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2015 Hobonichi Techo

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biocat

Member
My wife just got into junk journaling and she told me about Hobonichi's popularity outside Japan. I've lived in Tokyo for 10 years now, so shoot me a message if you're looking for something not on their English page.
 

Chairhome

Member
I'm about to pull the trigger on one for me and my best friend. About $90 altogether with covers and planner books. Trying to think of the best way to tell my wife that I am spending that much on 2 planners. haha
 
I'm about to pull the trigger on one for me and my best friend. About $90 altogether with covers and planner books. Trying to think of the best way to tell my wife that I am spending that much on 2 planners. haha
lol, I know what you mean. I told my wife it's for keeping notes on places we go and things we do so we can look back on it later.
 

pronk420

Member
It is just a textured material to give the appearance of leather.

There's a pretty neat interview with Sonya Park, who designed the english Hobonichi, which explains some of her thoughts on why the design is different from the JP edition.

ah ok, thanks for the info. I still prefer the Japanese design and I wanted the week view so I got a cousin + navy case in the end. should be useful to slip small a5 notebooks in the case too
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
ah ok, thanks for the info. I still prefer the Japanese design and I wanted the week view so I got a cousin + navy case in the end. should be useful to slip small a5 notebooks in the case too

Did you mean Coastal Blue? Just asking as the Navy case is A6 size, which wouldn't fit the A5 size Cousin.
 
OoWzf02.jpg

Finally came in. It's a little smaller than I had anticipated but I'm totally excited about it.
 
Even though I have the worst handwriting outside of the medical profession, I'm a bit particular about what kind of pen I use on a daily basis. I'm not especially knowledgeable about pens though, and basically just tend to find a pen I like and stick with it forever. My usual pen of choice, the Uni-ball Vision Elite Micro, takes too long to dry on the Techo's Tomoe River paper. Now I'm searching for an alternative. I'd like it to be disposable, with a cap, have jet black ink (not the lighter colored black ink like normal Bics) that dries quickly, and a fairly thin tip. I picked up a Uni Pin 03 today which is closer to what I want, but it still takes a little too long to dry. Maybe I could try an 01 or something but they didn't have any at the store. My friend lent me his Sakura Pigma Micron 02 which I think might be the ticket but I haven't been to a proper art supply store to pick one up yet. In the meantime I thought we could share our opinions on the best pens to use with the Techo to help (me and) people who are searching for the perfect pen companion to their new 2015 Techo.

So what are your favorite pens to use with your Techo?

Finally came in. It's a little smaller than I had anticipated but I'm totally excited about it.

That's super classy. Enjoy!
 
Seeing it against the keyboard really puts it into perspective--makes me want the Cousin more.
It is surprisingly small, but I guess whether or not it is too small depends on what you'll be putting in it. I'm not an artist so I don't need a ton of page real estate. I just want to put some clippings from pictures or pamphlets in there plus a couple sentences. The A6 size being so portable is perfect for me since I can squeeze it into any bag to take on trips.

Edit:
I knew Itoi of Earthbound fame was behind the Hobonichi Techo, but I didn't know he also did the voice of the father in Totoro.
360028-x_635e826f.jpg

The guy is a renaissance man.
 
Got mine last night. No cover for now, I'm going to use it au natural. I like it for sure, but I'm a little annoyed that it has a nasty crease or something in the corner, like a piece of machinery or something mashed it:

FNifTXh.jpg


:(
 

jimwhat

Member
Just wondering, how long does it usually take to ship?

Got mine last night. No cover for now, I'm going to use it au natural. I like it for sure, but I'm a little annoyed that it has a nasty crease or something in the corner, like a piece of machinery or something mashed it:


:(

Oh wow, that looks horrible. Was there any damage to the shipping box?
 

Faiz

Member
In the test notebook I've been keeping, on a few pages I drew out the A5 and A6 dimensions in an outline on the page. The current notebook I'm using is slightly larger than A5 so it works out well.

If I manage to keep up with it and do buy a Techo at the end of this year for 2016, I can't see myself not going with a Cousin.

Does anyone know of a handy product for sealing small pencil sketches as I tend to do in notebooks? I can't see myself carrying a fixative spray around.
 
Hmm... I guess it wouldn't hurt. I kind of hate to replace it now that I've filled in several pages, not to mention that it'll take another couple of weeks. Maybe they'd throw me a credit for next year's book, or a cover or something? I guess it couldn't hurt to ask.
 

Faiz

Member
Hmm... I guess it wouldn't hurt. I kind of hate to replace it now that I've filled in several pages, not to mention that it'll take another couple of weeks. Maybe they'd throw me a credit for next year's book, or a cover or something? I guess it couldn't hurt to ask.

Cut them out and tip them in the new one? That's probably what I would do!
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
I love you Bagels.

As the resident forum Earthbound nut along with Amir0x who has been looking for a planner for the exact purpose Itoi intended, I can't believe I haven't come across this sooner.

BOUGHT. BOING!

I've never stopped loving you. After those nights we shared in Rio?

Super glad this is exactly what you're looking for! I'm so happy people have gotten into fountain pens and stuff, and we now have our own little Hobonichi Techo community! I get such a kick out of sharing my enthusiasm for this stuff!
 
Seeing it against the keyboard really puts it into perspective--makes me want the Cousin more.
Each page is smaller than my hand, and I have really small hands. I like the portability, but it's a tad on the too-small side. My only worry with the Cousin, originally, was that some videos made it look comically large in comparison, but it's probably smaller in person. I need to see some size comparison pictures for the Cousin.

I really love my Onett cover, though, and it didn't come in a larger size.
 

Faiz

Member
Yeah, I suppose I could. But then I HAVE actually already done that... When I ordered it on Dec 28, I grabbed a cheap notepad and started writing in it every day just to get in the habit. Last night I cut and taped in all those days up to Jan 14th:

By tipped in I mean the pages are cut out at the spine and taped/glued in at the spine of the new book, essentially transplanting the page from the old book to the new. Done with care, you have to look closely to even see it was done. I have a few books with tipped in sketches and signature pages that look like they were part of the original binding.
 
By tipped in I mean the pages are cut out at the spine and taped/glued in at the spine of the new book, essentially transplanting the page from the old book to the new. Done with care, you have to look closely to even see it was done. I have a few books with tipped in sketches and signature pages that look like they were part of the original binding.

Oh, ha ha, I was unfamiliar with that term and thought it was just a typo for "taped in". That makes sense!
 
My poor Techo. After writing in it with the same pen for like two weeks with no problem today it smeared and transferred over to the next page. I don't think I waited any shorter or anything before closing it so what gives? I'm using a Pilot G-2. Can anyone recommend a quicker drying, but similar pen?

Also, my Techo is 100% writing right now, but I want to use it for something more. Anyone got any good ideas? I was thinking maybe some small pictures? Are there small photo sticker printers? Ha ha ha
 

hitsugi

Member
Do they ship the planners and covers separately if one is delayed? I knew I shouldn't have picked that damn apple red cover.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Do they ship the planners and covers separately if one is delayed? I knew I shouldn't have picked that damn apple red cover.

Nope, you need to order them separately and pay shipping twice. Otherwise, they hold everything until each part of the order is ready to ship.

Hold steady, Apple-red buddy! We'll get there... eventually.
 
it shipped :)

I usually write with a biro type pen, is that legal with a hobonichi?
Nice! It seems like most pens work well except for pens that put out a lot of ink. Biro would be fine, I think :).

I want to use my Techo more even though I have nothing to write. I might actually try to learn how to draw...
 
Shipped! Can anyone from the SE US tell me how long it took to get yours?

I live in NJ and it took only 3 business days to get my Techo. It shipped on the 7th and I got it the 12th. If you look at the tracking it actually sat in my local post office over the weekend.
 
Okay, so they replied to me and they're sending a new book. I was hoping to angle for a cover instead, but the email was so nice and sincere, I didn't want to mess with them.

I don't suppose anyone wants to trade a cool cover for another (English) book? I can't imagine anyone would want to. Maybe I'll give it to my wife or one of my workmates or something.

In other news, I've been using it plenty...

BuMHI5Y.jpg
 
Okay, so they replied to me and they're sending a new book. I was hoping to angle for a cover instead, but the email was so nice and sincere, I didn't want to mess with them.

I don't suppose anyone wants to trade a cool cover for another (English) book? I can't imagine anyone would want to. Maybe I'll give it to my wife or one of my workmates or something.

In other news, I've been using it plenty...

BuMHI5Y.jpg

Ugh... Yours looks so nice compared to mine. I really need to work on my handwriting. What kind of pen are you using?
 
That's super similar to what I do. Stuff that needs to be done followed by what actually got done. Random thoughts and maybe a drawing. At the bottom my meals for the day and calorie counting and then in the corner how much sleep I got, weight, and financial tracking. It'll be fun to use the paper in the back to track averages across the months.
 

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Mine shipped this morning! I wonder if I will get it by the end of the week :)

Okay, so they replied to me and they're sending a new book. I was hoping to angle for a cover instead, but the email was so nice and sincere, I didn't want to mess with them.

I don't suppose anyone wants to trade a cool cover for another (English) book? I can't imagine anyone would want to. Maybe I'll give it to my wife or one of my workmates or something.

In other news, I've been using it plenty...

BuMHI5Y.jpg

That is so neat and pretty. What pen are you using to write and sketch?

Also, I love that quote haha. Itoi's the man!
 
Ugh... Yours looks so nice compared to mine. I really need to work on my handwriting. What kind of pen are you using?

Mine shipped this morning! I wonder if I will get it by the end of the week :)



That is so neat and pretty. What pen are you using to write and sketch?

So far the only thing I've used in the book has been the good old tried and true Micron Pigmas.

Sakura-Pigma-Micron-6-Nib-Sizes-and-Lines-1-2.jpg


And the brush version a little bit on the artwork.

5514.jpg


I always have a bunch of those lying around anyway since I use them at work (and at home).


That's super similar to what I do. Stuff that needs to be done followed by what actually got done. Random thoughts and maybe a drawing. At the bottom my meals for the day and calorie counting and then in the corner how much sleep I got, weight, and financial tracking. It'll be fun to use the paper in the back to track averages across the months.

Yeah, I'm still kind of zeroing in on how I use it, I think. The day pictured there is the first work day since I got it, so it's a lot more businessy. Prior to that, it's been a bit more diary-like, and yesterday and Saturday were like that too. Today I'm back at work and so it's been more like the page pictured... checkboxes and then additional stuff. I actually just got out of a meeting where I wrote a bunch of notes down the page, but tried to keep them tidy as possible.
 

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
And the brush version a little bit on the artwork.

5514.jpg


I always have a bunch of those lying around anyway since I use them at work (and at home).

Might have to grab one of those brush pens.

Got an email saying my Apple cover + Techo are scheduled to be packed on the 21st and shipped out by the 23rd! Going to have nearly an entire month's worth of pages free, guess I better start thinking of ideas on how to put them to use.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Okay, so they replied to me and they're sending a new book. I was hoping to angle for a cover instead, but the email was so nice and sincere, I didn't want to mess with them.

I don't suppose anyone wants to trade a cool cover for another (English) book? I can't imagine anyone would want to. Maybe I'll give it to my wife or one of my workmates or something.

In other news, I've been using it plenty...

BuMHI5Y.jpg

Seeing Hobonichi usage examples is one part inspiring, one part dispiriting. I wish I could draw. Then again, why not practice by drawing a little picture in my planner every day???

I'm super happy (and not at all surprised) that they are sending you a new book. They obviously put a ton of care into the things they make and they must expect the same high standards for their products that you do as a customer. It feels good to buy things from a company like that.
 

Ludovico

Member
Team Plastic Cover!!
I know it's tacky, but come November when I have a pristine Techo and everyone else is collecting tattered fragments, I'll have the last laugh!
Probably taking it off at some point, just going to let it ride for now

Pics time!

The usual vomit of thoughts that I fill my pages with:

And then there's a few moments of enlightenment here and there:

And here's today's page (rather tonight's/early morning's, I should really be in bed now...):

It took me awhile, but I FINALLY found a solution for all the stray ink on facing pages.
Nothing worked, not blowing, not leaving it open faced for an hour - there would always be specks of ink on the opposite page.

My solution:
I measured and cut a sheet of good Rhodia paper. It serves as my current bookmark, and it captures any stubborn ink that hasn't dried by the time I'm ready to close the book.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my Techo. Only missed one day so far, which I'm going to cheat and insert some kind of drawing or clipping for that day (while probably making fun of why I missed that entry - slept all day :/ ). Can't wait to see how everyone fills theirs out throughout the year!
 

Masked Man

I said wow
I didn't know this was taking off overseas, but I'm super-excited! I love Itoi and I use my Hobonichi Techo regularly. I even managed to snag the spiffy Onett edition. :D
 

hitsugi

Member
I already have a micron but I need that brush pen in my life. I'm with cheesecake waiting on shipment next week!
 
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