Our story

We’re Kakimori, nice to meet you.

at Kakimori we celebrate the joy of writing. When we write, we convey our thoughts and emotions, enriching our exchanges with others. Sharing this sense of happines with as many people as possible is the inspiration behind everything we do.
To write is to express and reflect upon ourselves. Thank you. Please. I'm sorry. Good morning. Hello. Good bye.
The joy of expression grows through the simple act of writing.
We believe that the seeds of joy we sow will blossom and flourish in the hearts of everyone we encounter.
We write with joy. We envisage a world in which people can take genuine pleasure in fully expressing themselves. We see our role as nurturing this community of people who love to write, sending our message far and wide from this neighbourhood we call home.

Kakimori and the old downtown

The act of sharing

Our home is one of Tokyo’s old shitamachi (downtown) neighbourhoods. Craftsmanship remains well and truly alive, with small manufacturing workshops and factories lining the streets. Work and daily life exist in close proximity and there is a strong sense of community. The neighbourhood is often talked about as a place that embraces both old and new. Kakimori has been nurtured by the area and its people since the day we began.

In neighbourhoods like these, people’s thoughts are never too far from one another. Personal ties run deep in the community and so it’s not unusual to hear remarks like, “This will please so and so,” or “This is exactly their cup of tea.”
One day, a local artisan was delivering stock to our shop and was delighted to see our customers happily shopping for papers and envelopes. In that moment, we felt we had accomplished one of the things we set out to do.

The values at the heart of Kakimori were formed through our interactions with the people of this neighbourhood. Old-fashioned coffee shops and modern roasteries, while seemingly different to stationery shops, thrive because of relationships that begin with a love of coffee. At Kakimori we have a love for writing and by building on this passion, we hope that our shop can be a place where people connect and find joy in the act of sharing.

Our place in this neighbourhood

As enthusiasts for sharing the joy of writing, we imagine ourselves as storytellers within our neighbourhood.
At the forefront of what we do is making people happy, whether it be through customer service, design or manufacturing. We honour feedback and ideas from customers and take a collaborative approach with suppliers and manufacturers, working together to create products we can all be proud of. As times change, we wish to remain open to possibilities and continue to carry out our best work.

Kakimori and craftsmanship

A notebook crafted from paper you love.
A single notebook can inspire you to write.

A bottle of ink mixed by you, drop by drop. With each dip and stroke, a quiet joy radiates into your daily life.

Your handwriting gives a voice to thoughts that can’t be put into words,
allowing the pen to truly capture the moment.

May each opening of an ink bottle, blank page and grip of the pen bring joy and satisfaction to your life's moments
We create everyday tools that give form to your thoughts.

Our notebooks, inks, pens and letter papers are imbued with the hope of treasured, long-lasting ownership, brought to life within your own space and time.

We believe that craftsmanship is a journey that evolves hand in hand with those who use our tools.

Kakimori and society

Made for utility. Around the world, once-thriving circular livelihoods are fast disappearing as regionally unique craftsmanship and resources are overshadowed and undermined by economic gain.
The environmental impacts of this reality pose an immediate challenge for the sustainability of our future existence.

For those in the business of craft and craftsmanship, the preservation of artisanal knowledge and skills developed over the course of history, as well as the conscious return to a more sustainable way of life, have become more imperative than ever.

By taking the design, production and retail of products into our own hands, we aim to reconnect with local manufacturing, revitalise declining crafts and artisans, and restore circularity for the next generation.

Drawing inspiration from craftsmanship, Kakimori will continue on our journey to infuse daily life, and the world beyond, with the joy of creation.

AWGS – our thoughts

Our social awareness is underpinned by AWGS —
air, water, green and soil. Honouring our coexistence with these four fundamental elements of our planet is a key mission for future commerce and economy.
We deal in small everyday goods known as bungu (stationery). By making small changes in the way we collectively make and use these various items, we are confident of generating a greater force for change.

At Kakimori we implement creative solutions to waste. Our refill service for notebooks and ink bottles promotes longevity of use;

our Hagire Project utilises production waste to give birth to new products, and our seconds quality paper is repurposed as paper bags.
Our output may be modest, but we believe in the potential of small, ongoing everyday acts and continue our journey onward with each new day.