Show Notes
Join Rob and Helen in this edition of Stationery Freaks as they welcome special guest Frank, from Yokogaki, for a deep dive into the fascinating world of travel journals / notebooks! Frank shares a mini masterclass on exactly what traveler's journals are, how they differ from the typical notebook, and various ways to use them for everything from bullet journaling to light scrapbooking on the go. Frank, who found himself crafting his own high-quality, leather journals, shares his unique philosophy behind creating companions that "love you back," exploring the Japanese concept of Mottainai (regret over waste) and a deep respect for resources. Learn why these versatile, customisable, and durable notebooks are truly more than just a notebook or journal, and why you might be missing out on a whole subculture of charms and inserts! Helen's already online buying charms. Frank also shares a whopping 20% off his Traveler's Journals for our listeners: Simply use code stationeryfreak20 at checkout: https://yokogaki.be/ Key Takeaways: What Makes a Traveler's Journal Unique: Discover how these sturdy, customisable covers with rubber bands/ribbons allow you to mix and match any refills (dotted, sketching, calendar, etc.) and inserts (pouches, envelopes) to suit your needs, consolidating multiple notebooks into one portable system. The "Why" Behind the Craft: Learn about Frank's philosophy rooted in "Mottainai" – a deep respect for resources and a passion for creating high-quality, timeless designs that are built to last a lifetime, challenging the idea of disposable stationery. And pen loops designed for pens like Tom's Studio Lumos. Beyond the Page: Explore creative uses for traveler's journals, from combining them with Hobonichi inserts and Instax photos for daily mindfulness, to sketching scenes and collecting travel mementos. Choosing Wisely: Gain insights into what makes a good traveler's journal, with a look at materials like leather and even cork, and the importance of durability. A Growing Ecosystem: Hear about the vast community surrounding traveler's journals, from specific brands like Midori to subcultures dedicated to charms. We also kind of spring our usual Desert Island stationery on Frank (we forgot to mention we'd do it!) but Frank comes back with some solid items of stationery to accompany him on a desert island. Enjoy! Rob & Helen You can find Frank on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yokogaki_shop Use code stationeryfreak20 at checkout for 20% of Traveler's notebooks / journals : https://yokogaki.be/ --- Discover the Stationery Freaks newsletter at : https://stationeryfreaks.substack.com/
More from Stationery Freaks
After a few months away — and a very welcome "petition of one" from Stacy in Florida — Rob and Helen are back. Rob has been building a public commonplace: twenty-five years of learning, typed onto index cards (possibly breaking his typewriter in the process) and slowly taking over his studio wall. Helen has been redistributing her notebook collection to a room of grateful authors, which may or may not count as cheating in the great notebook challenge. See original hoarding cast here and a revisit to the challenge of using notebooks here. Along the way: why old publishing offices were built around attention rather than productivity, a typewritten daily planning ritual that's quietly replaced Todoist, the strange magnetism of Midori paper, a beautiful Japanese storage haul, giving away index cards to parents and why the whole world seems to be drifting back to analogue. It's like old times. Which is rather the point of the cast. It's good to be back. If you'd like to see images, and more about the show - check out the companion newsletter to this episode. https://stationeryfreaks.substack.com/
In this episode of Stationery Freaks, Rob and Helen dig into the messy, essential world of scrap notes: desk pads, Post-its, legal pads, envelopes, voice memos, and the “grab whatever’s nearby” capture habit. They explore the real question beneath the stationery: what’s the process for turning a quick note into something useful — and what happens when your capture system becomes a pile of open loops.
It’s our first Stationery Freaks episode of 2026, and we’re going deep on goal setting, as we usually do for the first cast of the year.
It’s the last Stationery Freaks episode before Christmas, and after a slightly chaotic month we’re back with a free-form catch-up full of notebook temptation, planning experiments, and advent calendar joy. Helen reviews two very premium stationery advent calendars — Martha Brook(s) and Tom’s Studio — including what you actually get, which one feels more “decorative vs functional,” and the one item she absolutely refuses to touch (again). Rob shares his new structured SmartPlanner time-blocking experiment (and why he’s moved from pen to pencil), an everyday-carry bag confession featuring nine notebooks, and an early idea he’s calling The Wallpaper Method: learning notes on a giant scroll. We also chat about “analog wellbeing,” why January is peak notebook season, end-of-year reflection (hello, Collins ledger), and what we’ll be tackling in the first episode of 2026.