A few weeks ago, planner season officially began (meaning most planner shops revealed their lineups for next year), and I was seriously torn between two planners I’d never tried before: Hemlock & Oat and Hobonichi.
Well… guess which one I picked. 👀
It was pure peer pressure, of course. (LOL!) But I went with Hobonichi for 2027!
Many of my friends were choosing Hobonichi for 2027, and that definitely weighed into my decision. (Being part of a stationery group is the best!) But there were other reasons, too. I wanted something I could easily carry around with me, and I must admit that quite a few of Hobonichi’s accessories caught my eye. 🥰
So the choice was made… for 2027, anyway!
Which meant there was only one thing left to do: place my very first Hobonichi order!
Cue adventure music. 🎺
📚 A Little Introduction to Hobonichi
Hobonichi is a Japanese company that was founded in 1998. The name comes from the Japanese expression Hobo-nichi, meaning “almost every day,” and the Hobonichi Techo (the planner line introduced in 2001) has since become one of the brand’s most recognizable products.
Hobonichi Techos are incredibly popular and well-loved in the planner and stationery communities, mainly thanks to:
- Tomoe River Paper (TRP): A very thin, lightweight paper that’s particularly popular with fountain pen users.
- Lay-flat binding: The planners are designed to open flat, making them easier to write in.
- Flexible layouts: Their minimalist designs leave plenty of room for you to use the pages however you like.
Over the years, Hobonichi has also collaborated with numerous artists to create beautiful planner covers, pencil boards, pouches, and all sorts of other stationery goodies. The brand has certainly made quite a name for itself in the stationery world!
And if you’re new to Hobonichi, you might be wondering what all the different planners are about. Here’s a quick overview:
- Original: An A6-sized planner with monthly calendars and one page per day.
- Cousin: An A5-sized planner featuring monthly, weekly, and daily layouts.
- Weeks: A slim, wallet-sized planner with monthly and weekly layouts, and additional memo pages.
- HON: A hardcover version of the Original or Cousin, with the cover built right into the planner.
- 5-Year: A five-year diary with space to record a little something for each date across five years.
There are also different sizes, covers, and editions within some of these ranges, so there’s quite a bit to explore!
(Don’t know which Techo would best suit your needs? Hobonichi has a great guide for it!)
And now, on to my first-ever Hobonichi shopping adventure. 🛍️
🛒 Ordering from Hobonichi for the First Time
If you’ve never ordered from Hobonichi before, their website can feel a little intimidating at first. There’s a LOT to look at, but it’s also packed with useful information about their planners, accessories, and collaborations.
But that’s not actually where I bought my first Hobonichi. LOL!
All I originally wanted was a daily planner. So, after browsing the Hobonichi website, I figured out that the Hobonichi Techo Original was exactly what I was looking for.
Since I had some money sitting in my Shop app, I decided to have a look there. And wouldn’t you know it? The Toronto Pen Shoppe actually carried most of the Hobonichi lineup AND allowed me to preorder items!
I knew I wouldn’t receive my order before the official release date, but at least I could sort of reserve them ahead of time. So I placed my order for both the Hobonichi Techo Original and an A6 cover right then and there, in the middle of August! 😍
BUT…
A few days later, on the very day Hobonichi officially released its 2027 lineup, I was chatting with some friends, and they were all planning to buy a Hobonichi Weeks and some pencil boards.
And guess what happened? I got tempted. AGAIN.
(Like I said, PURE PEER PRESSURE! 😂)
Since the Toronto Pen Shoppe no longer had the particular Weeks I wanted in stock, I headed over to the official Hobonichi website to place an order… and, naturally, I ended up adding a few more goodies to my cart.
Because apparently, one Hobonichi just wasn’t enough.
📦The Parcel Is Here!
Well, actually, there were TWO parcels!
I might have paid a little extra for some of my items through the Toronto Pen Shoppe, but the package arrived incredibly early! The 2027 Hobonichi lineup was officially released on September 1st, and I received my first order just THREE DAYS later!
As for my order from the official Hobonichi website, I placed it on September 2nd. It shipped on September 10th and arrived on September 14th, which is pretty fast, too!
The downside? Hobonichi shipped via FedEx which made it fast but quite pricey at almost $50 CAD. Ouch! 💸
Note: Of course, both parcels arrived during the week, and there was absolutely NO WAY I was going to wait until the weekend (and better lighting) to open them. So, I opened them and took pictures in the evenings after my workdays. (And now you know why the lighting in some of these photos isn’t the greatest. LOL! 😂)
📬 The Toronto Pen Shoppe Parcel
My Hobonichi Techo Original and its cover arrived in a bubble mailer. Inside was an actual paper bag from the shop containing my items. Since I’m a junk journaler, I was VERY happy with that paper bag! You never know when you’ll need some interesting paper for a future project. 😆
📦 The Official Hobonichi Parcel
Since I had ordered a few more items directly from Hobonichi (a friend and I had actually combined our orders to save on shipping), everything arrived in a deep green cardboard box. The words Hobonichi Techo 2027 were printed on the box, and the cardboard was surprisingly thick and sturdy.
It was also sealed with SO MUCH tape. LOL!
When I finally managed to lift the lid (after what felt like waging war against the tape), I discovered an extra cardboard panel with an inspiring quote printed on it. What a lovely little surprise! 💖
And then, finally, protected by a simple bubble bag placed on top of everything else, were my goodies!
Time to admire my new stationery treasures! ✨
🎀 What I Actually Ordered
📖 Hobonichi Techo Original
The Hobonichi Techo Original was the only planner I originally intended to buy, and that decision came down to two main reasons:
- Since it has daily pages, I thought it would suit me better, as I’ve been gradually moving away from weekly spreads, it seems.
- Money. LOL! 💸 Because of its smaller size and simpler layout (monthly and daily pages only), the Hobonichi Original was surprisingly affordable compared to some of the other options!
I was a little worried that the A6 size might be too small for me, but so far, it feels absolutely perfect. I haven’t actually started using it yet, so I might change my mind once 2027 rolls around. But right now, holding it in my hands feels like holding a vintage, precious little journal. 🥹 Like I’m Jane Austen or something. ✒️
The 2.7 mm square grid also sounded TINY, and I was afraid my rather bulky handwriting wouldn’t fit nicely inside those little squares, but it does!
The paper, on the other hand, is much thinner and more see-through than I’m used to, which does make me a little nervous. However, it’s incredibly smooth and has a lovely feel to it. It really does feel like quality paper!
I’m very curious to see how it holds up once I start using it every day.
🌈 The A6 Cover
THIS is the item I was most excited about!
In fact, it’s the very reason I hurried to place my first order back in August, before the full Hobonichi lineup had even been released. I fell in love with the colours of the A6 cover called Blue Parasol so completely that I simply HAD to own it. There was no negotiating with myself on this one. 😂 And since they only had a few of them left, I just ran to the site!
And when it finally arrived, I couldn’t stop admiring it!
The colours are absolutely gorgeous, of course, but there’s more to love about this little cover. It has SO MANY pockets! The neat freak in me is particularly happy about that. 😍
It also comes with two ribbon bookmarks, each with a different tip shape, so you can easily tell which one is marking what. Such a clever little detail!
The fabric is smooth and waterproof, and the A6 Techo fits inside all snugly and securely.
The only thing I’m not entirely in love with is the pen loops.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that there are two of them, but I wish they were elastic rather than fabric. They’re quite wide (you could probably fit a barrel-style highlighter in there!), which makes me a little worried that my slender pens might slip out.
Only time will tell, I guess!
📅 Hobonichi Techo Weeks
So much for my whole No-Weekly-Spreads plan! 😂
I ended up buying a Hobonichi Weeks, mainly because I really do like being able to see what’s happening throughout my week at a glance. (My plan is to use my A6 Original primarily as a journal and my Weeks as my everyday planner.)
Because of its wallet size, I intend to carry my Weeks with me everywhere, while my A6 will probably stay at home. (Although, it’s so pretty and such a handy size that I might be tempted to bring it along, too! 😅)
For the cover, I chose Sea Glass because I absolutely love the colour. I was also trying to save a little money (even though my order was already WAAAAAY over what I’d originally planned!), so I stayed away from the fancier covers.
I did, however, buy a transparent plastic cover to protect it.
I won’t give it its own subsection here because, well, it’s a pretty simple plastic cover. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it has two internal pockets AND a pen loop!
For such a basic accessory, it’s actually quite practical!
🐰 Pencil Boards
These are SO, SO pretty!
I’m completely in love with my pencil boards, especially the bunny ones illustrated by artist Akiko Miyakoshi.
The sleeping bunny is my absolute favourite. When my husband saw it, he immediately said, “Hey! That’s you!” (He’s not wrong; I’m a BIG sleeper. LOL! 🐰💤)
The sleeping bunny pencil board, titled Lazy Morning, is Weeks-sized and will be living in my Hobonichi Weeks to mark the current week. (I’ll probably use the ribbon bookmarks that came with my planner to mark the current month and the useful sections at the back.)
The second bunny pencil board, In The Air, features a bunny with an airplane and is A5-sized. I don’t actually have anything in A5 for 2027, but I loved the colours and the theme so much that I simply couldn’t resist getting it. It’s so pretty that so far, I’m perfectly happy just owning it. 😂
Finally, I also bought Aurora Duty, an A6-sized pencil board illustrated by artist Hiroko Kubota. This one features a polar bear creating an aurora borealis and will go into my Hobonichi Original while I’ll use the bookmarks from my A6 cover to mark the current monthly spread and the next available page in the Notes section at the back.
And just like that, my planners are all ready with their little accessories! 💕
🐻 The Drawer Pouch
Hobonichi calls this a Drawer Pouch because it’s basically like having a little drawer you can carry around with you! It has plenty of pockets and enough room to hold all your journaling necessities and then some.
I chose the small Drawer Pouch, although there are larger (and smaller) sizes available, too.
Mine features an artwork titled Polar Bear by artist Izumi Shiokawa, which I absolutely fell in love with. In fact, the artwork was the main reason I bought this pouch in the first place. Because let’s face it, I already have another pouch or two at home…
Or twenty. 😂
But can you really blame me when the designs are this adorable?
I can’t wait to put all my journaling stuff in there. 🥰
✨ Things I Didn’t Expect from My First Hobonichi Order
There were actually quite a few things that surprised me about my first Hobonichi order!
First of all, that little quote printed on the inside flap of the box was such a lovely surprise. I absolutely loved it, and I’m definitely going to copy it into one of my Hobonichis!
I was also pleasantly surprised by the size of the A6 Original. I had imagined it would be much smaller, so I was really happy to see that it was actually quite a comfortable size to hold and write in.
And then there’s the paper!
I knew the Hobonichi Techo pages were thin, but I didn’t expect them to feel so luxurious and smooth. I also discovered that one of my favourite pens to write with, the Sharpie Pen, doesn’t smudge on this paper! 😍
The pencil boards were another pleasant surprise. I knew they were beautiful from the pictures, but they were absolutely STUNNING in person. I also love the little ruler printed on the back. Such a useful detail!
And the quality of the A6 cover? WOW.
The colours are even prettier in person, and the cover feels like it’s going to do a wonderful job of protecting my precious little journal throughout the year.
I was equally surprised by the transparent plastic cover for the Weeks. Such an inexpensive accessory, yet it feels remarkably well-made, especially considering it has two internal pockets and a pen loop!
The Drawer Pouch, however, was a little more of a mixed experience. While the design is absolutely gorgeous, I was a little disappointed to discover that my Weeks wouldn’t fit inside it, even though the measurements on the site had led me to believe it would.
It’s missing, like, half a millimetre. REALLY! 😂
Finally, perhaps the biggest surprise of all… I didn’t expect to fall in love with Hobonichi quite so much!
A lot of the items felt less like ordinary stationery and more like little treasures. There’s something particularly satisfying about having everything together, from the planner itself to the beautiful accessories that go with it.
And now I’m even more excited to start using them!
🖊️ Setting Up My 2027 Planners
I know it’s barely autumn, but I’ve already started setting up my Hobonichis for 2027.
I placed them in their respective covers, dug out a few Sharpie Pens to put in the pen loops, positioned the pencil boards and bookmarks so they’re ready for the new year, and added some TCMC tabs I had left over to mark the months.
(Granted, applying those tabs wasn’t my finest work. LOL! I’ve stuck two pages together more than once!😂 I’ll need a little more practice.)
I’ve also used the first page of the Notes section in my Hobonichi Original to test different pens and markers.
And now I’m eagerly waiting for TCMC to release its 2027 collection so I can finish decorating and setting everything up!
I haven’t decided whether I’ll add any decorations to my A6 cover, but I know I’ll probably add some to the transparent cover of my Weeks. I just haven’t found the perfect decorations yet!
So, for now, everything is still a work in progress… As planners should be! 💖
💌 Would I Order from Hobonichi Again?
(Keep in mind that I haven’t actually used my planners yet!)
Based on the planners and accessories themselves, I’d definitely say YES! And it’s not just about the quality of the products, either.
There’s a real community of Hobonichi fans out there, and it feels wonderful to be part of it. Being able to share my excitement, discover how other people use their planners, and admire everyone’s beautiful setups is definitely part of the experience.
As for whether I’d order directly from the official Hobonichi website again or go through the Toronto Pen Shoppe (or another retailer), I’m not entirely sure yet.
I absolutely loved how quickly I received my Hobonichi Techo Original after its official release and the fact that I could essentially preorder it. However, I did notice some markups in the prices, and the Toronto Pen Shoppe naturally has a smaller selection than the official Hobonichi website.
So it’s difficult to say at this point which option I’d choose next time. But one thing is 100% certain: I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on BOTH come release season next year! 👀
💖 TL;DR
I chose Hobonichi for 2027 after much deliberation (and a fair amount of peer pressure! 😂) and ended up placing TWO orders: one through the Toronto Pen Shoppe and another directly from Hobonichi.
Between my A6 Original, Weeks, beautiful covers, pencil boards, and a rather adorable Drawer Pouch, I came away with quite a collection of stationery treasures!
My first impressions? Beautiful quality, lovely details, surprisingly fast shipping, and a few little surprises along the way. I absolutely love my new planners, although I’ll have to wait until 2027 to see how they perform in everyday use.
Would I order from Hobonichi again? Most likely! 💕
💭 Final Thoughts
When I wrote my planner-season post, I genuinely had no idea which planner I’d end up choosing.
After all that deliberating, I finally have a Hobonichi sitting on my desk, my little tabs are in place, and 2027 is starting to feel surprisingly real.
In fact, I already carry my Hobonichis with me to work every day, even though the year hasn’t even started yet, just so I can look at them. Because they make me happy. 🥰
Was choosing Hobonichi the right decision for me?
Ask me again after I’ve actually survived a few months of 2027. 😂
But for now, I’m very happy I finally made the leap, and I can’t wait to start filling those little pages with memories, plans, doodles, and all sorts of stationery goodness.
Here’s to a brand-new planner adventure! 💖📖✨
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