What Artists Abroad Actually Order from Japan: The Stationery Bestsellers, and Why They Sell

Artists abroad order art supplies from Japan for three reasons, and the stationery bestseller list shows them: full-range sets that arrive as one complete box, Japanese-market products that aren’t widely exported, and one brand — Holbein — that illustrators trust for gouache and colored pencils. Eight of the ten bestsellers are Holbein. Below is the list, what each item is, why it sells, and which ones make good gifts.

I’m a designer in Japan, and Holbein is the paint I grew up seeing in every art-supply shop here. This page doesn’t review the paint; it reads a real sales ranking — the shop publishes top sellers by category and updates it daily — and explains it with Holbein’s and Sailor’s official product information. If you want a guide to giving the 150-pencil set specifically, that’s Holbein 150 colored pencils as a gift. For Japanese fountain pens, see the first fountain pen guide.

The list, on 12 September 2026

Discovery Japan Mall’s stationery bestsellers, in order, with the shop’s yen price that day:

#	Item	What it is	Shop price
1	Holbein Granulating Colors WG591	Transparent watercolor, 24 × 5ml	¥10,890
2	Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils OP945	150 colors, paper box	¥35,340
3	Holbein Acrylic Gouache D436	109 colors × 20ml, full set	¥41,247
4	Holbein Watercolor Pencils WP195	50 colors, complete set	¥19,096
5	Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils OP920	24 colors	¥7,018
6	Sailor Yubi Maki-e ballpoint 16-0365-240	Printed maki-e, cherry blossom and butterflies	¥4,642
7	Holbein Gouache Irodori G754	Japanese winter colors, 12 × 15ml	¥6,770
8	Holbein Gouache G713	18 colors × 15ml	¥9,449
9	Sailor Yokaze ebonite fountain pen 10-8085-620	21K nib, engraved ebonite (out of stock when checked)	¥103,513
10	Holbein Gouache G731	84 colors × 15ml, full set	¥53,320

Prices are the shop’s on 12 September 2026, before shipping and any duty.

Three reasons the list looks like this

1. Full-range sets. Four of the ten are “every color” sets: 150 pencils, 109 acrylic gouache, 84 gouache, 50 watercolor pencils. From Japan they arrive as one complete box.

2. Products made for the Japanese market. The Irodori series — gouache in traditional Japanese colors, sold by season — and the granulating watercolor sets are the kind of thing Holbein develops for Japanese painters first. Artists abroad see them in videos and order them.

3. A brand illustrators trust. Holbein has made artists’ paints since 1946 and its gouache is a standard in Japanese design schools and illustration studios. Its colored pencils, launched in 1993, are known for a soft core and thick barrel. That reputation travels through the work people post, and the orders follow.

The items

1. Holbein Granulating Colors, 24-set (WG591) — the watercolors that texture themselves

What it is. Transparent watercolors chosen for granulation: the pigment particles separate and settle as the wash dries, leaving texture in the paint. Holbein describes the series as inspired by landscapes, plants and animals, ranging from gentle separation to its usual vivid colors. 24 colors, 5ml tubes.

Why it sells. Granulating colors are a current interest among watercolorists for skies, stone and foliage, and a curated 24-set is easier than choosing singles. It is the number-one stationery item on the shop.

Confirmed (Holbein): 24 colors, 5ml each.

As a gift. For someone who already paints in watercolor, especially landscapes. Not a beginner’s first set — the point of granulation is lost without some practice.

2. Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils, 150 colors, paper box (OP945)

What it is. The full range of Holbein’s oil-based artists’ pencils — soft, fine-grained cores 3.8mm across in 7.8mm barrels — in a paper box. Same pencils as the wooden-box set; the wooden box adds a sharpener and Meltz blender.

Why it sells. Twenty ratings on the shop, the most on this list, and about ¥20,000 less than the wooden-box version. For people who want every color and don’t need the box, this is the one.

Confirmed (Holbein): 150 colors; paper box.

As a gift. Covered in detail — who it suits, who already owns too much, what to ask — in the Holbein 150 guide.

3. Holbein Acrylic Gouache, 109-color full set (D436)

What it is. Holbein’s acrylic gouache: opaque, matte, quick-drying, and water-resistant once dry, so layers don’t lift or muddy. Holbein describes it as suited to design, illustration and teaching. 109 colors in 20ml tubes.

Why it sells. Acrylic gouache is the medium of a great deal of contemporary illustration, and Holbein’s is the one Japanese illustrators use.

Confirmed (Holbein): 109 colors, 20ml each.

As a gift. For a working illustrator or a design student who already uses acrylic gouache. It is a large, heavy box — not a casual present.

4. Holbein Watercolor Pencils, 50-color complete set (WP195)

What it is. Water-soluble pencils built, per Holbein, to dissolve like real watercolor and to match the color range and numbering of Holbein’s transparent watercolors, so the two can be used together. 50 colors in a paper box; the shop’s listing gives the box as about 447 × 202 × 20mm and 655g.

Why it sells. A sketchbook medium that packs flat and turns into paint with a wet brush. The full range is an easy single purchase from Japan.

Confirmed (Holbein): 50 colors; paper box.

As a gift. For the traveling sketcher or the urban-sketching hobbyist. Add a water brush locally and it’s complete.

5. Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils, 24 colors (OP920)

What it is. The same pencils as the 150 set, in a 24-color selection — a basic palette from pink and carmine through the greens and blues to white, black and a cool grey.

Why it sells. It is the way to try Holbein pencils for about ¥7,000, and it is the set that goes into the parcel alongside something bigger.

Confirmed (Holbein): 24 colors.

As a gift. The safest art item on the list: for someone who draws a little, a teenager, or a colleague who colors to relax.

6. Sailor Yubi Maki-e ballpoint, “Sakura and Butterflies”, blue (16-0365-240)

What it is. A knock-type oil-based ballpoint (0.7mm) with an aluminum barrel decorated in Sailor’s “Yubi Maki-e”: the pattern is printed, then gold and silver powder is sprinkled by hand on the key parts, reproducing the look of traditional lacquer maki-e at an everyday price.

Why it sells. A Japanese-craft object under $35 that is also a normal, refillable ballpoint. It is the only non-Holbein item in the top eight.

Confirmed (Sailor): Yubi Maki-e printed maki-e with hand-sprinkled gold and silver powder. Shop listing: knock type, 0.7mm, black ink, aluminum barrel with matte anodized finish, about 13.5cm long, refill 18-0104 sold separately.

As a gift. For a host, a colleague, a thank-you. It writes like a ballpoint, so it needs no explanation. Refills are Sailor’s own; check availability locally or add a refill to the order.

7. Holbein Gouache “Irodori” Japanese Colors, Winter 12-set (G754)

What it is. Holbein’s opaque watercolor in traditional Japanese colors, sold in seasonal sets of twelve. Holbein describes the winter set as cool, quiet colors evoking snow and winter air, with color names drawn from nature. Four seasons make 48 colors in all.

Why it sells. It is a Japanese-market idea — a season of traditional color names in paint — and the kind of thing that isn’t stocked abroad. Small, and about ¥6,800.

Confirmed (Holbein): 12 colors, 15ml each.

As a gift. For a painter who would enjoy the color names as much as the paint. Pair it with the card explaining that these are traditional Japanese colors.

8 and 10. Holbein Gouache, 18-set (G713) and 84-set (G731)

What they are. Holbein’s standard opaque watercolor — gouache — in 15ml tubes: vivid, high coverage, layers over underlying color, re-wets with water, made with lightfast pigments per Holbein. The 18-set is the starter; the 84-set is the full range.

Why they sell. Holbein gouache is what Japanese design schools use, and the 18-set is the box students are told to buy. The 84-set is the full-range purchase for a studio.

Confirmed (Holbein): 18 colors × 15ml, list ¥8,470; 84 colors × 15ml, list ¥53,790, both including tax.

As a gift. The 18-set for a design student or someone starting gouache; the 84-set only for a working illustrator who has said they want it.

9. The Sailor Yokaze fountain pen

The Sailor “Yokaze” — an engraved ebonite fountain pen with a 21K gold nib, about ¥103,500 on the shop — is ninth on the list but was out of stock when checked, so it isn’t linked here. It is a collector’s pen rather than a gift for someone you haven’t asked; if it interests you, the shop’s listing is the place to look.

Before you buy

• Ask what they use. Watercolor, gouache, acrylic gouache and pencil are different practices. The full-range sets are only a gift for someone already in that medium.
• Sizes. The full sets are large boxes: the 150-pencil paper box, the 109-tube acrylic gouache and the 84-tube gouache all want a shelf. The watercolor pencil box is about 447 × 202 × 20mm per the shop.
• Duplication. A second full set of pencils or gouache is the most common gift mistake. Check what’s on their shelf.
• Box and wrapping. Holbein’s retail paper boxes; no gift wrap listed by the shop. Ask.
• Refills. The Sailor ballpoint takes Sailor’s 18-0104 refill; buy one with the pen if it may be hard to find locally.
• Shipping and returns. The shop states orders usually ship within 5 business days with tracking and insurance; damaged, defective or incorrect items only, reported within 7 days with photos. Customs duties, where charged, are collected on delivery.

How to buy from Japan

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 or Sailor’s own shop) that ships internationally and shows prices in your currency. You pay them directly by card or PayPal. Prices on this page are the shop’s yen prices on 12 September 2026, converted approximately, before shipping and duty; the live price is on the shop. Full details on How to Buy, and more in the Stationery category.