Every year, the journaling nerds like me go nuts on the Hobonichi website. TLDR: it’s a daily diary with a cult following, and I am one of them.
I didn’t know I would get into Hobonichi. I have been and still am a MD notebook fan. For years I wrote into my MD notebooks whenever I had my thoughts or opinions. I would have periods where I attempted to write everyday. But when I got married, I decided I would get a 5 year diary and try to stick with it. This was great especially during COVID, and one of the years, I just dropped completely off the grid for my daily habit tracking. I wanted to jump back on the journaling wagon, so I bought a Tomoe River grid notebook. It was amazing, the paper was great and reminded me about the Leuchtturm1917 before they had the paper change. I enjoyed it so much, and decided I would attempt the Hobonichi, which uses the same paper.
Somewhere around early 2025, I bought the Hobonichi Weeks Mega Sneaker, which is a great starter Hobonichi. It covers the week, and has spare space at the back for you to write longer thoughts and ideas. The “Sneaker” portion acts like a pair of Converse beat ’em ups, where you can toss the book around and it’s supposed to get really worn out and frayed after the year. In 2025, I picked up 5 year diary because my 2019 one had run out in 2024.
In 2026 I went full hardcore, I picked up the Weeks Mega original, not the sneaker, I got the original Hobonichi A6, and two plastic covers: one for the A6 and another for the weeks. I still had my 5 year diary, and my Tomoe River and MD notebooks.
I am spoiled for choice now, because I don’t enjoy writing on other notebooks anymore. The paper feels wrong, the ink doesn’t sit well, and a whole range of other issues. It doesn’t mean I can’t write, it just means I feel weird writing on “bad paper”. Definitely a first world issue, because just being able to write thoughts down is such a luxury, and yet I am picking between paper types and the covers of my diaries.
I struggle the most with reviewing my diaries. I know that is always the biggest growth, where you see yourself the year before, and how much more you want to change in the year ahead. Like Billie Eilish and Vanity Fair interviews. A lot of opportunities to reflect and find growth in the time ahead.
But I end up chasing the fads of Hobonichi. Although, this year, I am catering a good block of time for myself to just sit down and think, and I am looking forward to spending time on my birthday that way. It would only help for me to hear how last year was, and to see this year has been, and to look ahead for the next couple of years.
It is so fun to fan boy over Hobonichi with the other stationery nerds though. I thoroughly enjoy the fountain pen talks, because the Hobonichi is one of the only papers left that handles fountain pen ink without issue. The other papers being Tomoe River and MD/Midori.
I really hope the shipping starts soon, I am so excited already.
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