one: ‘Speed Up’ is the message of these special Post-It notes, great for office use and highlighting key pages in magazines and books. Also available in other bright, garish colors. 3M’s signature brand is also bizarrely sponsoring a booth the huge Tokyo Girls Collection event on March 6.

Select stationery and office supply stores, ¥263.

Sharpie


two: The Sharpie has gained somewhat of a cult following around the world, mainly because of it’s simple design and handy practicality—you can use these multi-purpose markers for just about anything. The mini sharpie equipped with key ring extends that practicality even further: now there’s no excuse to be without a pen.

Select stationery and office supply stores, ¥100.

Sushi eraser set


three: Want to brighten up your boring desk with something wacky yet very Japanese? Iwako company produce fun stationery like this sushi eraser set, also available in a green tea version, and made right here in Japan.

Lapis art supply store in Roppongi Hills, ¥367.

Bic Cristal pen

four: The Bic Cristal is the most widely sold pen in the world, and as of 2004 one hundred billion had been manufactured. This year Bic has released a special limited edition four-color pastel pen in Japan. Numbers are limited to 20,000 pens, so grab them while you can.

Select stationery and office supply stores, ¥368.

Washi paper tape

five: The traditional handmade Japanese washi paper is known for its use by artists and craftspeople. This beautiful tape of the same material, designed by Yukio Taniguchi, is available in ten colors. It is easy to tear and remove, making it ideal for gift wrapping, book-marking, and arts and crafts projects.

MoMA Store (www.momastore.jp), ¥1,680

Moleskine, Recipe Journal

six: The super trendy notebook brand Moleskine has launched a great series of journals for the loves of your life. Themes include Recipes, Wine, Book, Film, Music and Wellness, in which you can record and recall your notes, clippings and drawings. Each Journal includes a set of different page layouts, with themed calendars, glossaries, listings, and a core part of alphabetically organized and tabbed pages to fill in. They also each come with a different series of themed stickers and icons for page customization.

Select bookstores, ¥2,835.