不說不知道，在全球製紙業的產量排行榜中，中國和美國佔據頭兩位，而緊接其後的國家，是無論在國家面積抑或經濟體量，都遠比前兩國弱小的日本，穩佔著全球第三位，可見日本在造紙業方面的影響性。而就算輪到國內的民間對紙的用量，日本也是首屆一指，其國民仍執著於使用現金紙幣、讀紙本書、寫親筆信，而像手帳這種國外越漸式微的商品，更在日本國內年年賣翻，只能說日本是一個愛紙的民族，市場因而也容下不少規模雖小，但技術精良的造紙公司，像這次要介紹的山本紙業就是一例。
比起日本滿街的百年老企業，山本紙業創立於上世紀70年代，是個相當年輕的品牌，而他們也不是一開始就負責生產，早年其實只是一家紙張批發商，但是在山本泰三成為新任總裁後，一改品牌作風，在2005年首度成為紙張的製造商，及後在2009年更購置老海德堡風車壓板凸版印刷機，既專注於製作紙張，也用心開發自家的紙張、文具商品，其中這款「Paper Tasting」試寫本商品，就頗能表現出品牌對造紙的認真態度。
You might not be aware of the fact that the two largest paper producing countries in the world are China and the United States; and it might even be a little surprising to learn that Japan, who has a relatively smaller country size and economic scale compared to China and the US, ranks third on the list. In terms of paper consumption, Japan is also one of the largest consumers in the world. The Japanese definitely have an enduring obsession with paper; for example, they insist on using cash, reading printed books, and hand-writing letters. Even the paper planner, which seems to have become obsolete in most parts of the world, is still very much sought after in Japan. The country’s persistent love affair with paper allows a number of small but highly skilled paper manufacturers, such as Yamamoto Paper, to thrive.
Compared with the handful of century-old enterprises in Japan, Yamamoto Paper, which was founded in the 1970s, is a fairly young brand. The company didn’t start off as a paper manufacturer, but rather, as a wholesaler. It was only when Taizo Yamamoto joined his family company as the CEO that Yamamoto Paper began to venture into new areas. In 2005, the company became a paper manufacturer for the very first time, and in 2009, they acquired a Heidelberg Windmill Platen Press machine and began to produce their own original paper items and stationery. “Paper Tasting” is one of their many thoughtful designs.
