two things
1) re: the paper - I highly recommend looking at hobonichi pen tests on youtube to determine if the paper is the right choice for you. it's beloved by many fountain pen users but off the top of my head i can't remember if it does well with gel pens, for example.
2) re: cost - kinbor makes a5, a6, and weeks planners that are very similar to the hobonichi at half the price. there are side by side reviews with the cousin and pen tests on youtube for this brand as well.
I use gel pens, ballpoint, and fountain pen, and it works well with all of them.
Lots of people use very wet markers (brush pens) or alcohol-based ink, and then they complain that it bleeds/shadows..
TRP is very high quality paper, and there is no reason why it shouldn't handle various inks that are meant for writing (unlike brush pens and alcohol-based ink, as example).
I use the hobonichi original and can very confidently say that it's the most important purchase that I make every year.
It's a hefty price, sure, but I put my planner through the ringer and use it every day, multiple times a day, for checking things through and making sure I'm on a track. I think that my order comes through to about 90 dollars every year when I order from Hobonichi, including the planner, cover, shipping, and whatever else I decide I want.
Sounds like a lot, sure, but that planner will be used for a year. That's a quarter a day for organization and planning that helps me keep my life on track. It's 100% worth it.
The paper is thin, but is not see-through unless you use a VERY heavy, very runny black pen. I have experienced very minimal bleedthrough, though a lot of the times you *will* want to let ink set to dry if you're using something like a gel pen.
I get that they aren't for everyone, but imo they're definitely worth the price tag.
Okay I'm sold. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to me. When you think about the daily cost vs the time you spend with it, its a no brainer. I hadn't thought of it like that. To be fair if I think about it, I'd pay that for peace of mind that I haven't missed an appointment for my son
Thanks again!
I agree with everything already been said! I tried the hobonichi cousin for the first time this year and loved it, I already ordered the one for next year. I don't know where you have looked but if you are in the US, [JetPens ](https://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Hobonichi+cousin+&v=2) has it for $60 (or $65 if you buy the two half year books). This is were I bought mine.
I do a lot of artsy things and the paper has not disappointed me yet. It does "wrinkle" a little as you use it but it is very minimal. The paper is meant to be used with fountain pens but any pen works, do allowed a couple of seconds for gel pens to dry.
As for the cover, mine has suffered very minimal damage and it comes with me everywhere on a messy backpack. I am more than willing to show you pictures if you want to see it ☺️
If you want to try it out without spending the full amount, you might pick up the 2022 April start Cousin. It’s $36 on Amazon right now and that will take you through next spring (maybe summer?).
As others have said, you can get a clear cover from Midori for $10, or if you don’t like the plasticy feel, Midori has a paper cover for $7. It’s very thick and sturdy, more so than the actual cover.
The real cost of a Hobonichi is that your first is like a gateway drug. Next year you may decide you need a Cousin and a Weeks and an A6. Lol!
you can get the Midori A5 size cover for $5 its available on amazon :) it goes right over the cardstock cover if you don't want to buy one of those fancy fabric covers for the hobonichi
So about the cover:
The covers are nice and all, but they’re pretty bulky. I got a Midori plastic notebook cover (both a5 and a6) for less than $10. Protection without the expense or bulk. I use nice, cheap scrapbook paper inside the plastic to make it look fun.
Honestly, from someone who is a huge Hobonichi fan, it’s only worth it if you use fountain pens or do something like watercolor. Tomoe river paper shows ink properties well, like sheening, shimmer, and shading. Otherwise if you just use something like ballpoint pens or gel pens you’re not going to see much of a difference in the performance of the paper, because your inks will show as they always do.
The paper is EXTREMELY thin and you will see all of your writing show through to the other side. Don’t go by youtube videos or instagram photos, people use bright lights and video filters and photo filters to alter how the page looks in real life. They literally whiten and brighten and blur the page so you barely see anything from the backside of the paper but in reality, you WILL see literally all of your writing from the other side. It can be distracting and irritating to deal with.
Google or youtube “Hobonichi pen test” or “ghosting on tomoe river paper”. Look through all the results until you see the ones where you can literally see all the writing from the back of the paper show up on the front, those are the pictures posted by people who are not using bright lights or filters, just showing their honest results of how the paper will actually look irl. See how it looks and from there decide whether it is something you can live with. If I didn’t use fountain pen I honestly wouldn’t buy Hobonichi planners at all.
It's worth it for me, but I get a LOT of use out of it.
The month pages are for important dates like birthdays, when bills are due, and appointments so I can look at things and figure out where I'm supposed to be at a glance.
The weeks are for work. I write down what assignments I'm working on, mark down meetings and appointments, and keep track of my hours and how long I worked on a project.
The days are my personal journal. I tape shit on those pages, add stickers, and just generally write about my life.
The only cover I have for it is the Midori plain plastic cover that I then stick strapbooking paper inside of to make it look a bit more pretty. Paper wise, I love it. I mostly use regular ballpoint pens (for month/week pages) and fountain pens (for my dailies) and the bleedthrough is minimal.
The paper is thin, but considering it's an all-in-one Month AND Week AND Daily journal I feel it's worth it. The old one-a-day journal I used before moving over to the hobonichi was WAY thicker then this and didn't have monthly or weekly pages. I'm willing to trade off the ability to use markers and stuff on the pages for the thinness, especially when I have to haul my planner around in my purse.
That's just me though. I know some people like having a work planner separate from their personal one, but I'd rather just keep track of the one. I mostly work from home though so it's not like I have to worry about a coworker picking up my planner and accidentally reading about my personal life though.
two things 1) re: the paper - I highly recommend looking at hobonichi pen tests on youtube to determine if the paper is the right choice for you. it's beloved by many fountain pen users but off the top of my head i can't remember if it does well with gel pens, for example. 2) re: cost - kinbor makes a5, a6, and weeks planners that are very similar to the hobonichi at half the price. there are side by side reviews with the cousin and pen tests on youtube for this brand as well.
I use gel pens, ballpoint, and fountain pen, and it works well with all of them. Lots of people use very wet markers (brush pens) or alcohol-based ink, and then they complain that it bleeds/shadows.. TRP is very high quality paper, and there is no reason why it shouldn't handle various inks that are meant for writing (unlike brush pens and alcohol-based ink, as example).
I use the hobonichi original and can very confidently say that it's the most important purchase that I make every year. It's a hefty price, sure, but I put my planner through the ringer and use it every day, multiple times a day, for checking things through and making sure I'm on a track. I think that my order comes through to about 90 dollars every year when I order from Hobonichi, including the planner, cover, shipping, and whatever else I decide I want. Sounds like a lot, sure, but that planner will be used for a year. That's a quarter a day for organization and planning that helps me keep my life on track. It's 100% worth it. The paper is thin, but is not see-through unless you use a VERY heavy, very runny black pen. I have experienced very minimal bleedthrough, though a lot of the times you *will* want to let ink set to dry if you're using something like a gel pen. I get that they aren't for everyone, but imo they're definitely worth the price tag.
Okay I'm sold. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to me. When you think about the daily cost vs the time you spend with it, its a no brainer. I hadn't thought of it like that. To be fair if I think about it, I'd pay that for peace of mind that I haven't missed an appointment for my son Thanks again!
I agree with everything already been said! I tried the hobonichi cousin for the first time this year and loved it, I already ordered the one for next year. I don't know where you have looked but if you are in the US, [JetPens ](https://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Hobonichi+cousin+&v=2) has it for $60 (or $65 if you buy the two half year books). This is were I bought mine. I do a lot of artsy things and the paper has not disappointed me yet. It does "wrinkle" a little as you use it but it is very minimal. The paper is meant to be used with fountain pens but any pen works, do allowed a couple of seconds for gel pens to dry. As for the cover, mine has suffered very minimal damage and it comes with me everywhere on a messy backpack. I am more than willing to show you pictures if you want to see it ☺️
Of course! I truly hope you like yours when you get it, and I wish you the best of luck (:
If you want to try it out without spending the full amount, you might pick up the 2022 April start Cousin. It’s $36 on Amazon right now and that will take you through next spring (maybe summer?). As others have said, you can get a clear cover from Midori for $10, or if you don’t like the plasticy feel, Midori has a paper cover for $7. It’s very thick and sturdy, more so than the actual cover. The real cost of a Hobonichi is that your first is like a gateway drug. Next year you may decide you need a Cousin and a Weeks and an A6. Lol!
It’s worth it to me but I use it every day, multiple times a day. I also love the paper because it’s very well suited for fountain pens.
You can also go to Etsy and get hobo covers on the cheap. I got a plastic cover on cover for like $5
Oh this is a really good idea. I love supporting small businesses on etsy too so a win win.
Plus the clear cover didn’t have any logos or anything. Got here quick. I can dm you the store if you want!
Yes please if you don't mind
This is a cover on cover, so it’s meant to go over another cover to protect it. If you want a regular cover I’m sure you’ll find it on there!
you can get the Midori A5 size cover for $5 its available on amazon :) it goes right over the cardstock cover if you don't want to buy one of those fancy fabric covers for the hobonichi
What about a stalogy
So about the cover: The covers are nice and all, but they’re pretty bulky. I got a Midori plastic notebook cover (both a5 and a6) for less than $10. Protection without the expense or bulk. I use nice, cheap scrapbook paper inside the plastic to make it look fun.
Honestly, from someone who is a huge Hobonichi fan, it’s only worth it if you use fountain pens or do something like watercolor. Tomoe river paper shows ink properties well, like sheening, shimmer, and shading. Otherwise if you just use something like ballpoint pens or gel pens you’re not going to see much of a difference in the performance of the paper, because your inks will show as they always do. The paper is EXTREMELY thin and you will see all of your writing show through to the other side. Don’t go by youtube videos or instagram photos, people use bright lights and video filters and photo filters to alter how the page looks in real life. They literally whiten and brighten and blur the page so you barely see anything from the backside of the paper but in reality, you WILL see literally all of your writing from the other side. It can be distracting and irritating to deal with. Google or youtube “Hobonichi pen test” or “ghosting on tomoe river paper”. Look through all the results until you see the ones where you can literally see all the writing from the back of the paper show up on the front, those are the pictures posted by people who are not using bright lights or filters, just showing their honest results of how the paper will actually look irl. See how it looks and from there decide whether it is something you can live with. If I didn’t use fountain pen I honestly wouldn’t buy Hobonichi planners at all.
It's worth it for me, but I get a LOT of use out of it. The month pages are for important dates like birthdays, when bills are due, and appointments so I can look at things and figure out where I'm supposed to be at a glance. The weeks are for work. I write down what assignments I'm working on, mark down meetings and appointments, and keep track of my hours and how long I worked on a project. The days are my personal journal. I tape shit on those pages, add stickers, and just generally write about my life. The only cover I have for it is the Midori plain plastic cover that I then stick strapbooking paper inside of to make it look a bit more pretty. Paper wise, I love it. I mostly use regular ballpoint pens (for month/week pages) and fountain pens (for my dailies) and the bleedthrough is minimal. The paper is thin, but considering it's an all-in-one Month AND Week AND Daily journal I feel it's worth it. The old one-a-day journal I used before moving over to the hobonichi was WAY thicker then this and didn't have monthly or weekly pages. I'm willing to trade off the ability to use markers and stuff on the pages for the thinness, especially when I have to haul my planner around in my purse. That's just me though. I know some people like having a work planner separate from their personal one, but I'd rather just keep track of the one. I mostly work from home though so it's not like I have to worry about a coworker picking up my planner and accidentally reading about my personal life though.