Pen Shop IMAI - A select shop for writing implements and stationery — Local services in Takayama

I stayed in a hotel near Miyagawa river. As I strolled along Miyagawa I found this Pen Shop IMAI when I looked up to the opposite shore. I am an avid stationery (especially fountain pens) collector. I did not expect there is such a nice pen shop in Takayama. The shop is not very big but has a comprensive collection of pens and some interesting stationeries that I never saw in other shops. The shop has warm lighting and let customers feel welcomed. There is a unique feature I found here: most pens have a sticker showing a date (e.g. Sep 2023). I guess this is the date the stock come in (入庫) so you know if this is a new product. I bought an inexpensive but good quality fountain pen of a Japanese brand (though made in China) I did not know before. I have enough fountain pens of popular brands like Sailor, Pilot and Platinum so want some new brand which is good. I also bought a ceramic pen cutter, which is quite unique. According to the leaflet placed in the shopping bag this pen shop has a 60 years long history and the current owner is the...

Went in expressly to buy a Pilot Custom 742 SF but got kicked out because I had my five year old daughter with me. There’s a no children under …8? rule? and even if you are not intending to browse and your child stays by your side and doesn’t touch anything they will not process a transaction, even to sell something! This makes me sad as a tourist, because where can you leave your child while you are doing a purchase? Buying the Custom 742 was on my bucket list of things to do in Japan so I felt incredibly frustrated.

That said, gorgeous store and incredible selection from what I briefly saw before being kicked out. Please, please make it clear on your website that you do not allow children: would save a lot...

Visited this shop in March. It was still snowing on our trip. The shop was located next to the picturesque Miyagawa river, a layer of white capping the buildings add to the atmosphere. Shop itself is small and cozy, but amazing selection of stationary. There is something for everyone, whether you are a collector of pens, rulers, scissors etc.

I like the little handwritten tags on different types of pens, giving it a short description, enticing you to add to your collection. We used Google translate to read.

This is a 2 story unit. 1st floor is for the everyday stationary, 2nd floor is where we spent an hour. We emerged with our finds, the hobbyist...