In this 4K video I review the Midori MD Cotton notebook. This minimalistic notebook features a 20% cotton paper that is great with fountain pens.
Midori
Midori MD Notebook Review
In this 4K video I review the Midori MD Notebook. This minimalistic Japanese notebook features excellent fountain pen friendly paper.
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 2 “Santina” Notebook Review
The World Meister’s Note is a collection from Midori that fuses Japanese craft with the craft of other countries. In Vol 2 you get a Dutch “leather paper” cover and Midori’s much loved MD paper. The edition is called “Santina” because that is the name of the Dutch manufacturer that makes the leather paper cover.
The cover is smooth and pliable. I like the way it feels in my hands; no one will mistake it for leather but it has a nice smooth almost rubberized feel to it.
The notebook has “Santina” embossed on the front cover and “The World Meister’s Note” embossed on the spine.
My favorite feature of this notebook is the pages have blue edges that match the color of the cover and “SANTINA” in white letters. It just looks awesome.
Inside the notebook you will find 192 pages (96 leafs) of grid 5mm MD paper.
As I am sure you already know, MD paper performs phenomenally with fountain pens and you wont have any issues with bleeding or ghosting. It really is one of the best fountain pen papers on the market.
The binding is stitched and has many small signatures.
I did find that the leather paper is a bit stiff and prevents the notebook from lying flat. As with all Midori paper products the quality and attention to detail is exceptional. I have reviewed all four notebooks in the World Meister’s Note series and I think the Santina is definitely the best looking but I find the cover to be too stiff for my tastes.
The Santina, comes in a couple of sizes and colors. The notebook I reviewed is the blue A6 version. I had difficultly locating these in the USA and ultimately ending finding one while on a trip to Tokyo. If I recall correctly the retail price for this notebook in Japan is about 1,000 yen (aprox $10 USD) and for that price it’s not bad.
Below are my reviews of the other editions in the series:
Here is a great review of the Santina notebook:
(I have no affiliation to the site linked below)
East…West…Everywhere – Midori The World Meister’s Note – Santina
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 4 “Katagami” Notebook Review
The World Meister’s Note is a collection from Midori that fuses Japanese craft with the craft of other countries. Volume 4 is called “Katagami” and features a collaboration with Swedish design brand Brita. The notebook features handmade Ise Stencil Paper.
I love everything about this notebook except the look of cover. It’s a bit too feminine for my tastes but I love the elastic and the slim A6 size which measures 3.9″ wide by 5.8″ high.
The cover has a smooth waxy feel but does not feel special like all previous volumes of the World Meister’s Note series that I have reviewed.
Inside the book you will find 160 pages (80 sheets) of high quality Japanese Ise Katagami paper. The paper is awesome and definitely my favorite part of this edition.
You will notice that the lines on the Ise Katagami paper are not perfectly straight. This is because the print is hand carved by a master craftsman.
The paper performs beautifully; no bleed and no real ghosting. The paper is smooth but has a bit more feedback than Rhodia paper. I found the dry times to be slightly better than Rhodia.
Like all Midori products the Katagami Notebook is very well made. It has a stitched binding and tiny little signatures. If they made a bit more attractive cover this one would definitely be my favorite of the series. I paid $16 for this notebook at a local Japanese stationery shop and thats a lot of money for a little notebook but I do believe you get what you pay for.
Check out my reviews of previous World Meister’s Note Volumes:
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 1 “Dainel”
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 2 “Santina” (coming soon)
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 3 “Grain” Memo Book Review
World Meister’s Note is a collection from Midori that involves fusion of Japanese craft with other countries craft. I have previously reviewed Vol. 1 “Dainel” and I liked it quite a bit.
I skipped Vol. 2 for the time being as it has been hard to locate one from a US seller. Hopefully when I go to Japan later this week I will be able to pick one up.
Vol. 3 is called Grain and “employs recycled leather meticulously manufactured by workshops in Valencia, Spain.” The memo book measures 5″ x 3″ x .5″ not including the spiral which adds a quarter inch in length and depth.
The memo book features 50 sheets (100 pages) white lined MD paper and 50 sheets of cream blank MD paper. There is also a double elastic band that keeps the book shut.
It’s a beautiful little book. The black leather looks great with the brown elastic and the copper colored double spirals.
The black recycled leather cover is stiff like a regular plastic memo book color but it has a nice leather grain and smell.
As I have mentioned in previous posts Midori’s MD paper is one of my favorites. It holds fountain pen ink very well. The lined pages have a brown dotted rule were every fifth line is solid. Also the front of each sheet of lined paper has the “MIDORI” printed at the bottom.
The Grain memo book is too large and bulky for my pants pocket. It will fit but it’s not comfortable. 100 sheets of paper make the memo book quite fat and inflexible.
$7.75 is high for a little memo book but the leather cover and 100 sheets of MD make the entry price worth while. The Grain is a great looking, beautifully made memo book. If it was a bit less bulky it would be my new memo book of choice but for now I am sticking with the Maruman Mnemosyne memo book (N193).
Here is a great review of the Midori “Grain” Memo Book:
(I have no affiliation with the site linked below)
Vertical Paper – Midori World Meister Vol. 3 Grain Memo Notepad — Review
Midori World Meister’s Note Vol. 1 “Dainel” Notebook Review
The Midori World Meister’s Note series features collaborations between Japan and other countries. The Dainel is the first in the series which Midori describes as ” A marriage of French leather paper and Japan’s MD paper, developed for the best writing comfort”.
Let’s start with the cover and then make our way inside. The cover is made in France out of “French leather paper” and according to the packaging:
“[Dainel] stands for ‘suede’ in France. In a town some 200 km east of the capital, Paris, 30 years of experience with suede work have created a one-of-a-kind technology unique in the whole world. This unique technology has crystallized in this gorgeous leather paper.”
To me the cover looks a bit like suede but I was disappointed when I touched it; it feels like a mediocre felt. The more I use the notebook the more I like the cover; it is a lot nicer than a paper cover but it certainly isn’t leather. The cover has “Dainel” pressed into the front of the cover and “The World Meister’s Note” pressed into the spine. This cover is the light brown color and I believe they come in four or five other colors.
This notebook is extremely well made and dare I say, better than anything else I have seen in its price range. The notebook is nicely stitched this notebook lays flat.
The inside of the notebook features 91 A5 pages of Midori’s exceptional cream colored MD paper which holds fountain pen ink beautifully. There is no bleed through even with juicy pens and almost no feathering.
At around $13 this notebook is not cheap but the combination of the quality and the branding make it a winner. I look forward to getting my hands on the other notebooks in this series; I believe they are up to volume 3.