Breaking Out the Nanami Journal

Writing in the Nanami journal is as nice as it looks. As I had expected, the Tomoe River paper is just too thin for me to write on both sides of the page. Even when I write on just one side, I can see through to what’s written on the next page.

Of course it’s Tomoe River paper, so it’s very fountain-pen friendly, with no feathering, and a nice look. But I was reminded of one fact about Tomoe River paper I had forgotten — its long dry time.

Now, because of that, Nanami includes an A5 size sheet of pink blotting paper, which is very thoughtful and appropriate.

I needed the blotter paper, using even a Pelikan with a medium nib. I had to put the blotting paper behind the page I’d just written, to dry the still-glistening ink, whenever I turned the page and kept writing. I do write fast, but this paper takes a lot longer to dry than most.

I tested both writing pads, or writing mats, I’d received. I got both because I wasn’t sure whether I’d prefer the soft mat (in green) or the harder clear plastic mat. So far, I prefer writing on the soft pad.

At least now, at the beginning of the journal, the hard edge of the clear plastic mat sticks up and almost creases the paper near the spine, even though it’s made of very thin plastic. And the nib makes an audible click on the harder mat.

The softer green mat has a less obtrusive edge, and there’s no sound as I write. I like that better. The only thing about the softer mat I don’t like is that its green color comes through the thin paper, giving the off-white paper a “life aquatic” tint. Oh for a softer mat in a clear color.

I did worry that I had over-accessorized by getting both writing mats. But actually, I used everything I had, and at the same time. Imagine me, with the pink blotting paper behind the preceding page, to soak up the ink; the green soft mat under the following page, for a firm writing surface; and the clear, smooth mat under my hand as I write, to keep the current page clean and unwrinkled.

Yes, I did. And, yes, I was mocking myself for it. But it’s called Fountain Pen Follies for a reason.

Now, I can be a lot less anal retentive when I use my Rhodia Webnotebook. With that, I just use a regular small sheet of blotting paper, and I use that blotter for everything: It marks my page; I rest my hand on it when I write; and when I turn the page, I can quickly blot, if necessary (which usually isn’t on Rhodia). I can also write on both sides of a Webnotebook page.

But the paper in the Nanami does look really nice with the ink — even nicer than it looks on Webnotebook paper. And that’s part of the pleasure that I hope will make journaling more of a habit for me.  So we’ll see. Day One is in the books, and all is good.