Masking tape was originally used when painting, in order to cover parts that you don’t want to get paint on.
In recent years, however, tapes in an array of colors and cute patterns have appeared on the market and become a big hit with Japan’s stationery fans.
They’re also popular because—being made from Japanese washi paper—they’re easy to tear with your fingers, and they have a slightly transparent texture.
Here I’m going to be introducing some uses for masking tape that should appeal not only to people from Japan, but from all around the world.
First up is this pretty standard use: for sticking up notes and so forth.
What’s good about masking tape is that it’s not as strong as regular tape, so it’s easy to take off and put back on.
Masking tape is also great for decorative gift wrapping.
As it's slightly see-through, you can make use of the texture of the paper underneath to give the wrapping a really nice finish.
If you stick masking tape around small sticks (such as toothpicks) like flags, they instantly make excellent party picks.
They look really nice, and they’re so simple to make!
If you like making things by hand, how about using masking tape to add some variety to everyday household items?
This is a wooden clothespin with dot-patterned masking tape stuck on.
Simple touches like this can make everyday objects seem really unique!
It’s a good idea to take some masking tape with you on your travels to use when packing things, too. It really comes in handy for taping up packing materials when you buy breakables: what’s good is that you can just tear it with your fingers, so you don’t need to use scissors.
I’d also recommend tape like this one, which has lots of different patterns on a single roll.
The possible uses for these different ribbon and label designs are endless.
You can find lots of different rolls of masking tape in stationery and variety stores—and recently in \100 stores as well.
They’re pretty reasonably priced, too: even the ones on sale in stationery stores are only \200 or so a roll. At some tourist destinations and so forth, you’ll find locally-themed masking tape rolls on sale, which make perfect souvenirs.
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