A Japanese Letter Writing Kit: 9 Things to Start With
Written in Japan · Updated August 2026
Letter writing came back in 2026, and Japan never really stopped. Stationery here is built around sending things to people, so the parts fit together in ways that are easy to miss from outside. This is what to buy first.
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No. 1
Ippitsusen — Japanese Note Paper Slips · $6-12
This is the one most people abroad have never heard of. Ippitsusen are narrow strips of paper, roughly a third the height of a normal sheet, made for writing two or three lines. In Japan you clip one to a returned book or a gift so the note is short by design.
- Removes the pressure of filling a whole page
- Fits inside a standard envelope folded once
- The most-used paper format in a Japanese home, and the least exported
Link coming soon
No. 2
Midori MD Letter Set · $10-18
Paper and envelopes sized to each other, which sounds obvious until you have tried to make a Western letter set close properly. The MD paper is thin enough to keep international postage cheap but does not show ink from the other side.
- Fountain pen safe, no feathering
- Thin stock keeps airmail weight down
- Comes lined or blank
Link coming soon
No. 3
Slim Washi Tape, 6mm · $7-14
Most people buy 15mm washi tape first and find it too wide for envelopes. The 6mm rolls are what actually gets used here — a line down an envelope edge, or holding a photo to a page without glue.
- Narrow enough to frame an envelope without covering the address
- Tears by hand, straight, every time
- Peels off paper without tearing it
Link coming soon
No. 4
Midori Paintable Stamp · $8-16
A self-inking rubber stamp with the ink held inside the body, so there is no ink pad to carry or dry out. Pinterest listed decorated stamps as a defining trend for 2026, and searches for cute stamps rose 105 percent — this is the format Japan already standardised on.
- Thousands of impressions per stamp, no pad needed
- Refillable ink
- Small enough to stamp an envelope flap
Link coming soon
No. 5
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen · $5-9
Around five dollars, and it writes better than it has any right to. This is the pen Japanese students are given to find out whether they like fountain pens before anyone spends real money.
- 03 nib is the safe default for letters
- Takes a converter, so it can use bottled ink later
- Cheap enough to lose without regret
Link coming soon
No. 6
Pilot Iroshizuku Ink, Mini Bottle · $12-22
The mini bottles exist because a full bottle of ink outlives most people's interest in one colour. The names come from Japanese landscape — kon-peki is deep blue, yama-budo is wild grape.
- 15ml is enough for hundreds of letters
- Three minis cost less than one full bottle
- Shades noticeably, which is the point
Link coming soon
No. 7
Flake Sticker Assortment · $6-14
Loose die-cut stickers sold as a mixed bag rather than on a sheet. In Japan these are used to seal an envelope flap, which is why they are cut small and why the adhesive is weaker than a label.
- Seals an envelope without glue
- Removable, so it will not tear the paper
- Mixed bags are cheaper per sticker than sheets
Link coming soon
No. 8
Zebra Mildliner Highlighters · $10-25
Muted highlighters, made because the standard neon colours are unpleasant to look at for long. Double ended, one fine and one broad. These already have a following abroad and it is deserved.
- Colours are soft enough to write over
- Does not bleed through MD paper
- The 25-colour set is the one worth buying
Link coming soon
No. 9
Mizuhiki Cord · $8-15
Paper cord wrapped in thin foil, used in Japan to tie gift envelopes. The number of strands and the knot both carry meaning here, but abroad it works simply as something to tie around a letter that is not ribbon.
- Holds a knot without slipping
- Flat enough to post without extra thickness charges
- A single bundle lasts years
Link coming soon
How to choose
If you are buying three things
The letter set, the 6mm washi tape and the Preppy. That is a complete working kit for under thirty dollars, and nothing in it needs explaining to the person receiving it.
If you are buying for someone who already writes letters
Ippitsusen and the paintable stamp. Both are things a keen letter writer outside Japan is unlikely to own, which is a better outcome than a second notebook.
If you are posting internationally
Weight decides the cost. Thin MD paper, flat stickers and mizuhiki all stay inside the cheapest rate. Thick card stock and anything with a bulky seal will push it into the next bracket.
Questions
Do I need a fountain pen to use Japanese letter paper?
No. The paper is made to handle fountain pen ink, but a gel pen works fine on it. The Preppy is on this list because it is cheap enough to try, not because it is required.
Will washi tape survive being posted?
Yes, on the envelope surface. Do not use it to seal the flap on its own — it is designed to be removable, and sorting machines are not gentle. Use a sticker or the flap glue for the seal and washi tape for decoration.
What is the difference between washi tape and normal masking tape?
Washi is Japanese paper, so the tape is thinner, takes ink without smearing and tears cleanly by hand. Painter's masking tape is thicker and the adhesive is stronger than you want on paper.
Is ippitsusen too small to be a real letter?
That is the intended use. It exists for the note you would not otherwise write because a full page felt like too much. In practice it is the format that gets sent most often.