Paper
Choose a Japanese-bound notebook when you want more pages and visible sewn detail. Choose a hand-bound botanical A5 when you want a lighter notebook for everyday notes, sketches or a shorter journal.
At a glance
Maker: 23janvier
Place: South-west France
Size: 14.6 × 20.8 cm
Inner paper: 90gsm fine-grain cream paper
Japanese-bound: 112 pages
Hand-bound botanical: 32 pages
What is the difference between Japanese-bound and hand-bound notebooks?
The clearest difference is in the binding and page count. The Botanical Garden Japanese-Bound A5 Notebook and Black Cypress Japanese-Bound A5 Notebook are sewn with decorative Japanese binding along the spine. Each contains 112 cream pages.
The Flax Botanical Hand-Bound A5 Notebook, Autumn Botanical Hand-Bound A5 Notebook and Summer Meadow Hand-Bound A5 Notebook are slimmer, hand-bound A5 notebooks with 32 cream pages. They feel more like straightforward working notebooks than substantial journals.
Which notebook is better for journalling?
For a journal you expect to keep for several months, the 112-page Japanese-bound notebook gives you more room. Its exposed stitching also makes the construction part of the object, particularly on a desk or shelf.
The 32-page botanical notebooks suit shorter projects: travel notes, a garden record, sketches, lists or one season of writing. Their lower page count can also help when a large blank book feels too formal to begin.
How do the covers differ?
The Japanese-bound notebooks have handmade cotton-paper covers at 220gsm with folded edges. Botanical Garden is softer and more botanical; Black Cypress is darker and more graphic.
The 32-page notebooks use a 285gsm pigment-printed natural-paper cover. Flax has fine blue flowers and long stems. Autumn centres the fan-shaped leaf in warmer autumn tones. Summer Meadow spreads smaller stems and flowers across the cover for a looser arrangement.
All five are A5, so the useful decision is less about scale and more about binding, page count and the character of the cover.
What paper is used inside?
Each notebook has fine-grain cream paper at 90gsm. The warm page colour sits comfortably with the natural covers and is suited to ordinary writing, journalling, notes and light sketching.
Who makes the notebooks?
They are made by 23janvier, the studio of visual artist Marie-Charlotte in south-west France. The paper, printed surface and binding are considered together as part of the finished object.
How should a natural-paper notebook be cared for?
Keep it dry and away from prolonged direct sunlight. Natural-paper and cotton-paper covers are best handled with clean, dry hands. A notebook will gather signs of use over time, but avoiding moisture and strong sun will help the printed cover remain clear.