By Shigeo Kida / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:00 JST, August 22, 2025

Some people feel unsatisfied when using commercially available notebooks. Maybe the cover isn’t so good even though it is fine for writing in. At a notebook store in Tokyo, customers are given the chance to create their perfect notebook, one which is functional and has an attractive design.

I recently visited the store to create my ideal notebook to use for my work as a reporter.

Hinine Note’s Yoyogi Park store in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, is a custom-made notebook store, with colorful notebooks lined up on the shelves and stacks of sample paper placed on a desk.

“Now, please pick your specifications,” said store manager Akari Yagi. She handed me an order sheet with a list of choices. I then compared the samples and wrote down the product numbers I wanted.

In my mind, the ideal notebook has pages with a rough texture that is suitable for ballpoint pens. I like writing with blue ink, so paper with a light tint would be ideal.........

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