Many brands these days claim to be “communities” but Traveler’s Factory actually is. The stationery brand from Japan has a global following, a thriving and evolving community of people around the world who have a shared love for journaling and traveling and collecting precious memories in a tangible way for life’s big and little moments even in this digital age. Buying into the brand is buying into a lifestyle. Because it’s a brand best interwoven into your everyday, the leather portfolios developing patinas and embellishments that evolve with your life.

In some ways, it is similar to Moleskine in its journaling following, but Traveler’s Factory is so much more. Its not so much about the notebooks but the system and how it fits together, completely customizable and modular, with a heavy emphasis on the trinkets to make it feel extra analog. And the shops, four of them around Japan, but what really makes up the community is the global network of stockists. An unintentional guide of the most precious stationery stores in any given city, some with limited edition products, encouraging travelers to make it a part of their trip and in turn get to find a little bit of community on the way. The flagship in Nakameguro feels like a cozy workshop of a well-traveled writer, filled with travel-worn objects and nostalgic graphics that evoke a romanticized era of traveling. A small footprint filled with wonderful writing utensils and accessories, from stamps to paperweights to stickers to charms to truly make your journal your own. And from there, you’re a part of the community, something so personal and yet connecting to the world.