Usagiya Kurashiki Store Celebrates 30 Years Since Opening 〜 The Journey of a Stationery Specialty Store That Has Grown Alongside the Community

When you write on the first page of a new notebook, don’t you ever feel, just for a moment, that everything falls into place?

Or a single pen you spent minutes choosing to express your feelings to someone important.
Just that can make your usual work and everyday life 5% more enjoyable.

The stationery that accompanies us in our daily lives brings us little moments of positivity, beyond being mere tools.

For 30 years, the large specialty stationery store Usagiya has continued to offer a space that could be called a “theme park for stationery.”

Marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of Usagiya Kurashiki Store in November 1995, the commemorative event “Birthday Fair 2025” was held in November 2025.

On this milestone, we spoke with Izawa Kyoko of the Brand Management Department about the values Usagiya has cherished and its outlook for the future, alongside the history of its operating company, KURABUN Co., Ltd.

The information presented is current as of the article’s publication in February 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.

The story of KURABUN and Usagiya, which began in Kurashiki

KURABUN, the company that operates Usagiya, is headquartered in Kurashiki.

For the company, which has expanded the possibilities of stationery while putting down roots in the community, Usagiya Kurashiki Store, established in 1995, was the starting point of its full-fledged journey as a large specialty stationery store.

The shop name “Usagiya” comes from the fact that the KURABUN president who launched the business at the time, Izawa Masanobu (George Izawa), was born in 1951, the Year of the Rabbit.

The easy-to-remember name “Usagiya” also expressed the desire to be a place where people could “drop in casually,” despite being a large specialty stationery store.

Since then, while expanding its stores and developing original products, KURABUN has strengthened its role as a “hub for sharing stationery culture,” going beyond simple retail.

At the root of it all were the challenges and trial and error at Usagiya Kurashiki Store.

A strong relationship with the community, seen at the 30-year milestone

Thirty years since opening.
The road has not always been smooth. The environment surrounding stationery has changed significantly, with the arrival of large commercial facilities and rapid digitalization.

Even so, behind Usagiya’s continued progress is its “closeness to the community.”

In recent years, Usagiya has consciously expanded its connections with the community through collaborations with local businesses and participation in community events.

The company says that these efforts have brought more opportunities to reaffirm how much local people care about and support their community.

The many “congratulations” messages received at Birthday Fair 2025, celebrating 30 years since the store opened, were a tangible expression of those relationships.

The in-person experience only a specialty store can offer

What Izawa repeatedly emphasized was the value of being able to “try things out.”
In today’s world, where functionality has reached saturation, the appeal of stationery cannot be conveyed through numbers and specifications alone.

The slight stability of a pen tip, the flow of the ink, the sound and feel of writing. These are things you can only understand by holding them in your hands.

At Usagiya Kurashiki Store, customers can try writing with many of the products.
In addition, the store has concierges for high-end writing instruments, and all staff members deepen their knowledge through daily study sessions and testing.

“Expertise” and “hospitality.”

I felt that building on these two qualities is why KURABUN and Usagiya have continued to be chosen for their “real-world experience.”

Beloved by the community, Usagiya Kurashiki Store has reached its 30th anniversary.
We spoke with Izawa Kyoko of the Brand Management Department about the store’s 30-year journey and its outlook for the future.

Read the interview