The Best Japanese Fountain Pens

If you're just starting with fountain pens, or just don't want to spend much, Japanese fountain pens could still be for you. Some of the best low-cost fountain pens are from Japan, with the Platinum Preppy being perhaps the biggest bargain of them all - a refillable fountain pen at a price that even beats some disposable pens. But just above the Preppy is Platinum's Plaisir, with an aluminium barrel making it look and feel much nicer, for not too much extra money.

There are plenty more good options, though, check out some of our favourites here:

Sailor is one of the most-loved brands among fountain pen fans. There's a very wide range, from some quite low prices up to some very expensive luxury pens.

Their two main ranges are the 1911 and the Professional Gear, or Pro Gear. The 1911 is the more traditional 'cigar' shape, with rounded ends; while the Pro Gear takes a more contemporary approach, with flat ends and a less curved design.

Whichever style you prefer, Sailor is very respected for the quality of their nibs, with most of their pens available in an unusually wide range of nib sizes and types. Many of them even include the option of their popular 'Zoom' nib - it varies the line width depending on the angle you hold the pen at, getting finer as you hold the pen more upright. These are very broad overall, though, so not a good choice if you want to write small! As usual with Japanese pens, the 'standard' nibs tend towards the finer side compared to Western pens.

Platinum (not to be confused with the old British pen brand Platinum) is another much-loved Japanese pen brand, best known for their #3776 Century pens. They're usually known for nibs with a bit more 'feedback', rather than being super-smooth, which some people really love - a bit more friction can help keep things under control for people who find some other nibs too smooth and slippery.

The #3776 Century is also loved for its 'Slip & Seal' mechanism, which seals the nib away when the pen is capped. This makes the pens much better protected against drying out if they're not used for a while, and makes the safe to use Platinum's Carbon Ink - a highly permanent fountain pen ink.

Pilot make a truly impressive range of pens, from some of the world's best selling gel- and liquid-ink pens, to some of the finest quality fountain pens available. In the fountain pen world, they're probably best known for the Capless, also known as the Vanishing Point in the US.

The Capless was originally made in 1964 to celebrate the Tokyo Olympics, and they've continued improving and perfecting it in the decades since. Making a retractable fountain pen isn't easy, but Pilot's engineers have achieved amazing things here, making a quick and easy pen to use, and making them highly reliable.

Their flagship fountain pens, though, are the more traditionally-styled Pilot Custom pens, which are available in various finishes, from plain black resin, to beautiful natural wood.

Maki-e (pronounced roughly like 'macky-ey') is a traditional Japanese craft for decorating things, and is quite often used on luxury pens. Layers of natural urushi lacquer are build up, and tiny pieces of shells and powdered precious metals are added inside the layers, building up patterns or pictures. Many of these can take months to make, as each layer has to be carefully hand-applied, then allowed to dry.

Some brands now also make 'modern maki-e', where the pictures or patterns are pre-made, applied to the pen, then covered with layers of lacquer - less labour-intensive, making these pens more accessible, but still beautiful.