The A6-sized Mnemosyne Journal Pocket is truly wonderful

Recently, I have been using a combination of Obsidian, a PC memo app, and generative AI, which is both fun and convenient, so I use it for something every day.

On the other hand, the act of writing with pen and paper is something I still do as well.

In terms of ratio, I spend about 8:2, overwhelmingly facing my PC.

That is precisely why I thought, as I have posted before, that a notebook type that can be used casually like a memo pad is best, and I still think so today.

The "NOTE PAD S," a black-covered notebook or memo pad made by Kokuyo sold at 7-Eleven, is my current main paper product.

That said, I also use the Maruman "Mnemosyne Journal Pocket," which I started using as my main notebook in March 2026, an A6-sized notebook with a sturdy, thick cover and an elastic band, for quickly jotting things down with a fountain pen.

For casual, easy, quick opening and writing, the 7-Eleven "NOTE PAD S" is overwhelmingly convenient, or rather, the initial action of starting to write is faster.

The "Mnemosyne Journal Pocket" requires picking it up, removing the elastic band, and opening it to the bookmark, so while it is by no means slow, it is a fact that it feels more cumbersome compared to the "NOTE PAD S" which opens quickly.

That is why I use it with the positioning of a notebook for enjoying doodling when I am writing something randomly and slowly with a fountain pen.

The "NOTE PAD S" exclusively for fine liners

For the quick-memo "NOTE PAD S," I currently only use Kokuyo WP series fine liners.

Beyond the excellent writing feel of this pen, it has a nib that writes finely—though I wouldn't call it ultra-fine—and the blue-black ink color is nice.

And above all, it is a huge plus that I don't have to worry at all about bleed-through, ghosting, or indentations on the back of the writing surface.

Compared to the STALOGY notebook, which I previously struggled with due to the thinness of the paper, the "NOTE PAD S" does not have paper quality that makes you worry about such things, but given the situation where the fine liner has absolutely no effect on the back, I have become bothered by the slight ghosting visible with other ballpoint pens.

Trying out various pens after a long time

There is no way that a person with my disposition, who usually likes to swap pens while writing, could put up with the situation where the "NOTE PAD S" has become a one-choice-only fine liner situation.

So, I tried writing with various pens for the first time in a while in the "Mnemosyne Journal Pocket," which has become something of a fountain pen-only notebook.

The "Mnemosyne Journal Pocket" has a smooth surface and 90g/m² thick writing paper, so there is no need to worry about bleed-through, ghosting, or indentations on the back of the writing surface.

That is why I brought out my favorite pens that I hadn't been able to use lately and wrote various things down.

As expected, it is a notebook that provides the best writing experience as a paper product.

It is designed to open flat.

It's not just that the writing paper is excellent; another key point is that as you write and progress through nearly half the pages, it begins to open 180° flat.

Because it has a high page count and a thick, sturdy cover, compact journals like this can be difficult to open flat and write in, especially at the very beginning and end of the notebook.

By using that difficult-to-write-in period for fountain pen scribbles, it felt as though it was reborn into a very easy-to-use notebook. It became even more wonderful and perfect, not just for fountain pens, but for various ballpoint pens as well.

A new notebook with this writing paper

There is no doubt that the Mnemosyne Journal Pocket is wonderful on its own as a compact notebook for carrying around or journaling.

There is no doubt, but I would love to see products like Field Notes or Dialog Notebooks—with fewer pages and standard cover thickness for easy writing, similar to the 'NOTE PAD S'—made with this writing paper.

If such a notebook existed, it would be perfect in a sense, and I think it would be the ultimate form of a small personal notebook, so I wonder if they would release one?

It would surely sell even better than Mnemosyne's compact ring memos or notepads!!!