Midori Traveler's Notebook - Star Edition in Camel

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

CAMEL COLOUR!    Limited Edition.

The new camel coloured Midori Traveler’s Notebook seemed too interesting to pass up.

The camel colour 5th year edition notebook is a Midori Traveler's limited release only.  Luckily for me though, a very thoughtful stationery seller put one aside for me when their stock of the Midori Traveler’s Star Edition Notebooks first arrived in store.  (Not for free! They just reserved one for me as they knew I would want to purchase one.) 

What is it?

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The Star Edition is Midori’s passport size limited edition to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of the passport size Midori Traveler’s Notebook. The camel colour continues the theme set by the previous limited edition release for the full size Midori. The Star Edition is launched in collaboration with the "Star" Ferry Company, Limited in Hong Kong.  The Star Ferry runs between Kowloon and Hong Kong island at Victoria Harbour.  Its a traditionally classic ferry trip in Hong Kong that every traveller must experience at least once when visiting Hong Kong.  Since Hong Kong is one of my favourite destinations, I was intrigued with the Midori tribute to the Star Ferry (and HK). 

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The Midori Star Edition Notebook comes with one free ride coupon as a reminder to every traveller that the Star Ferry is an iconic part of Hong Kong.  The notebook refill also includes a number of maps and various history details of Hong Kong island as a unique memento. All in all, a limited edition with some unique features pertaining to the Star Ferry and Hong Kong. 

When I completed the purchase for the Midori Star edition, I also bought a few other stationery items that helped make the parcel more worthwhile, in a dollar sense.  

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

I requested the parcel be sent EMS and it was posted the very day I paid for it!  I received it in less than a week from the day I made payment.  You can’t ask for more than that - all the way from Japan.  Very professional and quick for an international service.

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The parcel consisting of the Midori Traveler's Notebook and numerous additional stationery items was extremely well package in a fully sealed and padded box.  All items inside the parcel were also bubble wrapped and carefully arranged to ensure maximum protection in transit.   In all my years of buying from overseas I’ve never received a parcel as well packaged as those from Japan.  Professional Japanese packaging is a work of art. 

Inside the package was also a small "thank you" gift - a Spotliner highlighter pen in dual colours.  A very thoughtful, useful and appreciated gesture.  

What's it like?

Anyway, so what is the new Midori Traveler’s Notebook like?  Well, the passport size Midori Star Edition comes in the usual Midori packaging – wrapped in a protective material bag and inside a sealed cardboard box   Once out of the packaging the camel colour is a pleasant surprise, it is far better in person than it appears in the online photographs. 

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The leather is also soft, yet firm and has a wonderful texture to it.  It’s a delightful little leather notebook from Midori.  It complements the full size Midori Traveler’s Notebook.  On the back of the leather Midori has carved the inscription denoting the notebook as the 5 Year Anniversary - Limited Edition Notebook.  The notebook comes with a choice of two elastic bands - one green and one brown.  The green band (symbolic of the Star Ferry) is fitted as standard and offers a good contrast to the camel colour of the leather.  However if you don't like the green band its a simple task to swap it over for the spare brown band provided.

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The Star Ferry memorabilia included with the notebook are cute but nothing outstanding.  There are other items you can purchase as additional items issued for the limited edition release but I didn't feel I would use them and for the money I preferred to buy additional inserts and various notebooks. 

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

The whole Traveler's Notebook concept from Midori is unique:- the feelable soft camel coloured leather Midori Traveler’s Passport Notebook, the carefully crafted passport size inserts, the high quality paper of the notebooks, the memorabilia commemorating the Star Ferry and the overall professional construction and design make this an item of beauty, collectability and practical functionality. 









The Verdict?

The Midori Star Edition Passport is a wonderful notebook that will be treasured and well used every day in conjunction with the full size Midori Traveler’s Notebook.  It is perfect for a pocket notebook, although it is much more than a notebook.  The next time I visit Hong Kong I will be proudly carrying my Star Edition Midori Traveler's Notebook, in the very distinctive camel leather! 

On a personal level, what you use the Midori Star Edition for is essentially up to your own imagination.  Daily diary, personal planner, field notes, mini journal, travel records or travel memento collections - the list is endless.  Half the fun is finding a unique or personal use for this clever little companion. 

All I know is that the limited edition, 5th anniversary camel Midori Traveler's Notebook is now a very prized possession.   

Photograph - Eclectic Psyche

If you have a Midori Traveler's or are about to buy one and you want some great ideas on how to create the perfect system for your Midori Traveler's Notebook- far more advanced and detailed than my humble suggestions - then check out Patrick Ng's website as he has a lot of innovative ideas. 

http://scription.typepad.com/blog/2011/11/scriptions-perfect-system-2011-2012.html 

Otherwise flickr has a Midori site with lots of photographic examples of how people use their personal Midori Notebook.  Well worth a browse.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/travelernotebook/pool/. 


Please Note: I have no affiliation with any supplier or group directly or indirectly mentioned in my post.  I am only an avid writer and journal enthusiast.

Buy a Midori Traveler's Notebook

Midori Traveler's Notebook - photo by Eclectic Psyche

“Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.” 

Will Self

I agree with Will Self's quote above, always carry a notebook (and after reading this post, you should need no more than a Midori Traveler's Notebook).  I have carried a notebook for as long as I can remember and I can't ever imagine not doing so.  I feel lost without it if an occasion arises where I can't take it somewhere.  Once you get accustomed to travelling with your notebook it becomes a part of you and a part of your activity - in a positive and inspiring way.  I have an old leather notebook that, over the years, I modified to carry three Japanese Life journals.  It works well and it even has a pen holder for my favourite fountain pen of the day.  Its a little beaten up these days from so much use but its still very functional and I think it has a character of its own now.  I'm sure you also have something similar you can't bear to be without.

Recently, however, I found that I needed a second leather journal that could accommodate another three notebooks as my projects had expanded.  I began searching through all of the leather journals I could find but nothing really took my interest and none of them matched my modified journal's functionality and ease of use.  In my modified journal I can simply swap notebooks as I please and carry other things of interest or usefulness in it as well.    

I was about to give up when I decided to take a closer look at the Midori Traveler's Notebook.  I had been aware of it but had been put off by the apparent cliché title of "Traveler's Notebook".  To me, anything advertising its purpose as a traveler's notebook must surely be a shoddy gimmick for newbies to the world of travel.....something they just have to have because it states it is for travellers (yes, I spell traveller with two l's, but Midori uses the US spelling).  However, after a closer look at the Midori I found it more interesting than I gave it credit.  It seemed to be closer to what I was looking for than I initially thought.  It was aimed at being something you carried with you everywhere, not just a travel accessory for the must haves.

So I set out to obtain one and that turned out to be a little more difficult than I expected.  I only found one seller where I live and they had a considerable markup on the price (twice my final purchase price).  I wasn't prepared to pay double the price and I thought I would just buy one straight from Japan.  After contacting a number of Midori's approved retail outlets looking for a good priced Midori Traveler's Notebook, I settled on one I felt comfortable with, who replied promptly to my queries and who was a reputable and established stationery supplier.  I dealt with their online sales manager and found the experience completely enjoyable and simple.  The company was professional, efficient and informative.

I ordered on a weekend and my Midori was posted express on the Monday.  I received it by the end of the week!  Absolutely amazing service and delivery.   The parcel was well packaged and all items (I ordered a few other things as well as the Midori) arrived safely and quickly.  And, to top off the exceptional service, my little package came with a free pencil as a nice little gesture of thank you from the store.  How cool is that?  Also a great little marketing tactic.  I was very happy indeed with the service and my order, it couldn't have gone any smoother.  On top of all this great service, the cost of the Midori and postage was half the price of what I would have paid back home.  Quality service at great value.

I ordered the dark brown Midori Traveler's Notebook and its a great colour.  The brown is a rich, warm and antique looking colour that makes the leather feel more inviting and....a little precious. :)  The inserts I ordered are quality products by Midori, the paper is smooth as silk, the pocket insert is very useful and the brass tabs are simply elegant.   I can't emphasise enough, how high a quality these Midori products are.  I like using Life (Japanese paper company) notebooks because their paper is pure perfection, the smoothest hand made paper there is; but the Midori paper comes in a close second.

Overall, the Midori Traveler is a wonderful notebook system and it suits any purpose or occasion where a notebook is needed - whether that be travel, staying home, grabbing a coffee at the local cafe or just riding on the bus to work.

The pictures below show the parcel and contents I received from the Japanese supplier.  I've been using the Midori Traveler's for about a week now and its already proving to be one of my better investments.  I can only see this becoming more and more a part of my daily life and creativity.

The only word of caution I would give is that a brand new Midori Traveler's Notebook has a very strong chemical smell (I assume from the tanning and dying process).  Its quite odd really when you consider the Japanese traditionally have a strong sensitivity to smell and enjoy delicate smells.   The smell of a new Traveler's Notebook can be quite potent and off putting, however, it does dissipate quickly.  I put my notebook on a chair in a sunny window and within a couple of days the repugnant chemical smell was gone, and is now replaced by an inviting leather aroma.  I wouldn't let this put you off buying a Traveler's Notebook at all, but it is good to be forewarned so that you are not disappointed for a few days while your notebook sits idle in the sun.

In sum, all I can say is - get one!  If you have the money and are looking for a wonderful leather notebook (although its much more than a notebook) then I would whole heartedly recommend the Midori Traveler's Notebook.

I will post some more pictures of the Traveler's in use soon.

The Midori Traverl's Notebook and accessories were extremely well packaged and padded for protection.  There was only one way the goods were going to arrive - and that was safely.

The Midori Traveler's Notebook was a lot cheaper from Japan and so were the accessories and inserts.  I managed to obtain a few extras because of the good online price from the supplier's store.  I wouldn't have been able to get the little extras locally.  The brass tags are classy and functional; they are well worth including in your Midori order.

If you like leather notebooks, and you like to customise them to your needs, and you love to carry it everywhere with you, and you like an antique-aged look on your notebook over time, then the Midori Traveler's Notebook was made just for people like you and me. :)  TB

Traveler's Notebook - photo by Eclectic Psyche

PS - I am constantly contacted by readers asking me to provide the name of the company I purchase my Midori supplies from.  I don't receive any endorsements from any company and prefer not to name a company normally but in light of all the requests I will say that I purchase my Midori supplies  from Pencils.jp - who can be found at this link:  Pencils.jp  I have found their service to be of the utmost professional standard and friendliness.  So there you go....you can stop pestering me now.  :)