According to Pinterest Predicts 2026 report, “Poetcore” and “Pen Pals” are set to take over. Translation: it is finally time to romanticize your life, main-character style, through fashion, journaling, and the lost art of letter writing. Pinterest predicts a return to fountain pens, handwritten notes, decorated envelopes, and even actual mailboxes. Slow living, but make it aesthetic.

If you are ready to lean into this softer, more thoughtful era, consider this your stationery starter pack. Some of these picks are tried and tested by our team, while others come highly recommended after winning honors at Japan’s 2025 Stationery Awards.

Every good story needs a place to begin. A planner is a solid first step, and Muji’s 2026 Planners keep things clean and functional. Available in multiple sizes and layouts, they are perfect for students and young creatives who want structure without visual clutter.

If dated pages feel too restrictive, a hardbound notebook might be more your style. Limelight’s A5 journal is an easy everyday companion. With smooth 80 gsm pages, it can handle pens, markers, and quick sketches while staying lightweight enough to toss into your bag.

A writer’s most trusted weapon is their pen, and the Sailor Compass Tuzu Adjust Fountain Pen earned top honors in Japan for good reason. Designed with comfort in mind, it features a grip with subtle flat surfaces that guide your fingers into a natural position. A clever adjustable mechanism lets you rotate the grip to suit your writing angle while keeping the nib perfectly aligned. The result is a pen that feels custom-made for your hand, even if you are new to fountain pens.

For those who love a little luxury, the Pilot Capless Fountain Pen is a dream piece. It stands out as the world’s only push-button retractable fountain pen, complete with an 18-karat gold nib. A built-in shutter seals the nib when not in use, preventing leaks and ink from drying out. It is sleek, practical, and undeniably cool, making it a favorite among serious pen collectors and writers alike.

Winning the Grand Award, the Pilot Kire-Na Double-Sided Highlighter proves that even everyday tools can be thoughtfully redesigned. Its chisel tip is framed by two slim plastic guides that help you draw clean, straight lines while minimizing ink smudges. The flexible tip also adapts to curved pages, making it ideal for textbooks, planners, and journals that refuse to lie flat.

Sun-Star Palettone Stickers bring art class energy into your stationery stash. Designed to resemble tiny paint palettes, they come with translucent, swatch-shaped stickers that look like real brush strokes. These stickers function more like removable sticky notes, making them easy to peel and reposition. Because they are semi-transparent, they add color without covering your notes, perfect for highlighting deadlines, quotes, or mood-tracking pages.

Eco-conscious creatives will love mt upcycle washi tapes, made from 70 percent recycled paper sourced from used coffee filters. The texture gives each roll a softly speckled look, allowing whatever is underneath to subtly show through. The result feels organic and warm, ideal for journaling spreads that lean earthy and handmade.

If you want something playful, the Sun-Star UFO Pencil Case is impossible to ignore. Shaped like a flying saucer, it opens to reveal a roomy compartment for pens and tools, plus a tiny alien insert that doubles as storage for small items like erasers. A transparent inner tab helps keep pens upright, while an external loop lets you clip it onto your bag. Functional, quirky, and very conversation-starting.

Whether you are writing letters, building your dream journal, or simply making school notes more fun, this new wave of stationery proves that slowing down can still be stylish. The Poetcore era is here. All that is left is to pick up a pen and start writing your story.