Japanese Colored Pencils for the Sister Building an Analog Bag

Your sister has started carrying something new. Not a new phone case: a small pouch with a sketchbook in it, a pen, maybe a paper journal. When she’s waiting for coffee, or early for dinner, she takes it out instead of scrolling. She’s said she wants more of that.

There’s a name for it online. An “analog bag” is a small bag of offline things to do — a book, a journal, a crossword, knitting, a sketchbook — carried so there’s always something to reach for that isn’t a screen. Marie Claire wrote about the trend in January 2026 (Marie Claire, “What’s an Analog Bag”). The craft retailer Michaels, in its 2026 Creativity Trend Report, reported rising searches on its own site for analog hobbies such as journaling and painting (Michaels, March 2026). That’s one retailer’s data, not a measure of everyone, but it fits what you may be seeing.

This page is for choosing a gift that goes in that bag. The idea isn’t to change what she does with her time; she’s already decided that. It’s to give her something good to use while she does it.

I’m a designer in Japan, not an illustrator, and I haven’t used the set below. What follows is what the maker and the shop state, why pencils suit this kind of drawing, and what to check before you order.

Why pencils suit a bag

A few minutes at a café table, a bench, a train seat. That’s the length of most analog-bag sessions, and it shapes what’s practical.

• No water, no palette, no drying. Colored pencils go straight onto paper and straight back into the bag. Watercolor and gouache are wonderful, but they ask for a cup of water, a surface and time.
• Start and stop anywhere. A drawing can be picked up again tomorrow exactly where it was left.
• Small enough. A 24-color set is a lot of color in a small space. Enough to layer and blend, not so many that choosing becomes the activity.
• Easy on a beginner. If she’s just starting, a modest set is less daunting than a huge one. You’re giving her something to use, not a collection to live up to.

One set to consider: Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils, 24 colors (OP920)

Who it suits. A sister or friend who has started sketching or illustrating a paper journal away from home, and wants better pencils than the ones she found in a drawer.

Why this one. Holbein is a Japanese maker of artists’ materials. It describes its Artists’ Colored Pencils as oil-based pencils developed for artists, for coloring, sketching and underdrawing through to finished drawings (Holbein, Artists’ Colored Pencils 24-color set, in Japanese). At 24 colors it’s one of the smaller sets in the range, which is what makes it a bag set rather than a desk set. The same pencils come in sets up to 150 colors, so if she keeps going, there’s somewhere to go next.

What the shop states. The shop’s listing gives the 24 colors in the set, a mix of reds, yellows, earth tones and greens through to blues and greys. It was in stock at ¥7,018 on 13 September 2026, before shipping.

Know before you buy.

• Box size isn’t published. Neither Holbein’s page nor the shop’s listing gives the dimensions or says what the case is made of. If it has to fit a particular pouch, ask the shop first.
• Paper and sharpener aren’t included. She’ll need a sketchbook or notebook she likes, and a sharpener. Both are easy to pick up locally, and choosing the notebook together could be part of the gift.
• Oil-based pencils. These are not watercolor pencils. They don’t turn into paint with a wet brush. If that’s what she wants, Holbein’s watercolor pencils are a different product.
• Colors are personal. If she has a favorite palette, a pencil set she’ll actually use beats a bigger one she won’t.

If she already draws a lot

If she has a desk full of materials and draws at home most evenings, a bag set may be a small add-on rather than the main gift. For the full range of the same pencils, see the 150-color Holbein set as a gift. For what artists abroad order from Japan more broadly, see the art-supply bestsellers. For what else is worth carrying in the bag, see what actually goes in an analog bag.

If you want to spend a little more

Two others from the same shop, both listed as in stock on 16 September 2026:

Pencils that turn into watercolor. Holbein’s watercolor pencils draw dry and dissolve with a wet brush, which suits sketching on trips. The 50-color set (WP195) is about ¥19,096. They need water and paper that can take it, so they’re a better fit for someone who already paints a little.

The full range, in a paper box. If she draws most days and mixes colors constantly, the 150-color set (OP945) is about ¥35,340 — the same pencils, every color, without the wooden presentation box. That’s a main gift rather than a bag set; see the 150-color set as a gift.

Before you buy

• Ask what’s in her bag now. A sketchbook? A journal? A book? Pencils suit the first two.
• Match the size to the bag. If it’s a small pouch, confirm the box fits before ordering.
• Add the paper. A pencil set without paper she likes isn’t finished.
• Don’t overdo it. A small set that goes everywhere is the point.

Box, shipping and returns

Okurimono Japan doesn’t sell anything. “Check Price” takes you to the product page on Discovery Japan Mall, an independent Japanese retailer (not Holbein’s own shop). You buy and pay there, and the shop handles shipping, returns and support.

• Price. ¥7,018 on 13 September 2026, before shipping and any duties. Shipping is added at checkout.
• Duties and taxes. The shop’s Customs Duties page says they aren’t included and are collected on delivery.
• Timing. The shop’s product pages don’t state a dispatch time, so order well ahead of a birthday or Christmas.
• Returns. The shop’s Returns & Exchanges page accepts returns only for damaged, defective or incorrect items reported within 7 days of delivery, with photos, and not for change of mind.
• Box vs. gift wrap. The shop’s listing doesn’t describe the packaging, and gift wrapping isn’t listed as a service.

More on ordering from Japan is on How to Buy, and more in the Stationery category.

One more thing

She’s already chosen how she wants to spend those spare ten minutes. The best gift is one that makes the choice a little more enjoyable every time she opens the bag.