Hi everyone! Do you like to keep organized? 

When I started living in Japan, I was amazed by all the beautiful stationery products that I could find in bookstores. There were sticky notes, highlighters, notebooks, pens, pencil pouches, colored folders, and many more exciting goodies. When I walked around the stationery section, I felt like a little kid in a candy store!

I like taking notes and making lists to stay organized. When I think of something that I want to remember, I write it down on a square note and I tape it to a sheet of paper in my binder. I like to use washi tape because it adds a pop of color to the page. Sometimes I also use stickers or draw with markers.

Last month, I bought a 2022 planner. I write down my homework in my planner, and I also write down my weekly to do lists, and things that I want to buy. I have an online calendar too, but it helps me to remember things if I take the time to write them down. 

What else do I use my notebooks for? I use them to study languages of course! I have several vocabulary notebooks that I use to study Japanese. When I’ve memorized a word once, I highlight the margin in yellow. When I’ve memorized a word twice, I highlight over the yellow with a purple highlighter. 

I’ve also taped paper rectangles to a notebook page to help me study vocabulary. When you flip up the flap, you can see the pronunciation and the meaning of the word. It’s kind of like a flash card but with three sides!

Do you have any favorite stationery products? Do you like to use notebooks to study languages? Let me know in the comments below!

Vocabulary:

1. sticky notes = 付箋紙

2. highlighters = 蛍光ペン

3. pencil pouches = ペンケース

4. folders = ファイル

5. goodies = お菓子や楽しみにするグッズ

6. stationery = 文房具

7. planner = スケジュール帳

8. to do list = やることリスト

9. margin = 余白

10. flap = 折り返した部分、垂れ下がっている部分

Expressions: 

1. keep organized/stay organized: 整理整頓をする

2. a pop of color: 飛び出す色

3. take the time to do something: 何かをする時間を取っておくこと

4. what else: 他に

5. flip something up: 上に裏返す

6. “it’s like a {名詞} but with {名詞} !” :  {名詞} が付いている {名詞} に似ている！