Hobonichi · Journaling ·

Staff Picks: How We Hobonichi

Planner season is a big deal at the Paper Mouse, thanks in big part to the excitement for Hobonichi Day on September 1. Sometimes it’s hard to understand the brand loyalty Hobonichi attracts. People swear by the Tomoe River Paper and unique design details. Browsing online, you’ll find incredible planner spreads. It’s easy to get lost in the daily-drawing-monthly spreads, graphs for tracking moods, sleep, or any habit you could possibly track, hand-lettered headings, adorable doodles, impeccable writing in beautiful fountain pen inks. The list goes on. The aura around these planner systems can both inspire and feel unattainable. Luckily as a shop, we get to see in real life how people enjoy these stationery products from the meetups we host, and simply talking to our customers about their preferences. We’ve found that planner systems are unique, personal, and, most importantly, constantly evolving. 

Preparing for each Hobonichi launch at the shop involves a combination of being dazzled by the lovely new designs, reflecting on what we enjoy personally, and considering the feedback we receive from our customers. Our staff took some time to write out the different ways we use Hobonichi products and listed our favorites from this year’s launch to highlight our own journey with using planners.

Jenny

I used an A6 Original Techo last year mainly for travel journaling. With planners, I like to try out new things. Since I have a Traveler’s Notebook, I would like to give the Hobonichi Weeks a try. This year I plan to use the Weeks for my daily planning. I will get the En Route to Kumamoto Port at Dawn planner. I love the design and color. During some months, I don’t feel like I have anything I want to document in my planner. It usually happens during hectic times when I can’t manage to sit down with my planner. For those months, I save the pages for the times that I do document a lot of things and it requires more than one page. In those cases, I would indicate the continued page on the bottom corner. I’d write something like,  “continue to page March 1st”.

I like to write small in my planner, so I like any fine point pens. My favorite fountain pen nib is the posting nib. You can still see the line details even with tiny writing. The best part of the posting nib is that it doesn’t have the scratchy feedback that a normal extra-fine pen will give.

Jenny’s Favorites

Planner Covers
HON
Weeks
Accessories

Yulan

I am currently using an Avec A6 Techo for the compact size and lightweight to carry around. I use my Avec for many things since I am still exploring Hobonichi functions. At the beginning of the year, it was a to-do tracker. Then, I switched to using it as a travel log –that didn't last long. I left some blank pages which I plan to use for stickers that I want to preserve. I also tried hour tracking around the mid-year, but that didn't work out either since plans changed very often. So now, I am just using it for ink swatching and pen testing. I’m still hoping to find a more structural function for my Avec.

I like to use a MD paper cover to slim down the size and weight of the planner, slim line pens like Uni Jetstream Edge 0.28 mm, Mildliner highlighters, and Traveler's rubber bands to hold the notebook together. I also have Hobonichi ONE PIECE products from previous launches. This year I plan to continue the trend of and pick up some ONE PIECE themes just for collection!


Yulan’s Favorites


Planner Covers
HON
Weeks
Accessories

Victor

In general, I’m more of a notebook/journal user than a planner person. But, I have to admit that Hobonichi is the one exception because their annual planner lineups are filled with so many cool and interesting designs that it’s so hard to resist not jumping on them each year. I’ve settled into using a Weeks for its lightweight portability and less intimidating layout. I’m not disciplined enough to tackle a daily planner, but the Weeks has just enough space to plan my weekly events, jot down special dates, and take a few notes that may come up. Since the Tomoe River paper in the Hobonichi is very fountain pen friendly, I’ve been mainly using a Sailor Pro Gear Slim with a medium-fine nib for most of my writing and then an Esterbrook Estie with a Journaler nib when I want to play with some fun sheening and shimmering inks. 

This year I have my eye on the Kyohei Sakaguchi designs. Those who know me know that I love to take sunrise and sunset photos, so the En Route to Kumamoto Port at Dawn Weeks and the A Notebook to Help Me Remember are on my must-get list! On top of that, the collector in me is saying that I must get the cute Tiny Robot Paperweight Hobonichi Store exclusive gift item, so I plan to order some goodies from Japan too.

Victor’s Favorites


Planner Covers
HON
Weeks
Accessories

Jean

I first started using Hobonichi planners in 2023, when The Paper Mouse began to carry them. I’ve loved taking notes and journaling by hand since childhood, but in the past, I preferred blank notebooks. Because I was amazed by all the Hobonichi layouts and other people’s creativity with them, I’ve been aiming to try out as many different types as I can. In 2023, I used an A6 Original for a commonplace book, and in 2024 a Weeks for planning. This year, I’m using an A5 Avec as a daily sketchbook. I also have a Weeks that started as a work planner, then turned into a one-line-a-day memory book in July, when I found that keeping a planner wasn’t as helpful as I’d hoped. By changing up what I do, I’ve been learning which formats and what content feels most natural day to day.

In 2026, I’m going to use a Cousin for the first time. I’m intrigued by the big chunky Hobonichis I see online; collaging and junk journaling seem like a fun new thing to try in 2026. I’ll be so happy if I can find a use for the scraps of paper that mysteriously accumulate in my bag and all the stickers I’ve been hoarding.

Jean’s Favorites


Planner Covers
HON
Weeks

Accessories

Veronica

Ever since I started journaling daily, I began to warm up to the idea of using a planner again. I’ve mostly tried undated planners in the past but they never worked out. Because of my past abandoned planners, I cautiously approached Hobonichi and started with an A5 notebook for my daily journaling. I eventually couldn’t resist all the cute artwork from the Hobonichi collaborations, especially the adorably maximalist animal scenes from Yumi Kitagishi. I’m currently experimenting with the A6 Avec in my Yumi Kitagishi cover to try out daily planning. I don’t have a firm system so I just go with the flow, trying out whatever seems interesting to me. The size of the Avec allows me to also fit a blank MD Paper journal in my cover for sketching on the go. 

I’m planning to use the Hiroka Kubota A5 notebook for my next journal. For 2026 I’m also adding a Yumi Kitagishi Weeks planner to the mix for my work planner. While I do enjoy using fountain pens with Hobonichi’s paper, I’m opting for FriXion pens and markers for my work planner so it doesn’t get messy from schedule changes or writing mistakes.

Veronica’s Favorites

Planner Covers
HON
Weeks
Accessories

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