Spend any amount of time in Japan, and you'll find no detail is too small to attract design attention. A good case in point are the notebooks carried by students: Want a spiral binding that allows you to easily remove pages? Or one that's made from a material that won't hinder left-handed writers? Perhaps you fancy a Cordura cover, or a transparent one that lets you use your smartphone in the rain?

Check out the features in these five notebooks. At least one of them is bound to make you hate your boring un-Japanese notebook:

Fancy hacking your own sketchbook's spiral binding? Check out Eric Strebel's tutorial.

More Japanese Overdesign FTW:

The Kadomaru Pro Corner Cutter

A Highlighter With a See-Through Tip

The Beetle 3-Way Highlighter

This Dual-Spring Mechanical Pencil Tip Prevents You From Accidentally Breaking Leads