We would like to take a moment to address two topics that have surfaced out in the Planner Sphere: the color of our paper and our choice not to disclose our sourcing. 
(With all of the statements we have already shared about our paper change this year, this will likely be the last time we address it publicly. Our prior statements remain available for anyone who wants to review them.)

Paper Color

Yes, our paper is white but it is slightly warmer than Tomoe River Paper (TRP) from both Tomoegawa and Sanzen. 

We had two options when faced with Sanzen’s ongoing quality concerns:

• With little to no word from Sanzen that the issue was being fixed or had been fixed, we could “hope” that the bleed-through issues did get addressed, risking the same kind of paper disaster that some other brands experienced this year, or
  
  
• Search globally for the best possible alternative to Tomoe River paper and test it rigorously — with pens and inks suggested by our own customers — until we could be confident in its performance.

We chose Option 2. For us, knowing that the paper color was extremely close, we were able to focus on performance and quality.

Not Disclosing Paper Source

Some may call it gatekeeping; others may call it a lack of transparency. From our perspective, it’s protecting both our brand and our competitive advantage.

A few little-known facts about Wonderland 222:

• We were the first U.S. company to offer Tomoe River paper planners. For a few years, we enjoyed a very open field — today, you can throw a rock and hit several others in this niche.
  
  
• We started with zero followers and no built-in audience. We were not already selling Hobonichi stickers or reviewing planners to a pre-existing community. Every year, we have built our audience from scratch by producing quality products and listening to customer feedback.
  
  
• We have never paid for reviews, likes or followers and do not currently have an affiliate program. What you read in forums or see on social media is genuine. If someone says they love our planners, you can trust it’s because they truly mean it. Our decision was intentional as we wanted feedback to remain unfiltered, honest, and authentic as we have built our brand. ~We have occasionally sent free product when reviewers reached out and asked to feature Wonderland 222, and we’ve surprised some of our long-time customers that share our books regularly with a free planner the following year as a thank-you.
  
  
• We don’t insert ourselves or anyone else into competitor groups to promote our books or post links to our site. We want customers who choose us because our planners fit them best and are in our group and other groups by their own choice.
  
  

What matters most, is being able to put our heads down at night and feel good about what we do and how we do it. If our decision to move away from paper that was performing poorly and our choice to protect our competitive advantage, in such a small niche, feels off-putting, we understand. As we always say, there are many wonderful options out there. We are not gatekeeping a cure for cancer — only protecting the integrity of our paper planner.

The alternative we chose this year is performing beautifully for us and many others, and for some, even better after experiencing bad paper with other brands.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support! We look forward to seeing your Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook etc. posts sharing your experience as your feedback will help us make the best choice for the upcoming year!