What Is Hobonichi?
Hobonichi is a Japanese brand best known for the Hobonichi Techo, a popular planner that first appeared in Japan in 2001.
People use Hobonichi planners in different ways. Some keep track of work and appointments, while others use them as journals, notebooks, or a place to keep small memories from everyday life.
Over the years, Hobonichi has grown far beyond a single planner. Today, there are several formats to choose from, along with a large collection of covers and accessories.
Why Is Hobonichi So Popular?
One of the things people like about Hobonichi is that the pages are simple.
The Original has one page for each day, with a light grid and plenty of open space. You can use it for a schedule, notes, journaling, drawings, or anything else you want to keep there.
Hobonichi planners are also known for their thin Tomoe River paper. Even with a full year of daily pages, the book stays relatively compact. The binding also allows the planner to lie flat when open, which makes it comfortable to write in.
The paper is quite thin, so different pens can behave differently on it. If you use fountain pens, markers, or very wet ink, it is a good idea to test them first.
Which Hobonichi Planner Should You Choose?
The three names you will see most often are Original, Cousin, and Weeks.
The Original is an A6 daily planner. It is small enough to carry around and gives you one page for every day.
The Cousin is larger at A5 size. It has more writing space and also includes weekly pages, so it works well for people who want to keep more information in one planner.
The Weeks is slim and uses a weekly layout instead of a full page for each day. You can see the week on the left side and use the page on the right for notes.
There is no format that is best for everyone. If you write a lot every day, the Cousin may make more sense. If you mainly want to keep track of appointments and short notes, Weeks may be enough. The Original sits somewhere in between.
Hobonichi Covers and Collaborations
The covers are also a big part of Hobonichi.
There are simple designs, colorful fabrics, illustrations, and collaborations that change from year to year. Hobonichi has worked with artists as well as well-known series and characters, including ONE PIECE and Moomin.
Many covers for the Original and Cousin are sold separately from the planner itself. This means you can keep a cover you like and replace the planner book when the new year starts.
Hobonichi also sells accessories such as pencil boards, notebooks, pouches, and other small stationery items.
If you are interested in Hobonichi’s Moomin collaboration, you can explore the collection on the official website.
Explore More Japanese Stationery
If you like Hobonichi, there are plenty of other Japanese stationery brands and stores worth checking out.
We have put together a guide to Japanese stationery online stores where you can find more places to shop for notebooks, pens, planners, and other stationery from Japan.
How to Buy from Japanese Stores with Remambo
When a Japanese store does not offer delivery to your country, Remambo can help you buy from it and ship your order to you.
Step 1: Go to the Japanese online store you are interested in
Step 2: Search for items
Step 3: Copy product link and tell Remambo what to buy
Once you have found a product you want to buy on the Japanese online store’s website, copy the URL of the page. To do this, you will need to have the product page in front of you. Move the mouse cursor to the address bar, and then click Ctrl+A to select the entire URL. Press Ctrl+C to copy it. Now go to Remambo special order form. Place your mouse on the “Item URL” field, then press Ctrl+V to paste the address of the product page.
Step 4: Pay for the order from your Remambo account page
Step 5: Consolidate and choose shipping method
You will receive a notification from us when your package is at the Remambo warehouse. From that moment, we can consolidate several of your orders together or repack the package if it is too big or fragile. Choose which items you would like to ship together, select shipping method and delivery address. You will be able to edit titles in the shipping label and customs declaration. Also you may leave a comment to our warehouse staff about your parcel.
Step 6: Pay international shipping cost
We will quickly ship the parcel to you. All our shipping methods have tracking numbers. Please wait for the parcel arrival. Happy shopping!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hobonichi Techo?
The Hobonichi Techo is a Japanese planner that can be used for scheduling, journaling, notes, drawings, and everyday record keeping.
What is the difference between Hobonichi Original, Cousin, and Weeks?
The Original is a compact A6 daily planner. The Cousin is a larger A5 planner with both daily and weekly pages. Weeks is a slim weekly planner with space for notes.
Does a Hobonichi cover include the planner?
Not always. Many Hobonichi covers are sold separately from the planner book, so check the product page carefully before ordering.
Can I use Remambo to buy from other Japanese stores?
Yes. Remambo helps tens of thousands of customers around the world shop from Japan. You can use our service to order from Japanese online stores, marketplaces, and auctions and have your purchases shipped internationally.
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