daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
Hi! I’ve started sketching a bit lately, which is a lot of fun. I guess I am just enjoying putting pencil/pen to paper lately, maybe getting a little obsessed with the notebook thing, using a new fountain pen and ink, practicing hiragana and katakana, and being inspired by urban sketches. Life is good!
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today my brand new Traveler’s Notebook (passport size) arrived on my doorstep. I’ve been looking at these notebooks (formerly named Midori) for a while now, and after watching numerous YouTube videos and reading reviews, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered mine.
I went with the “camel” color leather, which not only looks great but smells nice too. If you aren’t familiar with a Traveler’s Notebook, it’s basically a plain leather cover, with inserts that are held in place with elastic bands. There are two sizes: the regular size and the smaller passport-sized version, which is the one I went with.
The most common inserts are notepads (lined, graph, or blank), monthly planner, weekly planner, and daily planner. In addition, there are craft folder sleeves, plastic zipper pocket, and plastic sticker pockets.
My starter set came with a blank notebook and two extra elastic bands. I ordered a craft sleeve and zipper pocket separately, and these three inserts are a nice start. It’s not too bulky, so I think I can add one more notebook (probably a lined version) and it will be perfect. I also attached a couple of small binder clips to the craft sleeve which acts as a little loop for me to attach my pen.
What’s great about the Traveler’s Notebook system (and there are many cheaper clones available) is that when you fill up one insert, you can just pop in another one. It’s super versatile!
If you do a YouTube search for Traveler’s Notebooks or Midori Notebooks, you’ll see that many people love to use them for artistic journaling. Some of the examples are pretty amazing, especially the sketchbook notebooks. Just check out this Flickr group to see some awesome sketches.
I’m using mine to do some little sketches, practice writing hiragana/katakana, and take notes. I’m also using it to replace my wallet – to hold a couple credit cards, blank checks, and some cash. And of course a couple Instax prints of the family.
I’m really happy with my Traveler’s Notebook and can see myself using it for a long, long time. 😄
The term “chop” is a common name for a stamp used in Asian cultures which shows your name. Here are two “Gagō-in” that I have… the one on the left is from my grandfather, who was an artist and art teacher when he was alive. In the chop he gave me, the family name “Fujimoto” is written above the letter “B”, and I have used this in some of my paintings that I did when I was in art school. This chop is one of my cherished possessions. The other chop is one that I bought when I visited Hong Kong, and it is a more stylized version, left-to-right, and my first name below.
These two are not used in official documents – for that, my wife and I have another smaller seal, called a Mitome-in, which is used to sign documents in Japan. I won’t display that here, of course, but it’s really nothing special. I think we bought it at a stationery store for ¥1,000.
Below is a photo of the chop that I bought in Hong Kong. It’s made of stone, and has a really nice dragon carving on the top. I think it’s pretty cool!
どれにしようかな天の神様の言う通り pic.twitter.com/V8XQvnvgeE
— いくら (@mamakiteru) April 1, 2016
I really like her twitter feed! Amazing transformations into Japanese horror manga characters.
こんばんは！ Hello, how’s it going?
Today I finally received the stickers I ordered from Red Bubble. They were a couple days late because UPS delivered the envelope to the wrong local post office. But, I am happy with the quality of these stickers, although I wish they were a tiny bit smaller – mainly because they are a little too big to put on the inside wrist-rests next to the track-pad. For the outside, they are the perfect size though!
In the top photo you can see the cover stickers – the black and white band is SCANDAL, and the purple one is a drawing based on Morning Musume’s 『時空を超え 宇宙を超え』. I didn’t know that it was from Morning Musume until after I bought it, but I like the connection – they are one of my good friend’s favorite groups.
Below is a photo of the sticker that is on the bottom of the Chromebook. It’s Yui from K-ON! It looks like she got squished, so it’s perfect for underneath the laptop! Funny, isn’t it?
Anyways, I am having a lot of fun with my laptop. It’s great. I love it.
Well, it’s almost mid-week. Let’s have a good Wednesday!
おやすみなさい！
-B 
