--- title: "Best 5-Year Journals (2027): Some Lines a Day & More" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-5-year-journals/" description: "The best five-year journals compared by use: Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day, One Line a Day, Q&A a Day, Midori 5-Year Diary and Hobonichi 5-Year Techo." category: "Notebooks" type: "Journal" published: 2026-10-21 updated: 2026-10-21 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 12 products: - name: "Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day, 5-Year Memory Book, Medium (A5), hardcover" brand: "Leuchtturm1917" brand_origin: "Germany" made_in: "Taiwan" material: "Hardcover; 80 g/m² FSC-certified paper, thread-sewn" price_band: "$$$ ($20–75 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Leuchtturm Gruppe (Geesthacht, Germany)" model: "Some Lines A Day, Medium (A5)" mpn: "801018" url: "https://www.leuchtturm1917.de/some-lines-a-day.html" guide: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/leuchtturm1917-some-lines-a-day/" - name: "One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book (Chronicle Books)" brand: "Chronicle Books" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Hardcover with gold foil; gilded page edges; ribbon marker; 372 pages" released: "2009-09-02" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Chronicle Books" model: "One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book" gtin: "9780811870191" url: "https://chroniclebooks.com/products/one-line-a-day-a-five-year-memory-book" guide: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/chronicle-one-line-a-day/" - name: "Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal (Potter Style, hardcover)" brand: "Potter Style" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Hardcover; 368 pages" released: "2010-11-23" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Clarkson Potter / Potter Style (Penguin Random House)" model: "Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal" gtin: "9780307719775" url: "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205314/qanda-a-day-by-potter-style/9780307719775" guide: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/qa-a-day-5-year-journal/" - name: "Midori 5-Year Diary Gate (standard size, black cloth)" brand: "Midori" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "Cloth cover with gold foil stamping; MD Paper (cream), thread-sewn" released: "2012" price_band: "$$$ ($20–75 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Designphil Inc. (Tokyo)" model: "5-Year Diary Gate, Black (日記 5年連用 扉 黒)" mpn: "12396006" gtin: "4902805123969" url: "https://www.midori-store.net/SHOP/12396006.html" guide: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-5-year-diary/" - name: "Hobonichi 5-Year Techo, A6, 2027–2031 (Japanese, January start)" brand: "Hobonichi" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "PVC cover; Tomoe River paper, thread-sewn" released: "2017" price_band: "$$$ ($20–75 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Hobonichi Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)" model: "5-Year Techo A6, 2027–2031, January start (fb27_s_jan)" url: "https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/2027/pc/detail_cover/fb27_s_jan/" guide: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/hobonichi-5-year-techo/" --- # Best 5-Year Journals (2027): Some Lines a Day & More > On published specs, the Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day is the best five-year journal: an undated A5 book with 365 date pages of 80 g/m² paper, five years to a page. Pick One Line a Day for a few words daily, Q&A a Day for prompts, the Midori 5-Year Diary for fountain pens and the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo for compactness. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-5-year-journals/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-21 - Updated: 2026-10-21 ![To-scale drawing of five closed five-year journals labelled with their pick: Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day 145 × 210 mm best overall, One Line a Day 102 × 165 mm for one line a day, Q&A a Day 110 × 161 mm for prompts and budget, Midori 5-Year Diary 117 × 185 mm for fountain pens and Hobonichi 5-Year Techo 113 × 153 mm compact](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/best-5-year-journals-16x9.png) *One pick per job, drawn at 1 mm = 1 px from the sizes makers and retailers list.* Original drawing (SVG): https://stationerytimes.com/images/best-5-year-journals-cover.svg. Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day, 5-Year Memory Book, Medium (A5), hardcover | Leuchtturm1917 (by Leuchtturm Gruppe (Geesthacht, Germany)) | Germany | Taiwan | Hardcover; 80 g/m² FSC-certified paper, thread-sewn | – | $$$: $20–75 per notebook | | One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book (Chronicle Books) | Chronicle Books | United States | Not stated | Hardcover with gold foil; gilded page edges; ribbon marker; 372 pages | 2009-09-02 | $$: $5–20 per notebook | | Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal (Potter Style, hardcover) | Potter Style (by Clarkson Potter / Potter Style (Penguin Random House)) | United States | Not stated | Hardcover; 368 pages | 2010-11-23 | $$: $5–20 per notebook | | Midori 5-Year Diary Gate (standard size, black cloth) | Midori (by Designphil Inc. (Tokyo)) | Japan | Japan | Cloth cover with gold foil stamping; MD Paper (cream), thread-sewn | 2012 | $$$: $20–75 per notebook | | Hobonichi 5-Year Techo, A6, 2027–2031 (Japanese, January start) | Hobonichi (by Hobonichi Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)) | Japan | Japan | PVC cover; Tomoe River paper, thread-sewn | 2017 | $$$: $20–75 per notebook | - Made in (Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day, 5-Year Memory Book, Medium (A5), hardcover): Taiwan. Per Digitec's listing for the Sage edition, which now blocks automated reading, so we couldn't recheck it. Leuchtturm1917's German and US pages don't state a country, and its other notebooks are listed as made in Taiwan or Germany, so check the label on your copy. Source: https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/leuchtturm1917-some-lines-a-day-a5-lined-hardcover-notebooks-notepads-17442034 - Made in (One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book (Chronicle Books)): Not stated. Chronicle Books' product page and the Hardie Grant and Amazon listings we read don't state where the book is printed. Check the copyright page or the back of your copy. - Made in (Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal (Potter Style, hardcover)): Not stated. Penguin Random House's title page and 2019 sales sheet, Amazon, Falter and Christianbook don't state where the book is printed. Check the copyright page of your copy for a Printed in line. - Made in (Midori 5-Year Diary Gate (standard size, black cloth)): Japan. Per Papeterie Makkura's listing for the black 5-Year Diary (Origin: Made in Japan). Midori's Japanese store page and its English Multi-Year Diary Gate page give sizes and materials but no country of manufacture. Source: https://papeterie-makkura.fr/en/diaries/5473-midori-5-year-diary-black-12396006-4902805123969.html - Made in (Hobonichi 5-Year Techo, A6, 2027–2031 (Japanese, January start)): Japan. Per Hunter Paper Co.'s listing (Made in Japan) and The Journal Shop's (Country of Origin: Japan). Hobonichi's own product page doesn't state the country of manufacture. Source: https://hunterpaperco.com/products/hobonichi-5-year-techo-japanese-book-2026-2031-a6-size ## Key takeaways - Sizes run from Chronicle's One Line a Day, which Chronicle gives as 3.75 × 6.125 in, to the A5 Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day at 145 × 210 mm. - Every book gives one date five stacked entries; the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo adds a free grid page facing each date, in 752 pages. - The Hobonichi prints the years (2027 to 2031); the Leuchtturm1917 and Q&A a Day leave the year as 20__, so you can start any day. - Q&A a Day is the only one with a prompt: 365 questions and 1,825 answers over five years. - One Line a Day and Q&A a Day sit in our $$ band ($5–20); the Leuchtturm1917, Midori and Hobonichi are $$$ ($20–75). ## What is the best 5-year journal? **The Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day is the best five-year journal for most people, but a different book wins for one-line entries, prompts, fountain pens, a small bag or a small budget.** Picks are based on published specs and maker claims; we haven't tested them yet. - **Best overall:** [Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/leuchtturm1917-some-lines-a-day/). An A5 page (145 × 210 mm) for each date, split into five sections of about 4 cm, on 80 g/m² paper, with an elastic, two ribbons and a back pocket. - **Best for one line a day:** Chronicle Books' [One Line a Day](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/chronicle-one-line-a-day/). The original of the format, 372 pages at a 3.75 × 6.125 in trim per Chronicle, and the series has sold over 3 million copies, Chronicle says. - **Best with prompts:** [Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/qa-a-day-5-year-journal/). One question on each of 365 dated pages and five short answers per page, so you never face a blank space. - **Best for fountain pens:** [Midori 5-Year Diary](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-5-year-diary/). Its 366 diary pages are MD Paper, which retailers describe as resisting bleed-through, in a 117 × 185 mm cloth-covered book made in Japan. - **Most compact:** [Hobonichi 5-Year Techo](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/hobonichi-5-year-techo/) A6. At 153 × 113 × 25 mm and about 330 g, it is the shortest and thinnest book here, yet adds a free grid page facing every date. - **Budget:** Q&A a Day or One Line a Day. Both sit in our $$ band ($5–20 per notebook), while the other three are $$$. ## How do the five 5-year journals compare? **All five give each date five stacked entries; they differ in page size, paper, prompts and whether the years are printed.** | | Some Lines a Day | One Line a Day | Q&A a Day | Midori 5-Year Diary | Hobonichi 5-Year A6 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Size | 145 × 210 mm (A5) | 3.75 × 6.125 in trim; 102 × 165 × 34 mm overall | 110 × 161 × 33 mm | 117 × 185 × 25 mm | 113 × 153 × 25 mm | | Pages | 365, one per date | 372 | 368 (365 questions) | 366 diary + 3 appendix | 752, a spread per date | | Prompt | None | None | One question a day | None | None | | Years | 20__, fill in | Not printed (reviewers) | 20__, fill in | 20 . ., fill in | Printed, 2027–2031 | | Paper | 80 g/m² | Not stated | Not stated | MD Paper, 6 mm lines | Tomoe River, 3.7 mm grid | | Made in | Taiwan (Digitec) | Not stated | Not stated | Japan | Japan | | Band | $$$ | $$ | $$ | $$$ | $$$ | Sizes come from the makers except where a retailer is the only source: Hardie Grant for One Line a Day's overall size, Amazon for Q&A a Day's thickness and Papeterie Makkura for the Midori. Leuchtturm1917's German shop lists Some Lines a Day at €31.95 (about US$36), and Hobonichi lists the A6 5-Year Techo at ¥4,620 (about US$29). ## How much can you write each day? **Expect a sentence or two per year in every book here; the Hobonichi gives the most room thanks to its blank facing page.** Hobonichi says each year's block in the A6 holds 178 squares of 3.7 mm grid. Some Lines a Day gives each year a fifth of an A5 page, roughly 4 cm tall. One Line a Day and Q&A a Day are pocket-paperback sizes with short spaces: a line or two, as the name says. If you want a full page every day, a one-year book is a better fit; our [best 2027 journals](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-2027-journals/) compares dated diaries. ## Which 5-year journal is best for fountain pens? **The Midori 5-Year Diary is the safest choice, because its pages are Midori's MD Paper.** Well-Appointed Desk chose it for that paper and found it handled several fountain pens and inks well; Wonder Pens calls the Midori paper very good for fountain pens. The Hobonichi's Tomoe River paper also takes ink well, but it is thin, so expect writing to show through. Leuchtturm1917's 80 g/m² paper handles fine nibs well in reviews of its notebooks. The Chronicle and Penguin Random House pages we read give no paper spec for their books. ## Can you start a 5-year journal any time? **Yes, unless the years are printed: the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo prints them, so it starts on January 1, 2027 and runs to December 31, 2031.** Some Lines a Day and Q&A a Day print "20__" for you to fill in, so you start on today's page and finish five years later. Midori's product photos show each Midori section starting 20 . . for you to fill in, and Amazon reviewers describe starting One Line a Day on any date, so both suit a mid-year start. Leap years differ: Midori lists 366 diary pages, while Leuchtturm1917 lists 365. ## What do other reviewers recommend? **Stationery reviewers who keep these books mostly praise the Midori and Hobonichi for their paper.** - **Well-Appointed Desk** picked the Midori 5-Year Diary over the Hobonichi because Tomoe River felt too thin for a book written on both sides for five years. - **Wonder Pens** recommends a few-lines-a-day journal to almost everyone, kept a Midori 3-Year Diary for three years, then switched to a Hobonichi 5-Year for its blank facing page. - Wonder Pens also suggests the Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day, and stresses that the habit matters more than the book. ## Where are 5-year journals made? **Retailers list the Midori and the Hobonichi as made in Japan, and Digitec has listed the Leuchtturm1917 as made in Taiwan.** Chronicle Books and Penguin Random House don't state where One Line a Day and Q&A a Day are printed; check the copyright page. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a five-year journal? A diary with one page (or spread) per calendar date, split into five short entries, one for each year. From the second year on, you read what you wrote on the same date a year earlier before writing today's lines. ### What is the best one line a day journal? Chronicle Books' One Line a Day is the original of the format and the simplest, with an entry for five successive years on each page. Chronicle says the series has sold over 3 million copies. ### Which five-year journal has prompts? Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal, from Potter Style. Each of its 365 dated pages asks one question and leaves five short answer spaces, one per year. ### Can you start a five-year journal in the middle of the year? Yes, with an undated book. The Leuchtturm1917 Some Lines a Day and Q&A a Day print the year as 20__, so you start on today's page. The Hobonichi 5-Year Techo prints 2027 to 2031 and starts on January 1, 2027. ### Which five-year journal is best for fountain pens? The Midori 5-Year Diary, whose MD Paper retailers and reviewers describe as resisting bleed-through. The Hobonichi's Tomoe River paper also takes ink well but is thin, so writing shows through. We haven't tested them ourselves. ### What is the smallest five-year journal? Of these five, the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo A6 is the shortest and thinnest, at 153 × 113 × 25 mm and about 330 g, per Hobonichi. Chronicle's One Line a Day is narrower, with a 3.75 in trim, but a retailer lists it 34 mm thick. ### Does a five-year journal have a page for February 29? It depends on the book. Leuchtturm1917 lists 365 pages and Q&A a Day 365 questions; a retailer lists the Midori 5-Year Diary with 366 diary pages. Check the listing if you start in a leap year. ## Sources - [Chronicle Books: One Line a Day, A Five-Year Memory Book (372 pages, 3.75 × 6.125 in, published September 2, 2009, ISBN 9780811870191; series over 3 million copies)](https://chroniclebooks.com/products/one-line-a-day-a-five-year-memory-book) - [Hardie Grant Gift: One Line a Day (102 × 165 × 34 mm)](https://www.hardiegrantgift.com.au/books/one-line-a-day-9780811870191) - [Papeterie Makkura: Midori 5-Year Diary, Black (H185 × W117 × D25 mm, 366 pages 6 mm lined + 3 appendix pages, MD paper, made in Japan)](https://papeterie-makkura.fr/en/diaries/5473-midori-5-year-diary-black-12396006-4902805123969.html) - [Circle Tape: Midori 5-Year Diary Gate Mini (H154 × W117 × D24 mm, 366 pages of MD PAPER, 7 mm ruled)](https://circletape.com/en/products/gate-mini-red-5-year-diary) - [Hunter Paper Co.: Midori 5 Year Diary Gate Mini, Light Green (US listing)](https://hunterpaperco.com/products/midori-5-year-diary-gate-mini-light-green) - [Well-Appointed Desk: Planner review, Midori MD 5-Year Diaries (January 3, 2023)](https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2023/01/planner-review-midori-md-5-year-diaries/) - [Wonder Pens: On keeping a multi-year journal, featuring the Midori 3-Year and Hobonichi 5-Year](https://wonderpens.ca/blogs/on-writing/on-keeping-a-multi-year-journal-featuring-the-midori-3-year-and-hobonichi-5-year) - [Leuchtturm1917 (Germany): Some Lines A Day, Das Fünfjahresbuch (article 801018, €31.95, 145 × 210 mm, 365 pages, 80 g/m²)](https://www.leuchtturm1917.de/some-lines-a-day.html) - [Leuchtturm1917 (US): Some Lines a Day (Medium A5, 5.75 × 8.25 in, 365 pages, 80 gsm FSC paper)](https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/products/some-lines-a-day) - [Penguin Random House: Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal (ISBN 9780307719775, 368 pages, November 23, 2010)](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205314/qanda-a-day-by-potter-style/9780307719775) - [Hobonichi: 5-Year Techo Japanese Book (2027–2031), A6 (size, weight, pages, price)](https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/2027/pc/detail_cover/fb27_s_jan/) - [ほぼ日手帳 2027: ほぼ日５年手帳（2027-2031）A6（153 × 113 × 25 mm、約330 g、752ページ、4,620円 税込）](https://www.1101.com/store/techo/ja/2027/pc/detail_cover/fb27_s_jan/)