--- title: "Nanami Seven Seas Crossfield: 480 Tomoe River Pages" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/nanami-seven-seas-crossfield/" description: "Nanami Seven Seas Crossfield A5 journal explained: 480 pages of 52 gsm Tomoe River paper, 5 mm cross grid, lay-flat sewn binding, ghosting, and made in Japan." category: "Notebooks" type: "Softcover notebook" published: 2026-10-21 updated: 2026-10-21 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 9 products: - name: "Nanami Paper Seven Seas Crossfield A5 Journal, 8th edition (Sanzen Tomoe River paper)" brand: "Nanami Paper" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "Japan" material: "52 gsm white Tomoe River paper (Sanzen); thin water-resistant coated-fabric (buckram) cover" price_band: "$$$ ($20–75 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Nanami Paper (Irvine, California); bound in Tokyo" model: "SS Crossfield A5 Grid Journal, 8th Ed." url: "https://www.nanamipaper.com/products/copy-of-ss-crossfield-a5-grid-journal-7th-ed-new-trp.html" --- # Nanami Seven Seas Crossfield: 480 Tomoe River Pages > The Seven Seas Crossfield is an A5 journal from Nanami Paper, a small California company. Nanami lists it at 210 × 148 × 16 mm with 480 pages of 52 gsm Tomoe River paper, printed with small gray crosses every 5 mm, sewn so it lays flat, in a thin coated-fabric cover. It's bound in Tokyo. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/nanami-seven-seas-crossfield/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-21 - Updated: 2026-10-21 ![Nanami Seven Seas Crossfield: its kraft slip case, the closed red A5 journal and the journal open on cross-grid pages](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/nanami-seven-seas-crossfield-16x9.png) *The Crossfield, its kraft slip case and a 5 mm cross grid (1 mm = 0.85 px).* Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Nanami Paper Seven Seas Crossfield A5 Journal, 8th edition (Sanzen Tomoe River paper) | Nanami Paper (by Nanami Paper (Irvine, California); bound in Tokyo) | United States | Japan | 52 gsm white Tomoe River paper (Sanzen); thin water-resistant coated-fabric (buckram) cover | – | $$$: $20–75 per notebook | - Made in (Nanami Paper Seven Seas Crossfield A5 Journal, 8th edition (Sanzen Tomoe River paper)): Japan. Nanami's Crossfield product page lists "Made in Japan", and its Seven Seas fact page says the journals are made in Tokyo by a third-generation binding factory. The kraft slip case in Nanami's photo is also printed "Made in Japan". Source: https://www.nanamipaper.com/pages/seven-seas-tomoe-river-notebook-facts.html ## Key takeaways - Nanami lists the Crossfield at 210 × 148 mm (8.3 × 5.8 in) and 16 mm thick, with 480 pages (240 leaves). - The paper is 52 gsm Tomoe River; the 8th edition uses the Sanzen-made paper, made before July 2024, says Nanami. - Instead of a full grid, each page has 2 mm gray crosses on a 5 mm pitch, so it reads like a quiet dot grid. - Nanami says the journal is made in Japan, in Tokyo, by a third-generation binding factory. - A Japanese-market version sold at Tokyu Hands and Loft has 384 pages and a 7 mm full grid. ## What is the Nanami Seven Seas Crossfield? **It's a thick A5 journal of very thin Tomoe River paper, made for fountain pen users by Nanami Paper of California.** Seven Seas is the name Nanami uses for the notebooks it designs; the Crossfield is the version printed with a cross grid. Nanami's design notes ask for three things: a sewn binding, a thin flexible cover trimmed flush with the pages, and a high page count. There's no printing on the cover, and the Nanami name appears only on the back end sheet. The Crossfield has a long following among pen bloggers. Mountain of Ink called it "my favorite notebook of all time" in 2017, and The Well-Appointed Desk has used one for ink swatches since 2017. ## Nanami Crossfield specs | Spec | Seven Seas Crossfield (8th edition) | |---|---| | Size | 210 × 148 mm (8.3 × 5.8 in), A5 | | Thickness | 16 mm (0.7 in) | | Pages | 480 (240 leaves) | | Paper | 52 gsm Tomoe River, white (off-white); Sanzen paper made before July 2024 | | Ruling | 5 mm cross grid of 2 mm gray crosses | | Binding | Smythe-sewn (thread-bound), lays flat | | Cover | Thin, flexible, water-resistant coated fabric | | Extras | Rounded corners, ivory end sheets, one A5 blotter sheet, kraft slip case | | Made in | Japan (Tokyo) | All figures come from Nanami's product page. Its Seven Seas fact page describes the cover as buckram, a treated library-binding fabric, and gives the thickness as 15 mm for the lined Writer version. ## What does the cross grid look like? **Each page carries small gray crosses about 2 mm across, set 5 mm apart, instead of full grid lines.** You get the alignment of a grid with about as much ink on the page as a dot grid. ![The US Crossfield's 5 mm cross grid next to the Japan version's 7 mm full grid, drawn to scale](https://stationerytimes.com/images/nanami-seven-seas-crossfield-grids.svg) *The US Crossfield's cross grid and the 7 mm full grid of the Japan version.* Nanami also sells a Japanese-market Crossfield, made by its partner in Japan and sold at Tokyu Hands and Loft. It has 384 pages, a 7 mm full grid and an orange or teal blue cover. ## How does Tomoe River paper behave? **It resists feathering and bleed-through, but at 52 gsm it is see-through and slow to dry.** Nanami describes it as almost like dictionary paper, smooth but not slick, and "very quiet" under a fountain pen. Nanami warns that firm writers can press impressions several pages deep, and suggests a writing mat. It includes a blotter sheet for wet inks, and recommends softer 2B or 3B pencil leads. Since 2022, Tomoe River has been made by Sanzen Paper rather than Tomoegawa; see our [Tomoe River paper](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tomoe-river-paper/) guide. The Well-Appointed Desk compared a 2017 Crossfield (2nd edition) with a 7th edition in 2025 and saw little difference in everyday writing. One commenter there felt the new paper was thinner and had less resistance. ## How does the Crossfield compare with other thin-paper notebooks? **It has the most pages of the thin-paper A5 books we cover, and the plainest design.** | | Nanami Crossfield | [STALOGY 365Days A5](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/stalogy-365-days-notebook/) | [Hobonichi Techo Original](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/hobonichi-techo-original/) | |---|---|---|---| | Size | A5, 148 × 210 mm | A5, 148 × 210 mm | A6, 105 × 148 mm | | Pages | 480 | 368 | 464 | | Paper | 52 gsm Tomoe River | 52 g/m² | Tomoe River | | Ruling | 5 mm cross grid | 4 mm grid, date marks | 3.7 mm grid, dated | | Price band | $$$ | $$$ | $$$ | If you'd rather have heavier, more opaque paper, the [Midori MD Notebook A5](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-md-notebook-a5/) is also thread-sewn. For more choices, see our [best notebooks for fountain pens](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-notebooks-for-fountain-pens/). ## Which Seven Seas journal should you choose? **Choose the Crossfield for a quiet grid, the Writer for 7 mm lines, and the Standard for blank pages.** Nanami also lists a MicroDot grid journal and offers vinyl and leather covers sized for A5. The flexible cover isn't stiff enough to write on in your lap, so many owners keep it in a cover. Nanami's own tip is to bend the book back on itself a bit so it lays flatter. ## How much does the Crossfield cost, and where can you buy it? **It's in our $$$ band ($20–75 per notebook), sold mainly through Nanami's own US web store.** A shipping notice on Nanami's site dated October 4, 2020 says it ships to the United States only, citing long international transit times. For 480 pages, that works out to a low cost per page compared with most premium A5 notebooks. ## Where is the Nanami Crossfield made? **In Japan: Nanami's product page lists "Made in Japan", and its fact page says a third-generation binding factory in Tokyo makes the Seven Seas journals.** Nanami Paper itself is a small company in California, so the brand is American while the book, its paper and, Nanami says, its buckram cover come from Japan. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many pages does the Nanami Crossfield have? 480 pages, or 240 leaves, according to Nanami Paper. The Japanese-market Crossfield has 384 pages. ### What paper is in the Seven Seas Crossfield? 52 gsm white Tomoe River paper, which Nanami describes as off-white. The 8th edition uses the Sanzen-made Tomoe River paper, made before July 2024. ### What is a cross grid? Instead of full grid lines, Nanami prints small gray crosses, about 2 mm across, every 5 mm. It guides your writing like a dot grid but stays in the background. ### Is the Crossfield good for fountain pens? It's made for them. Tomoe River paper resists feathering and bleed-through and shows ink sheen well, but it's thin, so writing shows through and wet ink dries slowly. Nanami includes a blotter sheet. ### Does the Nanami Crossfield lay flat? Yes. Nanami says it's Smythe-sewn (thread-bound), so it lays flat and can even fold back on itself. ### What size is the Crossfield? True A5: Nanami lists 210 × 148 mm (8.3 × 5.8 in) and 16 mm (0.7 in) thick. ### What comes with the Nanami Crossfield? Nanami includes one A5 blotter sheet and a kraft slip case. The book itself has rounded corners and ivory end sheets. ## Sources - [Nanami Paper: SS Crossfield A5 Grid Journal 8th Ed Sanzen TRP (specifications, made in Japan)](https://www.nanamipaper.com/products/copy-of-ss-crossfield-a5-grid-journal-7th-ed-new-trp.html) - [Nanami Paper: Seven Seas Tomoe River notebook facts (design notes, buckram cover, bound in Tokyo; Irvine, California, October 2014)](https://www.nanamipaper.com/pages/seven-seas-tomoe-river-notebook-facts.html) - [Nanami Paper: Seven Seas and Tomoe River paper category page (52 gsm paper, show-through, impressions)](https://www.nanamipaper.com/categories/seven-seas-tomoe-river-paper.html) - [Nanami Paper: SS Crossfield, Japan Version (384 pages, 7 mm grid, Tokyu Hands and Loft)](https://www.nanamipaper.com/products/ss-crossfield-japan-version.html) - [Nanami Paper: About (shipping notice)](https://www.nanamipaper.com/pages/about.html) - [The Well-Appointed Desk: Nanami Seven Seas, Old and New Tomoe River Paper Side by Side (March 2025)](https://wellappointeddesk.com/2025/03/nanami-seven-seas-old-and-new-tomoe-river-paper-side-by-side) - [The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review, Crossfield Journal (September 2017)](https://wellappointeddesk.com/2017/09/notebook-review-crossfield-journal) - [Mountain of Ink: Notebook Review, Nanami Crossfield (July 9, 2017)](https://mountainofink.com/blog/notebook-review-nanami-crossfield) - [The Pen Addict: posts filed under Nanami](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/category/Nanami)