Midori Letter and Message Pads (starting at $7 and up) are made with unique Iyo Washi paper, a paper that comes from the Ehime Prefecture in Japan, known for its high-quality water. The paper is textured with distinctive brush strokes when viewed closely.
Each pad comes with 16 pages in a top bound pad which can them be combined with matching envelopes to send special notes for the new year or other special days.
The design style we tested is not currently available but many colorful styles and options in the Midori Message Letter Pad ($7 each) that are still available.
We tested the paper with an assortment of writing tools and all stayed true with no splining, bleeding or feathering.
View of the back of the previous sheet. No show through or bleedthrough. Can also see details of the foil stamped design in the corner.
There is very slight showthrough with darker and wetter pens but nothing that would impede using both sides of the sheet.
I am delighted with the quality of these pads and the paper they contain though I would not really expect anything but the finest quality from Midori. All their papers are top-notch.
The Giveaway
We are giving away ONE set of the Midori Letter Pad 145 Silk Printing Colorful Japanese Maple and matching envelopes. This set has a red leaf pattern printed on the reverse side of the paper to create depth and a unique look like falling leaves. The front of each sheet has gold metallic details. The envelopes also feature gold accents. The Letter Pad sheets can be folded in half and slipped into the matching envelopes for the perfect presentation.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite flower, plant or tree. If its native to Japan, even better! Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.
If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, Feb 14, 2025. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
I’ve always the cherry blossoms. I lived where there were similar trees called “red berries” but they weren’t the same. A beautiful color.
Well right now one of my favorites is a Japanese Maple, since we are working on getting one for our side yard this spring. Very exciting research to decide on what to put in the side yard.
My favorite tree is the Giant Sequoia. Just so inspiring and humbling. We named our daughter Sequoia too!
My favorite plant is a lemon tree because I’ve got a sore throat right now and I’ve been drinking a lot of honey lemon tea, thanks to the lemon tree in my backyard.
This is lovely favorite flower is jasmine vine beautiful scent
This might be a bit typical but I love sakura trees. We have some that were gifted to our city and they are gorgeous. We hold a local festival each year.
Oooh, I’d have to go with the Ginkgo biloba. Prehistoric and still beautiful. My parent had a 50yr old one at their home & I plan to plant one at my house in the spring! Whoop!
My favorite flower is the poppy, the red one.
They are such a delicate flower & flower in late summer. Monet’s painting of a field of poppies is one thing I’d love to see in person. It makes me wonder if the field with its poppies is still there.
I love the Pacific Madrone! It has flaky bark that peels away leaving a smooth green trunk. They look so cool!
I love blue lettuce, which is a wildflower or weed, depending on your point of view. It used to grow freely here prior to the era of hyper-cultivated lawns but is pretty rare in town now.
Sakura (Cherry Blossom) are my very favorite because of the pink color! At my Dad’s in Vermont I also loved the apple blossoms in his small orchard of 8 trees. I was mesmerized by them.
Well if you are in Japan you have to say Sakura
Definetly crab apple trees. Love the blossoms in the spring.
As the next Snowmaggedon looms just beyond the prairie horizon, I’m seeking out the lovely daffodil, my favorite flower. They are a most reliable sign of spring around here, the cheerful yellow a bright delight against the gray and white and blah of February.
I really like sugar maple trees especially in the spring to get maple sap / syrup from and in the fall when they display their beautiful colors
The California Poppy is my favorite flower. Soon the hills on my way home will be scattered with wild California poppies; always a pretty time of the year!
My favorite flower is the lilac, especially for the scent, and spring-i-ness. (Also a big fan of gingko leaves; we planted a small gingko in our front yard!)
Hostas are always pretty. And will attract hummingbirds.
I have a variety of favorites but the first one that comes to mind is the camellia! Besides the cherry blossoms, I always associate Japan with camellias. The red ones are so vibrant and beautiful.
Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous! I love the cosmos and the dahlias. I know what I’m adding to my cart with my next order at Vanness. 🙂
There are just toooo many members of the plant kingdom to choose one favorite; a cool one I just learned about is the Fairy Lantern plants (Thismia, a genus of plants that has no chlorophyll, but sports some odd & interesting flowers). I love botanicals almost as much as fountain pens!
Wow, I love many plants and flowers, so that’s a hard question! I think I would choose the dogwood tree, but probably all spring blooming flowers! Lilacs, jasmine, hydrangea, hyacinth, daffodils, so many!
There are several I love. I really like spring lilacs for their heavenly scent but I do also like several varieties of Japanese Maple. Our previous yard had 14 varieties but alas we had to move from there.
I love maple trees. I learned that the good ole Silver Maple is prone to losing branches. I read them described as brittle. I can attest to this as the Silver Maple in my front yard has lost branches from ice storms, snow storms in October, and wind storms.
The Red Spire Maples in the back yard are much younger trees. They don’t seem to have the brittle issue. There is a precious dwarf Coral Bark Maple near the front porch. I would love a dwarf Cut Leaf Maple some day. These are natives to Japan, but were bought locally in Kansas City.
So there you have it. My favorite is the Maple tree. That letter set would be great to win. But if I don’t, I’ll be on the lookout for a set.
Beautiful stationery. When I was in Tokyo 25 years ago I wished I had time (we were escorted by local educators and on a strict schedule ) and money to make enormous purchases.
I love cedar trees and tulips and iris and rhododendrons and really almost any plant except for lavender (I’m allergic to it).