OKAZAKI, Aichi -- A line of long, super slender notebooks made by people with disabilities could be the perfect accessory for Japan's laptop-toting teleworkers.
The notebooks are made by One Step, an organization in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, that opened in April 2021 and helps people with intellectual and physical disabilities find work. About 10 people come to use One Step's services and make the notebooks and notepads sold under the brand name "Nagata Bungu."
Using leftover paper from a printing company that would otherwise go to waste, the slender notebooks' shape makes them easy to put in front of laptop computers for quick note-jotting. And One Step manager Yudai Nagata, 26, said enthusiastically, "In the future, I'd like to discuss the design and layout with the people who make these notebooks."
Nagata decided to pursue a career in welfare after his grandmother had a stroke in 2011 and required nursing care. He became certified as a care worker and was employed as a home care worker and in nursing homes. Over that time, he wondered if there was anything he could do with the leftover cuttings at the printing company run by his father, and started his own workshop in an empty space at the firm.
Nagata came up with the idea of making slim notebooks that could be kept close at hand, based on people' comments such as, "I spilled coffee on the notebook next to my computer."
The product line includes 4.3-centimeter-tall by 21.5-cm-wide notebooks of 100 sheets to have in front of your PC, and 4.3 cm by 8.6 cm notepads of 100 sheets. The larger notebook retails for 300 yen (about $2.60), and the small one for 150 yen (about $1.30)
At One Step, the people with disabilities taped the paper cuttings into the 100-sheet notebooks and pads. One told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I have to be careful not to bend the tape. I'm glad to be able to make stationery," as they carefully finished each piece.
Nagata said, "I would like to take steps forward with these people, just like the name of the center." For inquiries, contact One Step at 0564-47-7131 (in Japanese)
(Japanese original by Takafumi Watanabe, Okazaki Local Bureau)
Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0