I haven't thought about this fantasy for a very long time, but once many years ago I imagined I was Japanese.I loved the simplicity of all things Japanese: the kimono I received as a gift, the tea ceremony, the hieroglyphic writing, and the Sushi I ate three to five times each week.
I've had a few colleagues from Japan, and it was their dislike of Japan that probably pushed the notion of being Japanese myself out of my head.
Two close colleagues felt discriminated against in Japan, one because she was female, extremely bright and overlooked for a promotion and and didn't receive tenure; the other because he wouldn't follow the family's strict adherence to custom and looked out of place at his towering six feet, two inches.
But regardless of how much they were disenchanted with their own country, they brought with them many of the rituals, customs and simplicity that I admired and wished to emulate and they both shared these with me often.
However, as much as I related to the culture, I never considered a Japanese fountain pen until I held one in my hand just a few weeks ago. Now I am in possession of a Sailor Sapporo with a music nib, and a Sailor M1911 with a zoom nib. I debated with myself on the purchase of a fountain pen with a zoom nib for a long time. I read about them time and time again, and when a pen became available for the price of a Sushi dinner, I bought it.
It arrived today.
I inked it with Iroshizuku Tsutsuji and it writes like a dream.
You can buy the ink at Jet Pens but you're on your own for the fountain pens and that dinner!
No comments:
Post a Comment