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Blog  >  Guides  >  Beginners' Guides  >  Stationery 101

The Best of Japan's Stationery Awards 2025

March 25, 2025 - Posted by Miriam to Guides, Beginners' Guides, Stationery 101
The Best of Japan Stationery Awards 2025

Since 2013, stationery experts from popular Japanese retailers like LOFT, TSUTAYA, and HANDS have gathered together to judge newly released stationery and give awards to the best products every year. For the 2025 Japan Stationery Awards, over a thousand items were submitted by various manufacturers and rated based on their function, design, and creativity. The results are published in Bunbōguyasan Taishō (文房具屋さん大賞) by Fushosha Publishing Co. This magazine is often referred to as the “bible” for stationery fans.

Keep reading or watch the video below to see our favorites from the list.

The Best of Japan's Stationery Awards 2025 Video
Video: The Best of Japan's Stationery Awards 2025
Grand Prize: Pilot Kire-Na Double-Sided Highlighters
Pilot Kire-Na Highlighters are available in both bold and soft colors.
Pilot Kire-Na Highlighters are available in both bold and soft colors.
The grand prize winner was the Pilot Kire-Na Double-Sided Highlighter. Featuring two plastic pieces that act as guardrails around the chisel tip, this ingenious design helps you draw straight lines and reduces ink pooling. The chisel tip is also flexible, making it suitable for highlighting curved textbook pages.

The judges particularly liked the addition of a flat plate on the grip section for resting your thumb, which helps stabilize the angle of the pen as it touches the surface.

The highlighters are available in both bold and soft colors. Limited edition sets also include flexible plastic rulers to create precise highlights.

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Table of Contents
Idea Award: King Jim Kori Jirushi Clear Stamps
King Jim Kori Jirushi Clear Stamps look just like ice cubes.
King Jim Kori Jirushi Clear Stamps look just like ice cubes.
The idea award was given to King Jim Kori Jirushi Clear Stamps for their fun yet highly functional designs. Kori Jirushi (氷印) literally translates to “ice symbol” in Japanese, and they really do look just like ice cubes! They’re perfectly see-through so you can line them up exactly where you want them, solving a big problem in the stamping world. Although clear stamps already exist, Kori Jirushi stamps come pre-mounted, so you don't have to purchase separate acrylic blocks.

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Functionality Award: Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint Pens
Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint Pens features a new formulation of Jetstream ink.
Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint Pens features a new formulation of Jetstream ink.
As diehard Jetstream fans, we’re not surprised that the Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint Pen won the functionality award. Jetstream ink is already a smooth-writing marvel in the ballpoint pen world, but Uni managed to formulate the new ink to write with almost no pressure. It doesn’t feel too slippery on the paper, either. The judges also enjoyed the seamless and minimalist body design of the pen.

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Multi Pen Award: Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 Multi Pens
Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 Multi Pens includes a mechanical pencil component in addition to four Lite Touch ink refills.
Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 Multi Pens includes a mechanical pencil component in addition to four Lite Touch ink refills.
The judges were so impressed with Lite Touch ink that they gave the Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 the multi pen award. This multi pen includes a mechanical pencil component in addition to four Lite Touch ink refills. It has the same minimalist design of the regular ballpoint pens and is available in similar colors.

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Color Pen Award: Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Markers
Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Markers' color combinations range from subtle to bold.
The Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Markers' color combinations range from subtle to bold.
The Sun-Star Decot Overwriting Marker won the color pen award. This dual-color marker features a chisel tip with dark ink on one end, and a fine tip with specially formulated bright ink on the other. When you write with the lighter color on the dark ink, it shows up clearly. You can even use multiple markers together to create more complex color patterns. The color combinations range from the subtle Blue / Violet to bold Aqua Blue / Yellow.

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Fountain Pen: Sailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain Pens
Sailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain Pens feature adjustable grip sections.
Sailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain Pens feature adjustable grip sections.
Sailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain Pens took the fountain pen award for their innovative adjustable grip designs. To help guide your fingers, the grip section includes flattened facets for your thumb and index finger. Unscrewing the silver ring behind the grip section loosens the faceted part of the grip. This allows you to rotate it to the most comfortable angle for you while keeping the nib in its sweet spot for effortless writing.

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Mechanical Pencil Award: Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencils
The Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencils has a specially engineered tip that provides a stable writing experience.
The Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil has a specially engineered tip that provides a stable writing experience.
To no one’s surprise, the mechanical pencil award went to the Uni Kuru Toga Metal. In addition to its rotation mechanism that allows the graphite to wear down evenly, its tip has been engineered to minimize movement, providing a more stable and less distracting writing experience. It’s made of sturdy but lightweight aluminum, giving the barrel a sleek look. The grip section features gentle grooves for a secure, but comfortable grip.

This pencil is so popular that it’s often sold out, so we recommend signing up for an email notification to not miss the next restock. Learn more about the iconic Uni Kuru Toga by reading our guide.

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Sticker Award: Sun-Star Palettone Stickers
Sun-Star Palettone Stickers are charmingly designed like paint palettes.
Sun-Star Palettone Stickers are charmingly designed like paint palettes.
Sun-Star Palettone Stickers are charmingly designed like paint palettes. Channel your inner artist by holding the palette-shaped backing card and applying swatch-shaped stickers with the other! Be warned: these aren’t like regular stickers. To make them easier to peel, part of the backing has no adhesive, so they’re more like mini sticky notes. Regardless, they’re perfect for adding a splash of color to your planners and notebooks. Because they’re translucent, they’re perfect for emphasizing important dates or bullet points without hiding what they say.

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Stamp Award: Sun-Star Pyokkori Stamps
Pre-inked Sun-Star Pyokkori Stamps make it easy to add adorable animal friends to your planner or notebook.
Pre-inked Sun-Star Pyokkori Stamps make it easy to add adorable animal friends to your planner or notebook.
Pre-inked Sun-Star Pyokkori Stamps make it easy to add adorable animal friends to your planner or notebook! The stamps have handy guides on each block for lining them up with the edges of calendar squares so they fit perfectly inside.

Each set includes three different designs in dark gray ink that you can color over with water-based writing instruments like gel pens, markers, and brush pens.

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Masking Tape Award: mt Upcycle Washi Tapes
mt Upcycle Washi Tapes are made of 70% recycled paper that was upcycled from used coffee filters.
mt Upcycle Washi Tapes are made of 70% recycled paper that was upcycled from used coffee filters. It also has the mottled look of coffee filters, so the background shows through more than with mt Solids Washi Tapes, for example. This gives the Upcycle tapes an organic look and feel.

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Previous Years' Awards
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
More Resources
Conclusion

To see last year's award winners, watch this video. We look forward to seeing the innovations that will happen in stationery this year!

Shop This Post
AwardProductProduct NameShop Now
Grand PrizePilot Kire-Na Double-Sided HighlightersPilot Kire-Na Double-Sided HighlightersShop Now
Functionality AwardUni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint PensUni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint PensShop Now
Idea AwardKing Jim Kori Jirushi Clear StampsKing Jim Kori Jirushi Clear StampsShop Now
Mechanical Pencil AwardUni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical PencilsUni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical PencilsShop Now
Multi Pen AwardUni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 Multi PensUni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink 4&1 Multi PensShop Now
Fountain Pen AwardSailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain PensSailor Compass TUZU Adjust Fountain PensShop Now
Color Pen AwardSun-Star Decot Overwriting MarkersSun-Star Decot Overwriting MarkersShop Now
Sticker AwardSun-Star Palettone StickersSun-Star Palettone StickersShop Now
Stamp AwardSun-Star Pyokkori StampsSun-Star Pyokkori StampsShop Now
Masking Tape Awardmt Upcycle Tapesmt Upcycle TapesShop Now
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