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.
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Product facts
- Product
- 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 range
- $$$$20–75 per notebook
- Rate it
Notes on these facts
- Made by Nanami Paper (Irvine, California); bound in Tokyo. Made in 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. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
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.
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 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 | 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 is also thread-sewn. For more choices, see our 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)
- Nanami Paper: Seven Seas Tomoe River notebook facts (design notes, buckram cover, bound in Tokyo; Irvine, California, October 2014)
- Nanami Paper: Seven Seas and Tomoe River paper category page (52 gsm paper, show-through, impressions)
- Nanami Paper: SS Crossfield, Japan Version (384 pages, 7 mm grid, Tokyu Hands and Loft)
- Nanami Paper: About (shipping notice)
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Nanami Seven Seas, Old and New Tomoe River Paper Side by Side (March 2025)
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review, Crossfield Journal (September 2017)
- Mountain of Ink: Notebook Review, Nanami Crossfield (July 9, 2017)
- The Pen Addict: posts filed under Nanami