Amazing scenes emerge as you use this notepad

The Japanese design firm Triad just released one of the most Japanese products ever: the Hogwarts Castle notepad.

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Wait, that’s not Japanese!

But…it is.

[image error]The latest design in a series of notepads that reveal 3-D scenes as each piece of paper is peeled away happens to be Hogwarts Castle, but the idea of creating three dimensional models from sheets of paper, the meticulous and precise craftsmanship needed to pull it off, and the firm belief that people will pay $180 USD for a notepad is about as Japanese as you can get.

Obviously, people who just need to jot down their grocery lists aren’t going to shell out nearly two hundred bucks. This is about buying an experience, paying for the delight of revealing the hidden scene.

The fact that it can only be experienced once perfectly captures the Japanese aesthetic that also explains why cherry blossoms are so beloved: they’re spectacular for a few days, then they’re gone. You have to appreciate them 100% in the moment, because you can’t do it again for another year. The fact that the experience is rare and fleeting adds to the enjoyment.

[image error]It comes with a clear protective case to preserve it once you’ve revealed the castle, but—like cherry blossom photos—it’s merely a reminder of a sublime experience, not the experience itself.

And if you’re not a huge Harry Potter fan, you’ll be happy to know that Triad’s Omoshiroi online store also carries more traditional Japanese versions of this same idea:

[image error]Like this block of colored paper that transforms into…



[image error]…the famous Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto



[image error]There’s one that reveals the Arashiyama bamboo grove



[image error]And a couple that turn into quintessentially traditional street scenes…



[image error]…set in all the best seasons

The 150-sheet Hogwarts Castle design is the newest and most expensive, but their other 150-sheet design (Kiyomizudera) can be had in three different colors for $90 USD, the 40-sheet bamboo grove and street scenes come in at a comparatively reasonable $53 USD…

[image error]…and these 20-sheet designs



[image error]feel like a real bargain at $17 USD



[image error]The street scenes can be preserved and hung on a wall, which is kind of cool and makes the investment seem more reasonable

Thanks to Japan Today for the Hogwarts Castle notepad photos and for putting this on my radar

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And if you’d love some fresh escapist reading, you can pre-order The Last Tea Bowl Thief today and get it hot off the press on October 20th!

“A wonderful blend of history and mystery.” —Laura Joh Rowland, author of The Iris Fan

[image error] For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it… read more

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly newsletter Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had