A Wall of Tape and One Hour Before Closing
Shibuya LOFT washi tape fills an entire wall on the fourth floor, dozens of brands deep. You’ve got maybe an hour before LOFT closes for the night, and a suitcase that’s already half full. Here’s the short answer: if you want zero mess and zero scissors, buy King Jim’s Kitta. If you’re building a full bullet journal spread and want to cut your own lengths, buy mt instead.
This isn’t a ranking of Japan’s biggest washi tape brands. It’s a shortcut for one specific problem: too many rolls, too little time, on the fourth floor of Shibuya LOFT. Four tapes. Four different jobs. Check the table, then read the review that matches how you actually journal.
Shibuya LOFT Washi Tape at a Glance
| Tape | Price | Material | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mt (Kamoi Kakoshi) | $4.00 | Washi paper | 15mm x 10m roll | Scrapbookers who want to cut their own lengths |
| BGM | $4.50 | Washi paper | 20mm x 5m roll | Illustration-heavy bujo spreads |
| Mark’s Masté (writable) | $5.62 | Washi paper, writable coating | 21mm x 2m set | Labeling folders, jars, and page tabs |
| Kitta (King Jim) | $5.95 | Washi paper (PET for Clear line) | 40 precut strips, 15mm x 50mm each | Travelers who don’t want to carry scissors |
Four price points. Four different formats. Notice that only Kitta comes precut. Every other tape here still needs a fingernail or a pair of scissors to cut to length.
mt: The Original Washi Tape, Cut However Long You Need
What it feels like to use
You peel the edge back and it tears clean with a thumbnail, no scissors required even for a straight line. The finish is semi-transparent, so printed text underneath still shows through if you tape over a page. At 15mm, the width matches most bullet journal header rows without spilling into the margin.
Pros
mt comes from Kamoi Kakoshi, the century-old maker that invented washi tape as a stationery product. The semi-transparent finish lets ink or print show through, useful for taping over a printed ticket stub. LOFT stocks close to 500 mt patterns in-store, so you’re rarely stuck without a colorway.
Cons
A single 10m roll runs out fast on full-page borders. Expect to buy two or three rolls for one notebook’s worth of spreads. Solid colors look plain next to BGM’s illustrated prints.
BGM: The Illustration-Heavy Choice for Instagram-Ready Spreads
What it feels like to use
You unroll it and the print reads like a tiny watercolor illustration, not a repeating pattern. At 20mm, one strip covers a full header banner. Foil-stamped editions catch light under a desk lamp, a good pick for daily log dividers.
Pros
BGM’s designs, florals, seasonal themes, tiny daily-life scenes, look more finished per strip than a plain color. A 5m roll runs $4.50, keeping the per-roll cost close to mt. Foil accents add shine without the price of a metallic pen.
Cons
BGM’s tape is printed in China, not Japan, so check the package first if “Made in Japan” matters to you. At 20mm, the width can crowd narrow margins built around a 15mm grid.
Mark’s Masté: The Only Tape You Can Write On
What it feels like to use
You write directly on the tape with an ordinary gel pen. The ink sits on top instead of smearing into the coated washi finish. At 21mm and sold in a 2m set, it’s built for labeling, not full-page decoration.
Pros
The writable surface is the whole point: label a folder, a jar, or a planner tab right on the tape itself. It comes in small 2m sets, so you’re not committing to a full roll for a one-off label job. Mark’s tape is made in Japan, listed on the product spec sheet.
Cons
At $5.62 for 2m, it’s the priciest tape here per meter. The writable coating means it doesn’t tear as cleanly by hand as plain mt tape does.
Kitta: The Booklet That Skips Scissors Entirely
What it feels like to use
You flip open a booklet the size of a matchbox, peel one precut strip, and stick it down. No roll, no scissors, no loose tape flapping around your bag. Each strip measures 15mm by 50mm, sized for a single date stamp or a small photo corner.
Pros
Precut strips mean no cutting and no waste, ideal for use standing on a train platform. The booklet, 91mm by 55mm folded, fits inside a passport case or a small pencil pouch. Across the Basic, Special, and Clear lines, King Jim sells over 100 designs, including a glossy PET-film Clear version.
Cons
You can’t extend past 50mm per strip. If you need one long continuous line, mt is the better tool. At roughly $0.15 per strip, individual pieces cost more per centimeter than cutting your own length from mt.
Which One Should You Buy?
Match the tape to the spread you’re actually building, not the prettiest pattern on the wall.
If you’re building a full bullet journal spread with room to customize length, buy mt. A century of manufacturing experience shows in how cleanly it tears, and 500 in-store patterns cover almost any theme.
If you want illustration-heavy, ready-to-photograph spreads with minimal layout work, buy BGM. The foil editions do the visual work a plain color tape can’t.
If you want your tape to double as functional labeling, buy Mark’s Masté. Writing directly on the tape turns it from decoration into a planner tool.
If you have almost no time left before your flight, or you don’t want scissors in a carry-on, buy Kitta. The booklet format is built for exactly that constraint.
FAQ
What’s the difference between washi tape and regular masking tape?
Washi tape is made from washi, traditional Japanese paper, giving it a thin, slightly translucent finish that regular plastic-based masking tape doesn’t have. It tears by hand without scissors and repositions without tearing the page underneath.
Can you write on washi tape?
Most washi tape, including mt and BGM, isn’t designed for writing; ink can smear on the coated finish. Mark’s Masté is the exception, built with a writable surface specifically so a gel pen or ballpoint sits cleanly on top.
Is washi tape from Shibuya LOFT different from what JetPens sells in the US?
Largely the same brands, mt, BGM, and Kitta all ship to the US through JetPens and similar retailers. The difference is selection: LOFT’s in-store patterns, especially LOFT-exclusive collaborations and seasonal releases, often sell out or never make it to overseas stock.