The Phantom Menace Podcast
CY and Jacob discuss tariffs, affordable stacked nibs, and oolong tea cans from a galaxy far far away. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 86
Tokyo Inklings
Two Tokyoites’ insider views on the Japanese fountain pen world!
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Episodes
New Year, New Phase of the Hobby
CY, Jacob, and returning guest Khuê reminisce about the past year and make some predictions for 2025. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 85
Live from TIPS 2024
CY, Jacob, and special guest Drew Brown report live from the 2024 Tokyo International Pen Show. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 84
Silence Is A Container
CY and Jacob delve into Hobonichi's paper troubles, analyze eye-opening fountain pen sales figures from Nikkei, and discuss how to address rumors. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 83
A Concerning Lack of Sparkles
CY and Jacob discuss Pilot's latest product announcements, Sailor's ongoing financial woes, upcoming stationery events in Tokyo, and recent US pen shows. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Sep 08, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 82
Investigative Journaling
CY and Jacob discuss fountain pen marketing, the Q1 earnings of Pilot and Sailor, and share their first impressions of the Sailor Tuzu. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
May 19, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 81
Mean Girls Energy
CY and Jacob discuss Sailor's new Tuzu pen, Korean stationery, glass pen snobbery, recent and upcoming events, and Mitsubishi Pencil's trademark headaches in early postwar Japan. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 80
They're All Snobs
CY and Jacob, joined by returning guests Khuê and Alesa , discuss spring pen fairs, stationery M&A news, earthquakes, and a new steel nib. This episode was recorded on March 3rd. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 79
Get Off My Lawn
CY, Jacob, along with returning guests Khuê and Alesa, reflect on the past year and make some predictions for 2024. Note: This episode was recorded early on January 1st, hours before the earthquake. All of us are OK, and we will talk about it in the next episode. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 78
Not My Podcast
CY, Jacob, and returning guests Khuê and Alesa talk about recent acquisitions, pen shows, Sailor saturation, and mystery vac fillers. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 77
Less Savage Than Bungujoshi
CY, Jacob, and returning guests Khuê and Alesa talk about last month's pen shows, Pro Gear saturation, and distilled water. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 76
Across the North Pole
CY and Jacob talk about large and small Sailor nibs, long flights, retractable fountain pens, clicky keyboards, vermilion urushi, and owls. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Mar 05, 2023•59 min•Ep. 75
Polypolypoly
CY and Jacob talk about turned acrylics, faceted barrels, price increases, counterfeit pens, and middle names. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jan 29, 2023•57 min•Ep. 74
A++ !
CY, Jacob, and returning guests Alesa and Khuê look back at 2022 and try to make a few predictions for 2023. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 73
Feels Good To Be a Noob!
CY and Jacob discuss stationery gifts, Pilot's elusive annual Capless LE, filling systems, clicky knocks, and vintage camera lenses. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Dec 27, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 72
Champagne Pink Portable Printer
CY and Jacob discuss Maruzen's 2023 spring event lineup, Pilot's new 30th-anniversary Custom 74, flea markets, kimono fabric, and sticker printers. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 71
Drunk Nagahara Fixed My Nib
Jacob, CY, and guests April from Penguins Creative and Alesa recap TIPS 2022 and discuss planners, new pen releases, engraved gold nibs, and shrinking profit margins. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Nov 13, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 70
Late From the Tokyo International Pen Show 2022
Jacob and CY come together to give you the live update from the Tokyo International Pen Show! Wait... but it's almost two weeks late?! You can blame CY for that. He failed to upload the audio on time, but better late than never? Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Nov 08, 2022•48 min•Ep. 69
Wet and Creamy
CY, Jacob, and returning guests Alesa and Khuê discuss nib grind names, paper testing, shady business practices, Montblanc's Naruto pen, price increases, and TIPS expectations. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 68
(Cosmo Air) Light at the end of the tunnel
CY and Jacob talk about bankruptcies, biomass, nib-shaped factory buildings, and new releases from Sailor, PenBBS, and Majohn. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Oct 02, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 67
Are They Padawan If They Are Sith?
CY and Jacob talk about Shishikura pens, Toyooka trays, Hobonichi paper testing results, nib padawans, and anime inks. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Sep 18, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 66
Sweet Pink Purple Whatever
CY and Jacob talk about Bungujoshi's annual ink show in Tokyo, paper theories, new pen releases, lemons, factory calligraphy nibs, and the business of nib grinding. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Sep 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 65
Counterfeit Urushi
CY and Jacob talk about CY's pen adventures in the US, pocket pens, Sailor's new dip pen, upcoming retail events in Tokyo, maki-e stickers, and Japan's commercial transactions law. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Aug 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 64
Eyjafjallajökull
CY and Jacob talk about differences between pen shows in US and Japan, Shishikura and Wagner pen news, how Sanzen intentionally tweaked Tomoegawa's paper formula, Icelandic volcanoes, and more. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Aug 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 63
10 Things Scalpers Don’t Want You to Know
CY, Jacob, and guest Alesa talk about Itoya’s ink show, prison-made glass pens, unpopular opinions, and how to buy pens from Japan. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jul 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 62
Unlimited Limited Editions
CY and Jacob talk about glass pens made in prison, ink trends, Hachimonjiya's sparkly new Pro Gear, and Platinum's surprisingly popular new pen. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jul 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 61
The Spiciest Episode Yet
CY, Jacob, and guests Khuê and Alesa discuss TWSBI's and Narwhal's joint statement, Plus's acquisition of Sailor, upcoming events, dip pens, and CY's spicy article about Wancher. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jun 26, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 60
Do It For The Bagels
CY and Jacob talk about Platinum's all-new nib, Sailor's upcoming price increases, a new store-exclusive Capless, Naniwa pen show, dip pens, and more. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 59
You Don’t Do This To Your Neighbour
Frank from Narwhal Pens joins Jacob and CY to talk about in-house nibs, piston designs, upcoming products, and much more. Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
May 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 58
Lacking Context
CY and Jacob talk about stationery store visits during Golden Week, Pilot and Sailor news, and the Noodler’s Ink controversy that’s rocking the fountain pen world. (Trigger warning: there is discussion of antisemitic imagery from Noodler’s Ink) Show notes with links and feedback form . Jingle by Audionautix.com (CC Attribution).
May 15, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 57
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