My 2015 HOBONICHI TECHO

The Breakdown
I received my “Hobonichi Techo 2015” a week or two ago and let me tell ya’, I’ve been picking it up and ruffling through it every day. It’s just so beautiful! For those that don’t know, “Techo” (which is pronounced like “tetch-o”) means “planner” or “handbook” in Japanese, while “Hobonichi” is the “brand” name. These Japanese planners are intensely popular with around half a million users, as stated on their website, and growing. I think I initially found this product on Instagram while scrolling through the Filofax tag. Oh gosh, I really was planning to purchase a Filofax for next year, but after the Hobonichi Techo came along, I ended up throwing my money at them instead. I think the Techo is just a lot less hassle and it comes across as more straight forward. You have a book, you have a cover, done. No need to rustle through single pages or punch binder holes. But if you like doing that, that’s amazing because you’ve got a lot more spirit in you than I have. Now, get ready for a heavy photo-filled walk-through.

The two basic items are the planner (this is the English edition, the Japanese one is tan colored) and the cover (which isn’t necessarily needed, but it’s kind of a given). I additionally purchased a cover-on-cover, pencil board, and washi tape. Here’s a quick price breakdown (taken from the website and briefly converted in 10/2014):

• 2015 Planner – 2, 700 yen or ~$25.00
• Rose Poudre Cover – 1,620 yen or ~$15.00 [currently sold out]
• Cover-on-Cover – 324 yen or ~$3.00
• Pencil Board – 260 yen or ~$2.00
• Washi Tape – 184 yen or ~$1.70

All these prices will probably remain the same, but take note of the currency and the fact that there are several covers to choose from, ranging from 1,296 yen to 41,040 yen (~$12.00 to ~$380.00). Make sure to not buy any covers under “Hobonichi Techo Cousin” heading because those are sized for A5 planners, the English version only  currently comes in A6.

The English edition of the planner differs slightly from the original, though it does contain most of the elements that made the Japanese one so charming.
Eek! Isn’t it beautiful? I didn’t alter any of my photos apart from using brightness and sharpen so the colors would stay true (though apologies for my slightly wacky white balancing, make sure to take a final look at the photos on the website). The fabric/feel of the cover is nice to the touch, but still sturdy.
Planner size comparison with a 4×6 Project Life card.

The cover paired with the cover-on-cover is so pretty, the colors compliment each other well.

A detail I really love about the Hobonichi Techo covers are the bookmarks. They literally mean the world to me.

I also absolutely love how they sit open all the way.


The two pen loops help keep the cover closed.

Okay, wait. I have a sad story to tell. During my stay in Korea, I found this beautiful pink pen at a small convenience store and thought I should give it a go. So I bought one. And used it during my following class. And loved it. It writes amazingly smooth, the color is the perfect shade of pink, and it’s thin. I’ve been looking for a good, thin pen for forever. It was my pen soulmate. So what did I do after class? I rushed my butt back to the convenience store, planning to buy every single dang one of those pens, but once I got there, they were gone. It was sold out! What?! I was so confused, but I still had hope. So every time I visited a store that supplied pens, I looked for one like this one, and every single time, they weren’t there. I checked back at the convenience store countless times, and yet I couldn’t find them. Why. Why. Why.

I concluded that it was probably karma. Or the first pen I bought had jealousy issues. One or the other. So now, I’m using this one sparingly. Very sparingly.
And yes, this now concludes my Hobonichi Techo 2015 post (finally, right?)! I’m so excited to use it next year. Go get one!