thoughts on hiraya journal 📔
Once upon a time, I stumbled upon Hiraya Journal shop at Shopee and fell in love with their notebooks.
Basically, what happened was, I was looking for a notebook for my 2021 bullet journal. Initially, I wanted to buy Moleskin or Archer and Olive but they were quite expensive. So, I started looking for an alternative. Something that has the same quality but for a less expensive price. I spent a few days browsing in Shopee. I was so sure I have seen all of the journal products there but I had to take a second and third look just to be extra, super sure.
Then, I found Hiraya Journal.
At first, I was skeptical because what if this is the same as those shops who markets their products really well but the actual item is just a cheap knockoff of the original. So, I checked their profile in Shopee and Facebook then learned that Hiraya Journal is a local Filipino brand. It recently launched in 2020 and it is owned by women. They even had a teaser video for their products, so, when I discovered them they were fairly new. Back then, they were only offering two kinds of journals, in black and pink, with two different designs, Kalachuchi and Sampaguita.
Knowing that it is a local brand, I immediately considered buying from them. I checked the specification of their journals if it will satisfy my criteria and surprisingly it did. I thought no product will ever meet the set of criteria I made. But Hiraya Journal is different. The things I am looking for in a bullet journal is that it should be dotted, 120 or more GSM, white paper and has a leather cover. Hiraya Journal’s notebook is dotted, 160 GSM, ivory white paper and has a leather cover with gold embossed design. For such a high quality product, you would expect this would cost more than PhP 1,000 but they’re selling it for less than PhP 1,000. I bought mine at PhP 649 and it was one of the best purchases that I made in my entire life.
When I got the delivery, I was extremely pleased with how they delicately packed the product. It came in a box, then inside it was this beautifully wrapped notebook. They used parchment paper to cover the whole journal then added some kraft paper, artificial leaves, twine and stamped everything with this black sealing wax.
Just looking at how they packed the journal, I was sure then that I had bought at the right place. Anyone can see they had put a lot of thought on how to deliver their products to their customers.
I initially wanted the black one but when I was about to add the item to my cart, it went out of stock so I settled with the pink Sampaguita instead. Then I instantly fell in love with the pastel pink when I got my hands on it. The leather cover is thick and I love how the gold embossed Sampaguita is just sitting there so prettily on top.
The journal also has an elastic closure and a ribbon bookmark all in pastel pink. Since the paper is 160 GSM, it’s thick that I can even use it for a light watercolor painting. I also love how the dots are not dark so it doesn’t stand out too much on the ivory white paper.
But what really stirred my heart was the first page. It has the same design as the one on the leather cover then followed by the words, “Ito ay kay,”.
There is just something special about seeing those Filipino words on the front page. It sounded so sincere, genuine—a propriety feeling that this journal is, indeed, mine. When I wrote my name over the dotted space, a sense of pride washed over me. It’s like I finally had something to call my own. Then, to make it more personalize, I added these washi tapes and a vintage sticker below it.
Visiting their shop again today, they are now offering the journals in more, different colors and designs. They are also selling bags and color pens. I recommend checking their sites for more information:
Hiraya Journal Official Website