Oh my! I have a very long history with quality paper...lifelong. And I thought I was more than well set with the “fountain pen friendly” papers... all the usuals one can order in the states, and even a parcel of sheets which set me back significantly via its exchange rate and the weeks (two months?) it took to arrive from the UK, (and that was before Covid-19 changed our lives). Point: I thought I knew paper. And I thought I didn’t need Tomoe. Until I saw an ink demoed on Rhodia (sorry Rhodia) and a few other well known brands, and then on Tomoe River: it may as well have been two different inks, the colors were SO unrecognizable. In mid-Dec. I’d just received twenty seven inks to sample. I had all my French, German, U.S., English and whatever papers, but no Tomoe. The ideal size, style, and shade was sold out online and unavailable within a four hour drive of my home - I checked. Then I found this special tablet of exactly what I wanted, created via a partnership of some kind between Tomoe River and JetPens, and it was in stock, just as I was placing an order from 2500+ miles away. So I ordered. Hoped to have a bit of the samples left for it. For some reason - they didn’t know my predicament, and it was just before the holidays - JetPens switched my shipping to four day delivery vs what should have taken, in reality of Dec. 2020, two full weeks. Those inks performed, and LIVE, as art on this splendid paper. I did put a few lines on five other brands of high quality paper, and it’s all interesting. But THIS PAPER makes the entire ink/pen/paper/time investment work, like a five star meal. Perfect. If you want to see what the ink magicians are hiding in the bottles, give this paper a try and have some fun. You undoubtedly deserve it. Beauty beauty beauty. Cheers ... there’s hope.

Wanted to try this recent batch of Kanso Noto notebooks in order to sample the new Tomoe River Paper. In short, it's...fine; whether or not you enjoy the new TRP will depend heavily on the sorts of pens/inks you use. From my limited testing, the performance is close to the old TRP with Iroshizuku and Sailor inks, but the new TRP is downright allergic to anything from Noodler's. Lexington Grey, Baystate Blue and 54th Mass. all feathered/bled worse on this than on copier paper (only X-Feather was fine). It also feels less supple than the old TRP, like writing on a hard, unyielding surface. I found this advantageous for erasing—a plus for users of pencils or Frixion pens—and rather enjoy the crinkly feel, but the feathering with very wet inks leaves something to be desired, especially if you are accustomed to the Hobonichi techo. All that said, I am still giving this product 5 stars because for its construction, JetPens cannot be faulted. It is exceptionally well-made, with truly lay-flat binding, a durable cover, discreet branding, and a thin profile (despite the page-count). Just don't go expecting the same miraculous ink-proof-ness of the old TRP.

I didn't believe the Tomoe River paper hype until I tried it for myself. Suddenly all these inks that were beautiful on the fountain pen paper I was previously using are exhibiting sheen and shading that is out of this world in the Kanso Noto. Really love this journal and will be buying more when they come back in stock. Be sure to get a pencil board, though, because just normal pressure writing will indent and mar the next pages.

I absolutely love tomoe river paper and I only buy planners with this paper. The dot grid is so versatile that I have made my own planner formats with them, project for work, my business, and my school work. The book is a light weight piece, because of the fine paper and easy enough to carry with me everywhere I go. No bleed through, no feathering, and no ripping when I use na eraser. Markers, highlighters, gel pens, pencils, and ball point pens are no problem.

I bought one of these notebooks in late 2020 and it was wonderful. It showed shading and sheen beautifully. I decided to get a second one and wrote with a medium nib Platinum Plaisir with Sailor ink and it feathers like crazy. I compared the same pen and ink in my old Kanso Noto and it doesn't do this at all. I know there have been changes to TRP recently but I wish it would have been made clear if changes had been made to this specific notebook.