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2017 Hobonichi Techo ITOI

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hampig

Member
I love this idea and would be totally in if not for the huge shipping costs.

Does anyone have any recommendations for similar notebooks that I could try out to see if I'd actually be committed enough to buy a quality Hobonichi book?
 
I love this idea and would be totally in if not for the huge shipping costs.

Does anyone have any recommendations for similar notebooks that I could try out to see if I'd actually be committed enough to buy a quality Hobonichi book?

Where do you live? If you happen to live in the US where a Kinokuniya bookstore is located, you can actually pick one up there.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
This will be my third year using it, and my 2017 copy is scheduled for delivery today thanks to BTA, whose extra copy I bought earlier in the thread.

I thought being year three it would just be business as usual switching to the new year, but now that it's actually time I'm suddenly excited as hell! I wound up using it daily this past year, but most of the time just as a daily, running to do list, bullet style. Sometimes, I'll journal what happened at the end of the day or draw some sketches, but usually not. This year, I want to do that more for sure.

Also, there's certain information I copied over in the back pages from 2015 to 2016. I'm actually excited to do that stuff again with my new 2017 book.

I'm really excited too! I can't wait to go back to the Cousin size and add more things to each page. Just having a new case to look at is kind of exciting on its own.
 
The closest one to me is a 5 hour drive. : (

You know what, PM me your name and address.

I was originally going to use my English planner but I did order a Japanese planner as well. So I'll just use my Japanese Planner and send you my English one, no cost and don't worry about the shipping.

Obviously the only thing you won't have is the cover, but it'll give you something to think about next year if you like it.
 

hampig

Member
You know what, PM me your name and address.

I was originally going to use my English planner but I did order a Japanese planner as well. So I'll just use my Japanese Planner and send you my English one, no cost and don't worry about the shipping.

Obviously the only thing you won't have is the cover, but it'll give you something to think about next year if you like it.

Woah, thank you!!! I've become a victim of internet stranger kindness!
 
Woah, thank you!!! I've become a victim of internet stranger kindness!

You're welcome and no worries, I'd hate for it to go to waste, so no problem in sending it to you.

Besides, I got the Japanese one planner to brush up on my meager Japanese reading skills (I can count, know the days of the week, etc.) so it works out in the end.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Any place to get this in Chicago?

I'm not sure about brick and mortar locations, but we do have Jetpens in the US! The selection is limited, but planner plus case is $47 and the shipping is free.

Free Jetpens shipping is the best/worst thing ever.


Woah, thank you!!! I've become a victim of internet stranger kindness!

What a beautiful community :')


As to similar notebooks to try out, if you want a full planner, the Hobonichi offerings are pretty unique. There are tons of other planners to try, but none have the combination of the amazing paper, the thoughtful design, the rad cases, and the enthusiastic community of users.

The #1 selling point is absolutely the Tomoe River paper. If you are on worried about spending what is admittedly a fair amount of money on a planner, your best bet is to get some Tomoe River paper to try out. That's an especially good idea if you plan to do any kind of sketching/painting/lettering in your Hobonichi. Jetpens will sell you a few sheets of paper for a buck, or you can spend $15 on loose paper or a notepad. I think people here, or in the fountain pen thread, will tell you it is a dream to write on. However, if you aren't totally in love with the paper, I'd probably look at other planners. The Hobonichi is an all-around amazing product, but a lot of your money is going towards having super premium paper. For this kind of money, get something you love. There are other great brands of paper and cool planners to try.
 

Nezumi

Member
Everyone ready to start their 2017 Techos? I have an obscene number of Instax films and washi tape - ready to go!

:D Same here and there is a late Christmas present on its way to me which contains even more washi tape and possible stickers that my sister in law send from Japan.
 

Erheller

Member
Check the Kinokuniya in Mitsuwa Marketplace. They should be lumped together in the calendar/planner section and labeled (at least that's how I saw it when at Kinokuniya).

How much does it cost there? I didn't feel like heading over there so I bought mine from Jetpens, but if it's the same price I might consider it next year.
 
How much does it cost there? I didn't feel like heading over there so I bought mine from Jetpens, but if it's the same price I might consider it next year.

Mmm... Not sure if the pricing is the same as it is here in California (though I think it's pretty standard), but I think a cover plus English planner was like $55 while the standalone English planner was $35-$40. So roughly the same as what they were going for on 1101, and perhaps Jetpens.
 

Timeaisis

Member
2017 almost here ready for my 3rd Hobonichi year.

This year's resolution is to draw in the thing more, even though I'm a terrible artist.
 

Fireblend

Banned
Gotta start figuring out what kind of content I want to go in mine. I definitely want to draw a bit, and I did get a fair amount of stickers at the same LoFT I bought mine at :p I've never been able to actually write a diary and am very introspective, so it's definitely going to be a challenge for me.
 

decaf

Member
Dang it. Left buying mine till the last possible moment and, of course, Foyles has sold out. Anywhere else to buy it from in the UK? Japanese post will be dead for the next week because of New Year.
 

Ephidel

Member
Dang it. Left buying mine till the last possible moment and, of course, Foyles has sold out. Anywhere else to buy it from in the UK? Japanese post will be dead for the next week because of New Year.
Thejournalshop.com still have a few in stock with the cherry pink cover, but the planner on its own and all the other cover colours have sold out. I bought mine from them on black friday and it took about a week to arrive.
 
Dang it. Left buying mine till the last possible moment and, of course, Foyles has sold out. Anywhere else to buy it from in the UK? Japanese post will be dead for the next week because of New Year.
I was left in the same situation and just ordered from Hobonichi themselves (Although I eventually decided to get a Cousin which nowhere sells in the UK). Gonna get utterly screwed with import fees and I'll end up missing a couple of weeks but....eh....didn't have much choice.
 

decaf

Member
Thejournalshop.com still have a few in stock with the cherry pink cover, but the planner on its own and all the other cover colours have sold out. I bought mine from them on black friday and it took about a week to arrive.

I was left in the same situation and just ordered from Hobonichi themselves (Although I eventually decided to get a Cousin which nowhere sells in the UK). Gonna get utterly screwed with import fees and I'll end up missing a couple of weeks but....eh....didn't have much choice.
Eep. Thanks for the help folks, but I guess waiting for Foyles to get their new stock in is my best option.
 

7threst

Member
Just bought mine for the first time ever. Wanted one last year but somehow I didn't do it. Weird, since I collect notebooks and really love. I never leave my house without one and scribble whenever I can so this is really my thing.

I ordered the A6 English version together with a Mother 2-cover. Very safe choice I know. I almost chose the eastern Europe cover though.

I also ordered ZIG Clean Color II pens with it and some tape for decorations.
 

Akim

Banned
Im ready!

enPXvYT.jpg
 

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Just reread my year's entries so I can transfer anything important to next year's book. A fresh start!
 
Got gifted one from my brother and I'm so excited to use it. Need to still find some good pens to use but I have a case and everything. Wish i could take pics of it right now but, oh well.
 

Betty

Banned
Love seeing the transformation between an unused Techo and a year long used one. THey don't even look the same size but they are.
AHrSa5y.jpg
 

Akim

Banned
I realized I have no idea what to write in this. Also I'm not artistic so I can't draw in it either.

hmmm
 

Foofaraw

Member
I realized I have no idea what to write in this. Also I'm not artistic so I can't draw in it either.

hmmm

I'm in the same boat. Got one a month ago. I start grad school in a couple weeks, so I am going to use it as a planner. I've never really used a planner before.

Is bullet journaling the best option?
 

gaiages

Banned
I realized I have no idea what to write in this. Also I'm not artistic so I can't draw in it either.

hmmm

lol, I have the same problem today. I just wrote some random ass things, drew a little rain cloud because it's cloudy and rainy today, and might do a couple other things. I'm not sure yet.

I like doodling but it's not something I would put in my book every day.
 
My A6 still isn't here, but the Weeks I got from Amazon Japan is. I'm going to use it solely for food logging and meal planning.

Here's the template I came up with:
The empty boxes will have either text or doodles of what I ate. The circles will have a graph of the protein/fat/carbs for the day.

-------

Another note, I found a lot of the Hobonichi Users FB group saying the paper this year is different/changed? They're saying the drying times are longer, ink is smearing even though it's the same ink they used last year, it's not flowing like it used to, ect. Have any of the long term users here noticed anything like that?
 
I realized I have no idea what to write in this. Also I'm not artistic so I can't draw in it either.

hmmm
I fear I'll be in the same conondrum. My Hobonichi is waiting for me in my PO Box in McAllen so I don't have it in my hands yet (I do have my new Pilot Metropolitan ready and identical to yours).

I don't draw and I don't doodle. This is my first Hobonichi. This trial will make or break my future as a Hobonichi buyer.
 

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Just give permission for you to do try new things. I used to say I don't draw or doodle, but having the space and understanding there's really no pressure helped me loosen up to the point where the "I don'ts" go away.

Try it out. It's ok if it's crap. It might be fun. If it is, keep doing it. If it feels forced, do something else.
 

pronk420

Member
Dang it. Left buying mine till the last possible moment and, of course, Foyles has sold out. Anywhere else to buy it from in the UK? Japanese post will be dead for the next week because of New Year.

I went there yesterday and was very excited to see a bunch of stationary in a big box of sale stuff - I looked pretty hard but no techos I could see. Seems odd since they had quite a few in stock just before Christmas and have had them for months, so I assumed they didn't sell very well.

Do they sell them online? I've never managed to find them on their website.

I fear I'll be in the same conondrum. My Hobonichi is waiting for me in my PO Box in McAllen so I don't have it in my hands yet (I do have my new Pilot Metropolitan ready and identical to yours).

I don't draw and I don't doodle. This is my first Hobonichi. This trial will make or break my future as a Hobonichi buyer.

I used a cousin last year to schedule hours in the day and make todos instead of doing it on the computer and it was great, but I'm not busy enough to need to anymore. I also had an english one just for personal stuff that I kept things like cinema tickets, business cards, various other tickets etc in. It was a bit sparse but got pretty full of things from holidays.

I think using a regular sized techo for both planning/scheduling and personal mementos would work well.
 

Kayhan

Member
Just ordered two planners and two covers.

Caused one of my credit cards to get locked so it better have been worth the hassle!
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
My A6 still isn't here, but the Weeks I got from Amazon Japan is. I'm going to use it solely for food logging and meal planning.

Here's the template I came up with:

The empty boxes will have either text or doodles of what I ate. The circles will have a graph of the protein/fat/carbs for the day.

-------

Another note, I found a lot of the Hobonichi Users FB group saying the paper this year is different/changed? They're saying the drying times are longer, ink is smearing even though it's the same ink they used last year, it's not flowing like it used to, ect. Have any of the long term users here noticed anything like that?

I love the template! Super cool!

I'm nor sure about the paper rumors. My 2017 seems a little rougher than my 2016?? Maybe???

Fountain pen still looks great, at any rate! I'm used to a little extra drying time on Tomoe River.

Just give permission for you to do try new things. I used to say I don't draw or doodle, but having the space and understanding there's really no pressure helped me loosen up to the point where the "I don'ts" go away.

Try it out. It's ok if it's crap. It might be fun. If it is, keep doing it. If it feels forced, do something else.

Great post! It's tough to crack open a nice notebook and fill a page with less than perfect stuff. I totally get that. But your Hobonichi has an expiration date! It's not like you can fill it with better doodles in 2018. Get in there and use those pages! Then you'll have a cool record of picking up drawing or watercolors or calligraphy or whatever in 2017. You can flip through the pages and see how you improve!

I have a calligrapher friend who is light years ahead of where I will ever be. He posts the most gorgeous stuff. The other day he posted a photo of hundreds of practice pages. He wrote that he gets a bit pissed when people say, "I wish I had your talent!" People seem to think he just picked up a pen and went WHEEEEEEEE! and busted out beautiful finished pieces. He practices every day and has for *years.* I can see why it irks him when people don't realize the time it took to get good at his art. To say he is "just" insanely talented is to erase the hours and hours of hard work he put in, which devalues the achievement.

Long story short, the only way to get good at a thing is to work really hard at it. Everyone (or almost everyone!) starts out shit at drawing, painting, calligraphy, singing, whatever. Practice every day and you can get way better.

I picked up calligraphy in my 30s. I'm not great at it, but I'm way better after 3 years of practice. You've gotta start somewhere! And those Hobonichi pages don't fill themselves...
 

Akim

Banned
Anyone else feel it's incredibly hard to write with a fountain pen with no experience? I might just go back to the good old ball point.
 

Bagels

You got Moxie, kid!
Anyone else feel it's incredibly hard to write with a fountain pen with no experience? I might just go back to the good old ball point.

It can take practice! It can be especially hard if you naturally hold your pen at certain angles. It gets way easier over time!
 
So far been jotting down my thoughts and reminders in mine. Have also tried doodling a few items but I'm already finding the small space of the Planner a bit of a challenge, though I love the size.

At least I still have 363 days left to figure out how to utilize my space better. 🙃
 
Found this thread randomly a few days ago and hopped on the bandwagon. Two days in, I'm finding it feels a little cramped to me but I'm probably just not used to it yet. I'm also finding the pen I'm using (Pilot Hi-Tecpoint!) doesn't dry fast enough, and have already smudged one doodle--oops.

The good news is I'm actually finding things to write/draw in it, which was my big worry when I first got it. It turns out I have a whole bunch of mental ephemera I wouldn't mind recording, like songs I get stuck in my head and whatnot. So we'll see how it goes. Also: I can see how quickly the craft supplies add up if you're not careful. I've already bought some new pens to add some new colours (and try out these Hi/G-Tec-C pens people keep raving about), and now this thread has shown me the existence of washi tape, so that might have to happen soon too.
 

Cystm

Member
Our fountain pens should be arriving tomorrow and the new journals this Thursday. I used mine consistently throughout the first half of 2016, but trailed off after the Summer. I picked it back up again in October, and it really aided me throughout the remainder of the year.

The delay in the arrival of the new Journal is making me twitch.
 
Oh good, I have a spare moleskin planner no one wants so I can just use that as a journal. The problem is I like putting funny quotes and things (possibly...memes) and that would be hard to digitize and search through.
 
It can take practice! It can be especially hard if you naturally hold your pen at certain angles. It gets way easier over time!

I struggle to hold my Metropolitan comfortably while having it face the right way. Never before in my life had i needed to hold a pen facing a specific direction so when I grab it and then grip it correctly to write I naturally tend to spin the pen a bit to the side and that can fuck up the pen's position which is critical with a Fountain and can be the difference between writing and not writing.
 
This is my third Techo, and every year I try to fill it with more stuff. For 2017, I'm going to be doing some light "scrapbooking"--I ordered some double-sided tape to save movie tickets and other small things, and I'm keeping logs of every piece of media I consume in the back. I did this last year, too, but now I'm also writing teeny tiny reviews for everything. I'm stoked!
 
How much does it cost there? I didn't feel like heading over there so I bought mine from Jetpens, but if it's the same price I might consider it next year.

Planner is 40 and combo with cover is 60.

Pretty cheap especially if you have the discount card. I got my planner during the 20% off sale a few weeks back.
 
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