Hobonichi Techo Planner Review
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As we head into the new year – I continue to do reviews of some of my favorite planners. Today I will show you the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book.
Two years ago I added the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book in the A6 size to my planner line up and I really loved the open ended planning layout that it provides.
Last year I used the Hobonichi Techo Weeks (see my review here) as my main planner – which I also love. But I truly missed the space that the Hobonichi A6 provides.
Today I want to walk you through the Hobonichi Techo, explain how I use it to stay organized, and go over some of my favorite features.
What Hobonichi?
Hobonichi is a Japanese planner company that makes a few different very popular planners and notebooks. In fact, they have a cult like following of loyal fans.
The defining characteristic of these planners is the super thin Tomoe River paper that the planners are printed on.
This paper allows Hobonichi to pack tons of pages into a small format.
The Hobonichi planner line up includes the following planners
- Hobonichi Techo Planner Book A6
- Hobonichi Techo Cousin
- Hobonichi Techo 5 Year Techo, and
- Hobonichi Techo Weeks
What is the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book?
In this post I am reviewing the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book – which is the English version.
It is often referred to as the Hobonichi Techo Original – but in actuality the true “Original” Hobonichi Techo is the Japanese version whcih has a very similar page layout although it is not identical.
The planner tends to have a very similar layout from year to year. The one that I am reviewing in this post is from 2023. If you plan to purchase a more current version, then I suggest you look through the current product images on Amazon or other store and take note of any changes.
What Size Is the Hobonichi Techo Original?
The Hobonichi Techo Planner Book is an A6 size planner.
An A6 paper size measures about 4.1 x 5.8 in inches.
So, to keep it simple it’s about 4×6. For perspective you could think about a 4×6 index card or photograph.
Cover Options
Unlike the Hobonichi Weeks, the Hobonichi Techo does not come in a variety of color options.
The cover is a textured black flexible covered cardboard. Basically, it is pretty flimsy and if you don’t put a cover on it – then the book will surely show signs of wear by the end of the year.
The good news is that there are so many fun covers available for this planner.
Some are produced by Hobonichi for each year and others are available from third party vendors.
Unfortunately the third party teal mandala flower cover that I use on my book in this review is no longer available.
Another interesting thing that you can do is use a clear plastic cover over your decorative cover. This clear cover is made by Hobonichi and is called a cover on cover because it is designed to go over another cover and will be too big to fit on the book itself.
Hobinichi Techo Planner Book Walk Through
So, enough about the covers – what you really want to see is the inside of this planner.
Mini Months
The planner begins with a set of mini months for both 2023 and 2024.
Planning Pages
The next few pages are what I call planning pages. These feature a column for each month starting in December of the year prior going through to March of the year after the actual year of the planner.
Each row in the column corresponds to each day of the month. You can use these pages to plan ahead by entering appointments or use them to keep track of things that you do daily – like exercising, working on a goal, or drinking enough water.
2 Page Monthly Spreads
Following the planning pages are your standard 2 page per month monthly spreads.
Here you can see each month at a glance.
Remember that the Hobonichi Techo Original Planner Book does not have a weekly layout – so these monthly pages are important.
I like to use these pages to detail any appointments that I have and to give me the big picture of each month.
Daily Pages
The daily pages are where the magic of the Hobonichi Techo Orignal happens.
This is the space that you can use in any manner that you choose.
Each page has the day and the date in the top right hand corner. There is a singular quote on the bottom right of each 2 page spread and a mini month in the bottom left.
The page itself is gridlined in a light gray color and there is a very narrow column on the left hand side with a simple number 12 written halfway down the page.
Towards the bottom of the narrow column is a fork and knife icon.
Presumably the 12 stands for 12 o’clock noon. Anything that you write above would be morning activities and anything below would be afternoon and evening appointments. You can write your meal plan in next to the fork and knife.
BUT you don’t have to do any of that if you don’t want!
The bulk of the page is blank – an empty slate where you can jot notes, write a journal entry, paste in photos or stickers or anything else your heart desires.
You can essentially use this planner to create a memory book for the whole year.
Just keep in mind that the Tomoe River paper is super thin to reduce bulk – so if you plan with lots of sticky notes, stickers, washi tape, or photos/memorabilia then your planner will become bulkier, too.
Notes Section
At the end of the planner, the daily notes section is followed by a few blank dot grid pages for notes.
Random Information Unique to Hobonichi
Finally all Hobonichi planners have a few pages with random information.
In the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book there are some:
- International size charts
- Conversion tables for measurements
- the famous “My 100” where you can list 100 items of just about anything,
- and something called Anko – the Secret of Japanese Sweets.
Hobonichi Techo Planner Book Pros and Cons
It is hard for me to list the pros and cons of the Hobonichi Techo Planner because, in this case, the main pro is also the main con.
What makes this planner great is the one full page per day that is completely open to your creativity.
But the sacrifice you make is that there is no weekly layout in this book.
In order to stay organized and productive, I need to see my whole week planned out on one page, and I don’t get that with this planner.
If you are torn on the decision because you like to see a weekly layout – you may want to take a look at the Hobonichi Techo Cousins which has monthly, weekly, and daily pages. Take note that the Cousins planner is definitely larger and heavier than the Original.
You can also find tips on how to choose the perfect planner layout that works with the way you think here.
Will You Be Getting a Hobo Techo Planner Book?
I love the Hobonichi Techo Planner Book for so many reasons.
The A6 form factor makes it a cute little book that is a convenient size to carry around. But my favorite feature by far are the open ended daily pages.
Do you love the Hobonichi Techo? Let us know in the comments below.
I’ve been using Hobonichi for a few years now, and it’s the planner/system I’ve stuck with the longest and I absolutely love it. I also use the Weeks alongside the Original Techo. I need both to feel organized but I like that they are separate books so I can look at both spreads at one time if needed.
Hi Mackenzie,
I love my Hobonichi Weeks too! This is the second full year that I have been using it daily. Thanks for sharing your experience!