How to choose a Hobonichi planner

The four formats, in one paragraph each

Techo Original (A6, 105 × 148mm)

The flagship pocket-size daily planner. One page per day, January 1 to December 31, 480 pages total. Japanese-edition only (the cover and intro pages are in Japanese, but daily and monthly labels include English). Fits in any coat pocket. For users who want a private, intimate daily journal.

Techo Cousin (A5, 148 × 210mm)

Same one-page-per-day structure as Techo Original, but the page is twice as tall. Available in both Japanese and English editions. The English edition has Sunday-start weeks and Western holidays. Better choice if you want room for sketches, taped-in receipts, photos, or detailed meal logs. The most common recommendation for North American users new to Hobonichi.

Hobonichi Weeks (94 × 188mm)

Slim and tall — passport-sized in landscape. Week-on-a-spread format with the right page left blank as a memo page. Lighter than Techo. Best for users who don't need a full daily page but want Tomoe River paper. Many cover patterns refresh yearly; great for users who want a planner that fits inside a small handbag or jacket.

Day-Free (A6 or A5)

Undated daily pages — same size as Techo or Cousin but no calendar info on the daily pages. Best for users who don't want guilt about empty pages, or who want to use the planner as a project notebook. Sold year-round, not tied to the January 1 release cycle.

Decision framework

Three quick questions:

1. Do you write every day?

If yes → daily-page Hobonichi (Techo or Cousin). If sometimes → weekly Hobonichi (Weeks). If you don't know yet → Weeks is the safer first purchase. You won't feel guilty about blank pages, and a year of Weeks costs about $30 vs $50 for Techo/Cousin.

2. Is portability or page space more important?

Portability wins → Techo A6 or Weeks. Page space wins → Cousin A5. The Cousin doesn't fit in most jacket pockets, but the page-room difference is significant — twice the writing space per day. Cousin is the answer if you sketch, paste things in, or want room to plan your week visually.

3. Does Japanese-language cover matter to you?

If you want English cover and Sunday-start weeks → Cousin English edition is currently the only Hobonichi format published in English. Techo, Weeks, and Day-Free are Japanese-edition only. (The interior daily-page format is mostly language-agnostic — labels, holidays, and the back-matter reference tables are the Japanese-language parts.)

Covers — the part people overthink

Every Hobonichi planner book is sold separately from the cover. The book is the paper interior; the cover is the protective wrap with pen loops, card slots, and bookmark ribbons. Most users buy both — and over years, accumulate multiple covers to use with sequential annual planners.

Three categories of covers:

• Monoleather (full-grain leather, 8 colors) — the durable choice. Develops patina with use. $70–90. Lasts 5+ years of daily handling. Recommended if you plan to keep using Hobonichi every year.
• Cotton-canvas designs (~30 patterns per year) — yearly rotating series with collaborations (Mina Perhonen, Studio Ghibli, MOOMIN, Peanuts). $45–70. Best for first-time buyers — relatively affordable, and you can swap to a different pattern next year.
• House solid colors — a stable, year-round lineup of plain colored covers in cotton-poly blend. $35–50. Recommended for users who don't want to track yearly cover releases.

Sizing note: each cover is sized for one specific planner format. A Techo cover doesn't fit a Cousin. Buy the cover that matches your planner book.

Pens, accessories, refills

Hobonichi paper is Tomoe River, which works beautifully with fountain pens and Japanese gel pens but can feather slightly with heavier rollerballs. Specific recommendations:

• Fountain pens: Pilot Kakuno (entry-level $25), Pilot Custom 74, Sailor Pro Gear Slim. Use F or EF nibs for the small daily-page grid.
• Gel pens: Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4 or 0.5mm, Pentel EnerGel 0.4mm, Uni-ball Signo 0.38. All bleed-safe on Tomoe River.
• Brush pens: Tombow Fudenosuke (hard tip is forgiving on the thin paper). Watercolor brush pens like Pentel Aquash can bleed and warp the paper — only use them on weekend pages where bleed-through doesn't matter.

Accessories worth considering: a clear plastic page-keeper (slides over the current day to mark your spot), Hobonichi's own pencil board (gives a firm surface to write on when the planner is open), and washi tape for decorating month-divider pages.

When to buy

The next year's lineup launches in early September each year (e.g., 2026 planners on sale September 2025). The most popular cover designs sell out within 2–4 weeks of launch — sometimes within days for special collaborations. Mid-year purchases (January–June) are usually fine for most covers and books, but limited-edition patterns may already be gone.

If you miss the September window for a specific cover, email hello@tokyocarry.com — we can sometimes locate remaining stock through our Japanese supply network.