 pages (216 leaves) with rounded corners and 3.7mm grid
• Lay-flat thread binding
• Flexible, tough, thin water-resistant coated-fabric cover
• Ivory-colored end sheets
• Comes with one A5 blotter paper
• Made in Japan

 

ABOUT MANUFACTURING VARIATION: We've found that thin paper is unlike working with "regular" weight papers such as 20 lb bond, laid, wove, etc. papers (we have actually be unable to find any binders in the US that are willing to work with 52gsm). Thin paper is very sensitive to humidity, and when bound in a thick book by machine as ours are, some unexpected variations can occur. So far, we've experienced the following (also please see the pictures):

1. Rippled pages
2. A subtle "waviness" on the edge of the book block
3. Dog-eared pages (rare)

Except for a torn page, none of these issues affect the writing surface or quality of the writing experience, and it's not practical for us to go through each book page-by-page (these issues can be quite random). However, if for any reason you are not satisfied with the book you receive, please let us know (dave@nanamipaper.com) and we'll do our best to rectify the situation. Thank you for your understanding!

For more information and design goals, please read the Seven Seas Journal Fact Page.

If you'd like to compare this journal to the cost of other journals, please see our notebook value comparison table.

Did you know that Hemingway wrote with a pencil? We like to think that, had he known about the Seven Seas Writer, he would have used a fountain pen. Here's the full story.