In general, I find Japan to be unmatched when it comes to stationery. Pens, pencils, notebooks, etc... Everything is just better: the simple stuff, like what you can find in "konbini" and "100 yen shops", entire floors in department stores like "Hands", and all the way up to luxury. As you might expect, Japanese brands of stationery are popular worldwide.
So it is not surprising that Japan had a golden age of pencils, and that you can still buy the products today and that they are still the best.
So it is not surprising that Japan had a golden age of pencils, and that you can still buy the products today and that they are still the best.