inkstand by kakimori — Local services in Tokyo

Walked for 30min from the other side of Asakusa. Upon arrival at 15.20h we have been informed by the girl on the 2nd floor that ink mixing was over for the day. This is fine, however, the whole second floor was set up for a group as there was written reserved at almost all the seats. Unfortunately I arrived with a child and she felt definitely disappointed. Luckily, on the 1st floor there were quite a few short lived experiences she could try involving ink and drawing. Only 2 big negatives of this quite large shop is: the toilet on the 1st floor was closed for the customers and there was not even a single chair inside the shop. In stead there were limitations on where one should and can walk marked visibly on the floor. The staff were very patient and polite. We spent almost 2h in there - also enjoyed looking at the staff how they worked and created customized notebooks. Come early in the morning for a better experience, it was quite crowded on a Saturday...

Amazing pen and mechanical pencil store where you can try out and purchase the newest models of fountain lens and mechanical pencils. There are several models such as the newest MONO mechanical pencils that we could only find here.

It is almost always busy so it can be a good idea to get there early.

Be aware that journal making and ink making can require a reservation especially at peak times of year.

Well worth a visit, I only regret not...

You have to make a reservation online for one of three ink-making slots/ 5 seats per slot. Weekends fill up quickly so I would say reserve in advance! Staff are helpful and there are clear instructions in both English and Japanese. You get 45 minutes to mess around and mix colors. It doesn’t appear like there’s any pressure to buy a bottle (there’s no cost to reserve) but who wouldn’t want their own custom...