Notebook Review: Notebook Therapy, Tsuki ‘Kinoko’ Limited Edition Bullet Journal

Occasionally those Facebook and Instagram ads work, and I purchase something I haven’t otherwise seen or heard about. Such is the case with the Notebook Therapy Tsuki ‘Kinoko’ Limited Edition Bullet Journal ($27.98).

Notebook Therapy is a shop inspired by a love of East Asian stationery and culture. After visiting many one-of-a-kind stationery shops in Japan and Korea, the founders decided to build a shop dedicated to sharing those offerings with stationery aficionados around the world.

The Tsuki Collection of limited edition bullet journals, washi tape, notebook covers and many other accessories is gorgeous and has offerings in either pastels or earthier tones. The ‘Kinoko’ journal has lovely gold embossed mushrooms on a wine velvety cover, and is one of the newest offerings in dot grid. It’s available in either bright white paper or with kraft paper. My edition has 160 GSM thick smooth paper in bright white. They boast that there is no bleeding, feathering or show through and they’re right (stay tuned for the ink tests!). The 5 mm dot grid is done in pale gray, and the pages are unnumbered.

The journals come in three sizes and I purchased the original:

• Original (128 pages, 135 x 195 mm)
• A5 (176 pages, 145 x 210 mm)
• B5 (176 pages, 176 x 250 mm)

Extra details include 2 wine-colored ribbons, an envelope at the back, a wine-colored elastic band for closure as well as a cute mushroom paperclip! The journal is packaged in an eco-friendly gift box and in one small sheet of tissue paper. All materials are marked as 100% vegan and cruelty-free.

So let’s delve into the paper. It really is thick and smooth. I had no trouble with fine liners, gel pens, or fountain pens and ink in small or medium nibs. I even swabbed some ink in there. The reverse page shows a bit of distortion due to the wet ink, but nothing bled through. This of course ranks highly for me, because you know I love when I can’t see through my pages and can use both sides easily!

The paper doesn’t appear to show sheen super well, and I did notice that the ink swatch sort of sat on top of the page the way it does with Rhodia paper. It’s no Tomoe River, but for my preferences I actually prefer slightly thicker and smoother paper, even with the loss of the sheen. Your mileage may vary there!

Overall, I think this is a beautiful journal and would be a nice gift for someone getting into stationery or bullet journaling. The presentation is beautiful, the materials feel great, and there are so many fun color and illustration options (I love the Kitsune version as well!). Just one note on shipping – my order was shipped from China and took approximately 2 weeks to get to me.