ZenPop Japanese Stationery Pack is a subscription box brought to you by ZenMarket filled with unique Japanese stationery and studying goods handpicked by their staff in Japan.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About ZenPop Stationery Pack
The Subscription Box: ZenPop Stationery Pack
The Cost: $29.50 a month with free international shipping. Save with longer commitments.
The Products: 12 or more cute and useful stationery items like pens, notebooks, stickers, and more.
Ships to: Worldwide
ZenPop Stationery Pack March 2018 Review
There is first a sheet with a coupon code to use at the ZenPop Market as a thank you for subscribing.
Next, you'll find one of the most detailed info sheets of any stationery sub. The theme this month is "Hana Ga Saku" which means "Flowers in Bloom", the perfect theme for Spring!
Flower Pen in Pink
How fitting to receive a pen like this, topped with a faux cloth flower for Spring! A ballpoint pen is at the end of this long eight-inch pen that has a green body to resemble a stem! It glides smoothly across the paper, but this one is probably a bit "too much" for me personally to use.
Zebra Kirarich Glitter Color Highlighter in Green - Retail Value $2.05
It's really hard to see in the photos, but this bright green highlighter is glittery as well! I have never seen such a thing, so this is kinda fun. I suppose if you are doing some boring school work, the glitter will bring a bit of joy to the task! This works similar to a paint pen in that depressing the tip allows the ink to flow.
Kuretake Zig Wink of Luna Metallic Brush Pen in Red - Retail Value $9.00
I'd call this more of a pink than a red, but it delivers super thick metallic ink through its brush and has won first prize of the design department of "Stationery of the Year in Japan" back in 2014. The metallic pink cap tops off the white squarish body of this pen that you do a quick assembly of when you receive it which ensures that it hasn't dried out by the time you buy it. I don't have anything remotely like this in my brush pen collection! Yay!
Schedule Stickers
These plastic schedule stickers aren't really my cup of tea, but they are certainly colorful with their flower patterns for the season. The small one-inch long pink, blue, orange, and purple stickers are each divided up into seven rows for each day of the month to be used in your planner.
Hello Kitty Sakura Pen
I was surprised to receive a Hello Kitty branded item in this month's box since I don't recall ever seeing licensed characters in it before. As much as I don't love ballpoint pens, this retractable one has a really pretty purple and pink cherry blossom motif with a big clip at the top and a rubber grip near the point for easy holding. The ink is just plain black in this but writes really smoothly (like most ballpoints do). I just love the design though!
Rilakkuma Stickers
Another character surprise are these Rilakkuma (or "Relax Bear") stickers! I am a big fan of Rilakkuma and these slightly raised rubbery plastic stickers have superfine glitter throughout to give them a bit of sparkle. Rilakkuma is joined by his friends Chairoikoguma (small brown bear), Korilakkuma (small white bear), and Kiiroitori (yellow chick) while they eat honey and lounge around. So cute!
Ham Egg Hamburger Memo
Oh, hello! I am not familiar with these cute Ham Eggs (hamsters with eggs on their heads) but I am waaaay into them. On this little chubby 2.5 x 3.5-inch memo pad, they are cooking one of my favorite foods: hamburgers! Inside you'll find 2 different designs for the paper, one that is yellow and oriented vertically, the other is pink and horizontal. Both illustrate a cute restaurant scene where Ham Eggs cook and enjoy.
Tombow Mono 2way Correction Tool - Retail Value $4.95
Yes! I love receiving cool Mono items from Tombow. They are always smartly designed and come in fun colors. This particular brightly-hued purple and pink tool has two ways to make corrections. One end has a retractable eraser for getting rid of pencil mistakes, while the other end houses correction tape to roll over pen or marker mistakes. How handy to have two in one!
Rose Washi Tape
I've been expecting some floral washi tape this time of year and here they've sent a pale maroon tape with simple blue, white, and yellowish roses in various combinations of petal and stem/leaf colors. The info sheet tells me that the Japanese Kanji for "rose" is very difficult which they attribute to the flower not being as popular in Japan!
Spring Letter Set in Shunbun
Out of the four variations, I received the yellow "shunbun" Japanese micro-season which is the middle of Spring. This is the time of year when it's tradition to visit the graves of family members to thank ancestors for the coming of Spring. That actually sounds a lot more uplifting than a visit to a cemetery would seem. This letter set has nine sheets of stationery and three envelopes decorated with daffodils and what looks like squirrels running about. It also includes three stickers to seal the envelope.
Non-Slip Memo Pad - Retail Value $3.99 (similar linked)
This looked like a seemingly basic grid-lined notepad until I saw the diagram which led me to peel the backing from the back of the notepad to reveal little rubbery grips. The idea here is that you can take notes without the pad slipping, so you don't have to use your other hand to hold it down as you write. There are 50 sheets of B7 size dotted grid paper to keep track of your to-do lists and notes.
BGM Fuji & Sakura Washi Tape - Retail Value $3.17
Wow, this washi tape is really beautiful! I am a sucker for anything with Mt Fuji and when you mix in gorgeous pink cherry blossoms and some white birds, I am hooked! I love the soft periwinkle and grey colors as well. Swooooon.
Bonus: Watercolor Animal Washi Stickers
These soft watercolor-style washi stickers in the form of animals are just too cute! Each one has space that allows you to write a message on it, so you can use it to label special items or seal a note to a friend!
Verdict: ZenPop Stationery Pack really embraced the feeling of Spring this month with their Hana Ga Saku pack! I got a ton of writing utensils, stickers, and tape that all usher in a beautiful time of year. The Fuji & sakura washi tape has to be at the top of my faves list with the Mono 2way correction tool and the ham egg hamburger memo right behind it! Including the bonus item, I received 13 items for $29.50, straight from Japan!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but sign up today to get April's "Lucky Cat Pack"!
Value Breakdown: At $29.50 for this box, you are paying approximately $2.27 per item.
Check out all of our ZenPop Stationery Pack reviews and more stationery reviews in the Paper and Stationery Subscription Box Directory!
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What is your favorite item from this month's ZenPop Stationery Pack?
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