Something Personalized

9:02 AM

Location: Tokyo, Japan

(Personalize: to change or design (something) for a particular person) If you ask me, personalization is one of the highest forms of luxury nowadays. I mean, who does not want a little piece of something they could call their own? Some might even think of this deed as being a bit materialistic but for me, it’s all about having that small connection with the object that makes it even more unique.

Speaking of personalization, if there’s one person who has a huge fascination with personalization that would be my sister. She always has her own way with things; always putting that one element that would make you realize that it’s hers. These would usually be colored tapes wrapped all-over, or a simple designed paper taped into one side of the object.

Imagine her delight when she found out about Kakimori about a year ago. It’s a specialized stationary shop where you can buy high-quality fountain pens, leather folios, hard to find ball-point pens and of course, a place where you can customize your own notebook. Rows full of different kinds of paper, hard covers and textures clad one side of the store. But the thing I adore so much about Kakimori is that you see how you’re personalized notebook is made from scratch to an actual notebook. And you’ll be part of the process! You choose almost everything, the bind, clasp, leather closure, literally everything.

From the outside, it looks like a very discreet looking shop but once you’re inside and already choosing, you’ll see just how wonderful this place is; especially for stationary lovers. If you're planning to add Kakimori to your itinerary, it is an 8-minute walk from Kuramae Station and a 20-minute walk from Asakusa Station.

In this digital age, discovering these kinds of stores very much depends on your luck. Let's face it, it’s definitely not something you can find anywhere and I'm really glad we found it in our second home, Tokyo.