This year, thanks to some good luck, I was able to participate in two pen shows in Tokyo and Kobe. I thought that I was someone who interacted with stationery fans on a daily basis and attended events, but there was a whole other world that I didn't know about when it came to fountain pen fans and high-end writing instruments, mainly fountain pens. was widespread and very interesting. The basic function of a writing instrument is to write, and this is the same whether it's a ballpoint pen that comes in a pack of 5 at a 100-yen shop or a fountain pen that costs 100,000 yen. Japanese ballpoint pens are originally of very high quality, so for 100 to 200 yen you can find your favorite writing instrument that is comfortable to write with. Fountain pens are very cumbersome writing instruments. Not only is the main unit expensive to begin with, but if you don't maintain it, you may run out of ink, and if the main unit is of poor quality, the ink may leak due to vibrations while you are moving it, and your hand may become sticky when you try to write. . I've always been the type of person who chooses products based on their functionality, so I've always avoided products based on their functionality, but after getting a entry-level fountain pen at a gift exchange at a certain off-line meeting, I started to buy products based on their functionality. Even though I don't consider myself a stationery fanatic, I now own 5 or 6 casual fountain pens. Nowadays, when I'm thinking about something, I write in a small sketchbook with a drafting mechanical pencil, pencil, or if I'm in the mood for the day, a fountain pen. Even before that, right after I entered the workforce, I remember feeling an indescribable sense of elation when I bought my first 3,000 yen ballpoint pen with my own money. Before I knew it, I had become addicted to imported composite writing instruments and started buying several models that cost around 5,000 yen. I think these stories are completely incomprehensible to people who cannot imagine spending that much money on the act of writing. However, now that the act of writing is decreasing, I want to cherish my precious writing time. In this visualization of the brain's sensory cortex, you can see that the hand has a very wide range.
The information that humans receive from their hands and fingertips is more developed than any other organ. It can be said that humans have expanded their creativity because they have cherished the minute sensations at their fingertips. I think it's very important to have different actions in our hands in our daily lives, where we're all focused on keyboards and screens. Ballpoint pens, pencils, fountain pens. It is also very important to continue using fountain pens without forgetting the ability to distinguish between different types of writing tastes. Although writing instruments are far inferior to digital devices in the sense of recording and transmitting information using letters, in the future they will be used not only as tools for the ``feeling'' element, but also for expanding human possibilities and making leaps in ideas. Is not it. In a world where IT and AI continue to advance, I feel that products that appeal to a sense of humanity will continue to be needed. This feeling deepened as I watched the enthusiasm at the pen show and the fun interactions between the visitors and the sales staff.
