I just returned from a short holiday in Japan. I stayed in hostels and small guesthouses and noticed a peculiar thing they all had in common: they love little notes, telling you where to go, what to do, how to use the microwave oven and when to check out. These notes were sometimes printed, but more often they were handwritten. I found that the Japanese way of writing roman characters is a little, well, unusual. The letters are correct, but they have that typical ‘Japanese look’ - most notably the a and A the b, d and g, the p and P and the t and T. I can’t really tell you what makes them look different, maybe it’s the proportions, but I do know that a Nippon Note is highly recognisable.

So, here is Nippon Note, a highly recognisable, handmade font. You don’t really have to be in Japan to use it, but it will give your designs that extra cachet. And don’t forget Nippon Note Kawaii - the cute doodle font which is free if you download the Nippon Note family!

Comes with extensive language support, but unfortunately not Japanese…