I came here because of your thumbnail alone 😭😅

Hobonichi do have a Weeks book which is smaller and would seemingly be a better fit for you

Thanks for sharing your experience! Watching your flip-through made me realize that not being able to use all the spaces and pages would bug me the most about it, especially considering the paper they use. I don't think the hobonichi or other similar planners would be right for me. Enjoy your videos!

I love seeing how other people use their techos, but, like you, it’s never worked out for me. I think the lack of a weekly is a big deterrent. I also find that when you account for the quotes and calendars and lines, I get about the same amount of writing space in a TN passport page with the flexibility of using the pages exactly how I want to use them. I do love my 5-year techo, however, and I’ve enjoyed my experiments with Hobonichi.

Thanks for the great review! I really WANT to be able to use and love the Hobonichi planners - any of them, since I love that paper - but for all the reasons you mentioned, they just don't work for me. Like you, I like the weekly layout with a facing note page. It's great to experiment with different layouts, etc though - I usually end up with a little tweak or two to my preferred system after trying out something new.

Hi there! Since you said you love the Tomoe River Paper and you like the "weeks" style layout but you miss the monthly layouts, I would suggest you try an N1 or N2 horizontal from Sterling Ink! The compact version because it sounds like you don't need a ton of notes pages or dailies. It might solve your "planner problems". :)

I keep a nightly journal, so this, in a larger format, is up my alley. I found a Canadian company making a daily journal, so I might stick with them for a bit. Daily journals are super hard to find these days. Chapters used to have loads of them, but the past few years it has been a real struggle to find something.

If that's the problem why not try the hobonichi weeks instead ? It's exactly what you'd seem to be more comfortable with (weekly memo)

Try the hobonichi weeks, they have regular and mega (more blank pages), and different cover styles (soft vs hard) and color/patterns. It is smaller than the TN but I love the weeks! Most importantly it is the same vertival style as the TN

I also feel like the covers they sell are childish.

Thanks for being so honest and undramatic in outlining the reasons for stepping away after trying out the A6. The influencer communities love the Hobonichi and it is often touted as the perfect planner/journal combo. That may be true for some, but not all.

I’m confused as to why anyone would recommend the Hobonichi A6 original to you, when the Hobonichi Weeks would literally be the perfect planner to try out as an introduction to Hobonichi, given as it’s exactly the same week to a page layout as the TN weekly that you currently use and enjoy, haha!

I'm [somewhat] comfortably in a ringbound for 2024 but sometimes I want that book bound feel that I love for journaling, as a planner. Ive been eyeing the A6 techo over on JetPens for the last month, wondering if I should get one. I'm totally new to Hobonichi. Glad to hear some criticisms of it, which gives me a bit of pause. There is also an A6 Kinbor that's almost identical to the techo, except no quotes on the page. It also comes with trackers and everything - including the 12 monthly calendars - is undated so you can start when you want and how you want. I accidentally bought one thinking it was. a plain notebook but it is legit a beautiful A6 undated planner.

In past years, I’ve used this as my bedtime journaling each day and the monthlies I use for reading (a book’s start date/ end date). I’ve never used it as a “planner” - definitely wouldn’t work for me for planning. But even as a bedtime journal (I do like it being dated) there are times when I would want to write more, so then I’d have to write more on a separate page and then tip it in.

I found the Aura Estelle Catch All planner to be my perfect fit. It also uses Tomoe paper.

Oh my goodness. Resonated with everything you said. Just bought my first a6 Avec and started July 1. Am already freaking out without a weekly to-do list. But love the hobo cover i got with it & feel so bummed that I'm not loving it as much as I hoped. Will get the weekly supplement so hopefully I can make this work. Then use the dailies for journaling instead. the flipping back & forth to find my weekly tasks, driving me nuts!!!

I got one last October for "Black Friday" on Amazon for $10. I figured that I would give the brand a try as I do have their notebooks, and am familiar with the 52 gsm paper (I prefer the 68 gsm of my Take a Note), but I was wondering if I could grow to love the A6 size.

I tried this planner in 2022. I didn't care that all the months are all together. I like month & weeks together. Other than that, it's a pretty cool planner. I've found planner peace with the Wonderland 222 B6. Love your channel here in Los Angeles -Anita

I agree about the quotes.

I've tried all sizes of the hobonichi the weeks, the a6, and the a5. I have never spent more than half a year in any of them. I love the idea of having most everything in one book, but I've been in travelers notebooks for so long I can't seem to stay away for to long.