Tokyo Stationery Market Visit 2026 Observations and Insights from Japan
On the fourth day of the 2026 Lunar New Year, during a family trip to Japan, I took half a day to visit and research the stationery and toy market in Tokyo. I stopped by Itoya, Loft, and several local wholesale stationery stores, with a special focus on the marker pen industry.
My observations showed that the Japanese stationery market is highly professional and deeply dominated by local brands, such as Copic, Mitsubishi, and POSCA…European and American brands have a very limited presence here; only Faber-Castell and Staedtler could be seen occasionally. Even M&G, a leading brand in China, only appeared in small quantities in Tsutaya Books
This experience strongly reflects the high professionalism, deep refinement, and strong localization advantages of Japan’s stationery industry. As someone with over 20 years of experience in the stationery industry, I have always recognized Japan as a leader in design, color, and innovation.
At the same time, I also realized that while China’s stationery industry has made rapid progress in manufacturing capabilities and product innovation — especially in the marker pen sector — we still have obvious weaknesses in brand building. Most Chinese manufacturers remain focused on OEM and production rather than global brand development.
This short market tour in Tokyo brought me deep and sincere insights. It reminded us that while continuing to strengthen manufacturing and innovation, building professional, long-term brands will be the key direction for China’s stationery industry in the future.
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