This 3rd Edition of the Cafe A6 notebook. It is bound with the "NEW" Tomoe River paper!

Please note that all reviews up to 9/18/2020 are based on earlier editions. There are two changes from the 2nd to 3rd edition:

NEW Tomoe River paper

384 pages (2nd edition had 480 pages, but people asked for a thinner notebook). It's also a bit cheaper.



Please see the pictures for a quick comparison of the old vs. new paper.

I have seen a couple of very good articles on social media that compare the old and new Tomoe River paper. The condensed version is this:

Feathering - same



Bleed - same



Ghosting - same



Tooth - NEW is toothier



Saturation - colors appear darker on the NEW paper



Line definition - NEW has "jagged" edges. OLD has crisp edges



Feel - NEW is "crispier", louder, and surface is harder

Thickness - the NEW paper is thicker



Actually, technically, it's the same thickness, but after binding into a notebook, the old paper is not as "compressible", so after manufacturing, this latest notebook is 1mm thicker than the old notebook. My partner in Japan explained this to me.

I agree with all of the above. The only thing I have to add is about the toothiness. The NEW paper does feel toothier than the OLD paper, but for me personally, I think it's because I'm just used to pressing down harder on the old, smooth Tomoe River. Now that the paper is not as smooth, applying less pressure does take some getting used to. If you can use less pressure, the new paper will not feel much different than the old.

Having said all of the above, to be honest, my personal preference is for the OLD paper, simply for the line definition. I wish I could make a million more notebooks with the old paper. For normal, every day use, I'm not exactly sure how much it bothers me. I'm going to say "not much" but overall I do feel the old paper was better, more luxurious.

But I'm still gonna use the new paper, because I actually prefer the enhanced "crispiness" (I always felt Tomoe River paper felt a bit flabby), plus, there's really no other thin paper that is as good. The old Tomoe River paper was "as good" as Midori MD and Graphilo, but those are also much thicker papers. And for me, the attraction of Tomoe River has always been its thinness more than its line definition. I use the B6-S Cafe Note for note taking. I am not an artist, and just use it for work. For that purpose, i'm fine with it.

So, please take my opinion for what it's worth. If you have any doubts, please ask for a sample by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Nanami Seven Seas

Samples by Mail

P.O. Box 17422

Irvine, CA 92623-7422

Ok, back to the original description:

A POCKET NOTEBOOK THAT PACKS A PUNCH



After many requests to chop our A5 notebooks down to a smaller size, we finally decided it was time to make our own original A6 notebook.

It's the same thickness and page count as our A5 Seven Seas (Crossfield, Standard and Writer) series - just half the height and thus half the weight. And, since it's half the weight, it's possible to ship one notebook inside the USA by First Class Mail (around $5.00).

Performance and paper are the same as our B6-S: 384 pages, white TRP, lay-flat construction, 3.7mm grid.

We hope you like this new notebook - and actually, after working with various larger notebooks over the years, such as our Seven Seas A5, L!FE B5, Tsubame, and even our own Cafe B6, my first thought when I opened the shipment was "Awww...how cute!!!". But since this is a serious tool, it's cute in a way that, say, laser watches, explosive pens, and miniature tape recorders are cute. In fact, if James Bond carried a notebook, this is probably the one he would find most useful.