![\"hobonichi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/hobonichi-techo.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
There are a lot of good reasons for me not<\/em> to do this. I tend to work in weeks, not days. I don\u2019t have a long to-do list. It\u2019s more of a to-do spectrum. Dated pages are not my style. I\u2019m writing this article on a Monday morning and the to-do list I\u2019m working from was laid down in tragically illegible script on my crappy legal pad last Thursday. I\u2019ve only finished one item on that list. An organized planner like the Hobonichi Techo might be a huge waste of paper.<\/p>\n Everything about this planner is something that works. It\u2019s like they get me: I love ultra-luxurious practicality. And so, below, please find my deep dive into the\u00a0Hobonichi Techo planner<\/strong>. I cover every qualitative aspect that makes this planner great. <\/p>\n The Hobonichi Techo is designed to seamlessly integrate into your daily life, helping you manage tasks and activities with ease.<\/p>\n And as the holidays are always just around the corner, these make great gifts.<\/p>\n The Planner<\/strong> is an A6, 4.1 by 5.8 inches \u2014 perfect for a sling bag or a purse.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Original<\/strong> is also an A6.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Cousin Avec<\/strong> is an A5 planner, slightly bigger at 5.8 by 8.3 inches.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Weeks<\/strong> is a slim notebook with dimensions that fall outside standard paper sizes, at 3.75 by 7.4 and only a quarter-inch thick.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The 5-Year Techo<\/strong> is A5 in size and allows you to log up to five years of entries and memories.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Notebook nerds all over the planet go crazy for Tomoe River<\/a> paper, especially those who use fountain pens. Tomoe River papers are considered world-class because they are luxurious, won\u2019t bleed and don\u2019t feather.<\/p>\n Paper bleed is a nightmare for journal users and fountain pen writers. Ink bleeds right through cheap paper to the other side, running together with what\u2019s already written there, creating a Rorschachian terror that\u2019s impossible to read.<\/p>\n Tomoe River paper is coated on both sides with a substance of elf tears and magic. I would love to tell you what the coating really is, but I can\u2019t find a definitive article, and it doesn\u2019t matter because Tomoegawa Co. had to replace its machines in 2021. This meant the company had to replace the 52gsm paper they\u2019d been making since Woodrow Wilson was in office \u2014 the onion-skin thin coated majesty that allowed for perfect inking \u2014 with 68gsm paper. Fortunately, current reviews from the freakishly thorough testers have been pretty good<\/a>.<\/p>\n The quality and thickness of paper make a significant difference \u2014 if you\u2019re a paper nerd. If you\u2019re a person who just likes to use your fountain pen on one side of the paper and still read what you wrote on the other side, then this doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n Tomoe River paper is pH neutral, which means it is archival quality, which means your cat doodles will be preserved for their ultimate discovery and subsequent worship by future aliens.<\/p>\n Hobonichi listens to its people and employs remarkable designers. Every element on every page has been tested in real life by countless users. Each element is highly useful, expertly designed, and so intuitive that you don\u2019t even realize you need it.<\/p>\n I never really thought about this. A year is a year; it doesn\u2019t really need any special treatment. But I was wrong. Crack open a Hobonichi Techo, and the entire year is displayed across two full pages. Since those pages lie perfectly flat, you have a whole year at a glance with Sundays in red. It seems obvious \u2014 like every planner does this. But that\u2019s not entirely true. Leuchtterm 1917 has a three-year overview. Moleskin doesn\u2019t really have one that feels useful. I find the way Hobonichi presents the entire year useful both for circling important dates to see them at a glance and for helping visualize my year.<\/p>\n This is good for people like me who see time as a wormhole drawn by M.C. Escher. We need this kind of linear layout. For the monthly index, each month sits on a two-line space for notes, then on top of 31 rows, each with the number and first letter of the day. It\u2019s simple but also brilliantly useful.<\/p>\n Each day of the month is displayed in a box divided by faint dashed lines into 30 small boxes. Simple. Hobonichi Techo planners\u2019 monthly calendars are also amazing. The analog nerd inside of me wants to use those boxes for something. There should be a system, and after the briefest search of the interwebs, I was disappointed that no journal nerd had produced one. Although the sticky notes market is wild, and you might find these moveable,\u00a0perfectly sized square sticky notes<\/strong> from Midori<\/a>\u00a0useful for creating your system. The opportunity is there, which is part of how the simplicity of the Hobonichi Techo works for you. Want to turn a week into some kind of target-based Eisenhower box of productivity? You have 30 ways to do it.<\/p>\n Daily pages form the core of the Hobonichi Techo planner. This is where you\u2019ll do most of your work, and Hobonichi has exerted its finest acts of genius. These design choices make the Hobonichi Techo the best choice for a monthly planner. <\/p>\n Around the daily pages and throughout the planner, space to write is generous and constant. As a doodler, I\u2019m very happy with the free space because I will fill it with cartoons, stupid numbers, bad math and strange geometry. You may find that space helpful in developing your own indicia or legends to modify and codify your own special brand of daily planning.<\/p>\n This feature bears a kind of hopeless optimism that normally makes me want to throw things. But I think the exclamation mark here is motivating, not cringy. And yes, I know, that is a decidedly minor feature to get curmudgeonly about, but I invite you, dear reader, to ask yourself, rhetorically: Have we met? Even the tiniest dot in the Hobonichi Techo monthly planner is worth long, fruitful rumination, eyes furrowed in a quiet stoicism as you think hard about whether or not this single instance of an exclamation mark is worthy of your furious indignation.<\/p>\n Every planner has a version of these pages, the fasteners that even up the page count and offer the most general usefulness. Yet, people like me find them the hidden gems of most planners. The Hobonichi informational pages are the most wackadoodle yet. I don\u2019t hate these insertions, but I don\u2019t find them entirely useful in a post-analog world. And I don\u2019t find them useful in a post-post-analog world like, for instance, mine. If I sound like I\u2019m making fun of them, please disregard the snark.<\/p>\n Sure, there are the 17-dot grid blank sheets<\/strong> jammed in there after December. What are they for? How do you use them? Does it matter? The word JOT is often employed here as a general indication of what you\u2019re supposed to do with them. But a planner needs some blank sheets, and these are perfect in their dottiness, allowing for grid work, organization or insane doodling.<\/p>\n And, of course, some contact pages<\/strong>. As if your phone doesn\u2019t work. I mean, here is an artifact of analog\u2019s digital disdain I can\u2019t get behind. My phone is the very best place to keep phone numbers and contact info because if I\u2019m going to contact someone, I\u2019m going to do it using my phone, even if I\u2019m looking up their address to send them a card. However, there may be value in having contact pages in the back of the Hobonichi Techo. I just don\u2019t know what that is.<\/p>\n And conversion tables because Siri gets a day off, right?<\/strong> I don\u2019t even use a search to convert weights and measures. I just yell, and Siri tells me that 11 teaspoons are almost four tablespoons so I can get back to my important research in cookie-ology. I wouldn\u2019t look at a conversation table if you paid me. We need new throwaway pages! Why not a list of the most Etruscan verb modifiers?<\/p>\n Naturally, your personal information.<\/strong> A legacy holdover, but perhaps a more useful one. If you drop your Hobonichi Techo at the zoo and some helpful patron finds it, they can mail it back to you. Or throw it to the monkeys.<\/p>\n I mean, why did you bring your monthly calendar to the zoo anyway? If you\u2019re a paranoid person, you won\u2019t fill in these pages anyway. But if Reddit has taught me anything, it\u2019s the value of an act of altruism for growing your fan base. So, add your data and when you lose your wallet, just wait. Some streamer will bring it to you to film the whole thing for likes.<\/p>\n Finally, a planner that converts international clothing sizes! <\/strong>I can\u2019t tell you how often I\u2019ve bought a shirt on the internet only to find out that 2X in Korean sizes will barely fit onto my arm, much less my torso. Thank heavens the Hobonichi Techo has a hand chart of clothing sizes because I don\u2019t know why.<\/p>\n Finally, I can learn about Donburi Rice bowls,<\/strong> which are a very common meal in Japan. It\u2019s pretty much anything on rice. Every dish\u2019s name just means \u201cthis thing+rice.\u201d These pages filled with rice dish lore are in every version of the Hobonichi. I feel like it would be as if the Franklin Planner people added a whole chapter on the various hot-dog styles of America \u2014 OK, now I get it.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a list maniac, and Hobonichi gets me. They have a two-page spread divided into 100 cells for you to track, list or order 100 of something. This is where I add my rolling bucket list, which is still in process.<\/p>\n I mean, I\u2019ve finally got my \u201cfive\u201d figured out (Helen Mirren, Terri Garr, Sean Young, any of the goldfish from Fantasia, Peter Dinklage), and now I have to come up with 100 things I want to do before I croak? Well, at least I have a handy place to keep them now.<\/p>\n What\u2019s in your 100?<\/p>\n The Tomoe River paper is just the foundation for great craftsmanship in the Hobonichi planners. They are stitched together to lie flat when open. This matters a lot to planner people. As the planner is used, it lies flatter and flatter, no matter where you open it. A planner should lie flat even if you aren\u2019t using it. If you lay your Hobonichi open on your desk, it will stay that way as if it\u2019s a ring-bound At-A-Glance planner. OK, maybe not in the first week, but it doesn\u2019t take long for the thing to adapt.<\/p>\n Round corners are not only pretty, they are also practical. I work with my trusty legal pad right next to my laptop, and I can\u2019t tell you how much I hate its square corners. I catch them every time I move my hand, so after a couple of hours, the bottom-left corner of the top page is curled up and in my way and &%$#@! I\u2019m so mad. That doesn\u2019t happen when I\u2019m using the Baron Fig and it sure as hell won\u2019t happen when I\u2019m six months into a Hobonichi Techo.<\/p>\n Small detail? Yes. Vital to my personal happiness? Like the air I breathe.<\/p>\n Your planner arrives stamped with a serial number on the last page. You can\u2019t do much with it, but there is a weird satisfaction in knowing your planner is the only one with that particular number emblazoned in back.<\/p>\n You can browse the\u00a0Hobonichi Techo lineup here on the official site<\/strong>, which includes Japanese and English options.<\/a> The original book set, which is A6 size, costs $37 to $45 or thereabouts on the Hobonichi website from Japan. The U.S. price for a Hobonichi A5 Cousin in English<\/a> is around $55 to $69. <\/p>\n The Hobonichi Techo comes in various sizes such as A6 and A5, including the A6 Original and A5 Cousin Avec planners. The Techo A6 is compact and portable, while the A5 offers more space for writing. <\/p>\n Options like the weekly horizontal and weekly mega layouts with extra memo pages provide flexibility for different planning needs. You can also buy a set, which includes the book, a cover and various inserts.<\/p>\n The Techo is meant to be used with a cover, which is not always included when you buy a book from U.S. sites. The Hobonichi Techo marketplace offers dozens of creative options, ranging from $20 to $300, depending on the artist and the quality of the materials. The Hobonichi Techo HON is a page-per-day type techo with a hardcover design attached, also in A6 and A5, and you can choose from various cover designs. Be warned that special artist collaborations, like this year\u2019s orange collection, sell out fast.<\/p>\n Amazon<\/strong> has a Hobonichi store<\/a> with notebooks and lots of accessories<\/a>, but doesn\u2019t always have the current edition in stock. JetPens.com<\/strong><\/a> and Atlas Stationery<\/strong><\/a> also offer a large selection of Hobonichi products. And, of course, there\u2019s the Hobonochi 1101.com store<\/a>.<\/p>\n JetPens also offers a variety of accessory bundles<\/a> with compatible pens and pencils, stamps, rulers, darts and sticky notes. <\/p>\n To get into the spirit of the Hobonichi annual launch, check with your favorite local stationery store. Many have annual launch parties and sale events. (See \u201cBest Fountain Pen Store in Your Town\u201d for some good ones.)<\/a><\/p>\n Fair warning: Hobonichi planners have highly anticipated release dates, which begin in September. In 2026 the release date is September 1 (midight Japan time). However, there are changes for U.S. customers \u2014 mainly, covers will no longer be sold separately, and with new tarrifs, expect your favorite paper products to increase in price. You can read about the new shipping guidelines here.<\/a> on the official Hobonichi store site. <\/p>\n Originally published in August 2021; latest update, August 2025.<\/p>\n \u2022 Handwritten Notes Build Real Relationships<\/a> Read more from Analog Attorney \u25ba<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Image \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n Sign up for Attorney at Work\u2019s daily practice tips newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to our podcast<\/a>, Attorney at Work Today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Note: The author did not receive affiliate fees for this article (though he should have).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Analog Attorney | The Hobonichi Techo is the gold standard for dated and undated planners, and uses the world’s best paper, and you should get one. The post 17 Amazing Ways a Hobonichi Techo Will Change Your Life appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. Hobonichi Techo Planners Are the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Table of contents<\/h2>\n
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But the Hobonichi Techo Is So Good<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/hobonichi-planner-w-cover-770x578.jpg?resize=770%2C578&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
The Hobonichi Techo Comes in Various Sizes, Purposes and Languages<\/h3>\n
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The Paper Is the Gold Standard for Notebooks<\/h2>\n
![\"honbonichi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/hobonichi-techo-paper-770x495.jpeg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Simple, Elegant and Useful Design and Features <\/h2>\n
The Hobonichi Techo Has Been Crowdsourced for More Than 20 Years<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hobonichi-Techo-Covers-2026-orange-and-garden-of-botany-770x383.jpg?resize=770%2C383&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Like the Way They Present Years in a Hobonichi Techo<\/h3>\n
![\"hobonichi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/hobonichi-techo-annual-full-770x495.jpeg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
But They Take It a Step Further With the Monthly Index Pages<\/h3>\n
Hobonichi Techo Planners\u2019 Monthly Calendars Are Also Amazing<\/h3>\n
![\"hobonichi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hobonichi-Monthly-Calendar-26-770x578.jpg?resize=770%2C578&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Oh, But Those Daily and Weekly Pages Are Sweet<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/One-Day-Per-Page-Hobonichi-26-1440x1080.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Weekly-Pages-Hobonichi-26-1440x1080.jpg?resize=1080%2C810&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
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There Is a Lot of Free Space on the Hobonichi Techo Pages<\/h3>\n
There Is a \u2018Coming Up!\u2019 Page at the Start of Each Month<\/h3>\n
Informational Pages Are Informational<\/h2>\n
![\"hobonichi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/hobonichi-techo-2022-donburi-770x577-1.jpeg?resize=770%2C577&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/hobonichi-techo-2022-sizes-770x578-1.jpeg?resize=770%2C578&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
But Here\u2019s the Information Page I Really Love<\/h3>\n
The Craftsmanship Is as Good as the Design<\/h2>\n
Hobonchi Techo\u2019s Rounded Corners are Top-Shelf Details<\/h3>\n
Each Hobonichi Techo Planner Is Numbered<\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s Where to Get Your Hobonichi Techo<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orange-Hobonichi-Techo-Designs-2026.jpg?resize=771%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/HOBONOICHI-WEEKLY-FORST-AND-DOTS-2026_.jpg?resize=1080%2C768&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/HOBONOICHI-WEEKLY-LIBERTY-AND-BLOOM-2026_.jpg?resize=1080%2C768&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/HOBONOICHI-WEEKLY-FOGGY-AND-HORSES-2026_.jpg?resize=1080%2C768&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Release Dates and U.S. Shipping Information<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\nBest of Analog Attorney<\/h2>\n
\u2022 Cheap Notebooks for Expensive People<\/a>
\u2022 Best Fountain Pens Under $40<\/a>
\u2022 Analog Attorney Gift Guide<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AttorneyatWork-Logo-%C2%AE-2021-1.jpg?resize=372%2C106&ssl=1\" "\\"\\""){kind=logo}
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