Hobonichi Techo Original: A6 Daily Planner & Paper
The Hobonichi Techo Original is an A6 page-a-day planner from Tokyo's Hobonichi. The 2027 English edition has 464 pages of thin Tomoe River paper with a 3.7 mm grid, measures 148 × 105 × 15 mm, weighs about 195 g, and lists at ¥2,860 (about US$18) in Hobonichi's store. Covers are sold separately.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Hobonichi Techo Original Book, A6, 2027 (English or Japanese; January or April start)
- Brand
- Hobonichi
- Brand origin
- Japan
- Made in
- Not stated*
- Material
- Tomoe River paper (Tomoe River S since the 2024 edition), thread-sewn binding
- Released
- October 2001*
- Price range
- $$$$20–75 per notebook
Notes on these facts
- Made by Hobonichi Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Country of manufacture not stated: Hobonichi's Japanese store listing for the 2027 English Original gives size, weight, pages and paper but no country of manufacture (it names one only for a free charm, made in China), and we found no retailer spec sheet that states it for the Original Book. Hunter Paper Co. says its Original Avec book is made in Japan by Hobonichi, but that is a different product. Check the back of the book. Price: example listing. Released: Hobonichi's history page gives October 5, 2001 as the release date of the first edition, the 2002 Techo.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
- The 2027 English Original measures 148 × 105 × 15 mm (about 5.8 × 4.1 × 0.6 in) and weighs about 195 g, per Hobonichi's Japanese store.
- It has 464 pages; Hobonichi counts 377 in the daily section, January 1 to December 31, 2027.
- The graph grid is 3.7 mm; the monthly calendar pages use a 3.45 mm grid.
- Hobonichi lists the 2027 English January-start Original Book at ¥2,860 (about US$18) including tax; US shops charge more, which puts it in our $$$ band ($20–75 per notebook).
- The idea came from a spring 2001 meeting; more than 700 readers of Shigesato Itoi's website voted to make it.
What is the Hobonichi Techo Original?
The Hobonichi Techo Original is an A6 planner with one page for every day of the year, printed on thin Tomoe River paper. It is made by Hobonichi, the Tokyo company behind the website Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, which writer Shigesato Itoi started in 1998.
Hobonichi’s history page says the planner was proposed at a meeting in spring 2001. More than 700 readers answered a poll in favor, and the first edition, an A6 book of Tomoe River paper with a navy nylon cover, went on sale on October 5, 2001, in a run of 12,000 copies.
Hobonichi Techo Original specs
| Spec | 2027 English Original Book (January start) |
|---|---|
| Size | A6: 148 × 105 × 15 mm (5.8 × 4.1 × 0.6 in) |
| Weight | About 195 g (6.9 oz) |
| Pages | 464 in total; 377 in the daily section (January 1 to December 31, 2027) |
| Paper | Tomoe River (Tomoe River S since the 2024 edition) |
| Grid | 3.7 mm (monthly calendars 3.45 mm) |
| Binding | Thread-sewn (糸かがり製本); opens flat to 180° |
| Corners | Rounded |
| Calendars | Yearly calendars for 2026, 2027 and 2028; monthly calendars December 2026 to March 2028 |
| Memo pages | 17 |
| Week start | Monday |
| List price | ¥2,860 (about US$18) including tax (Hobonichi store) |
| Made in | Not stated |
All figures come from Hobonichi’s Japanese store listing for the 2027 English Original (手帳本体オリジナル 英語版), which notes that sizes vary slightly from book to book. Hobonichi’s 2026 Japanese guide gives the same 464 pages for the 2026 edition. The Japanese edition adds national holidays, and in 2026 it had 15 memo pages to the English edition’s 17.
Why does the Hobonichi Techo use Tomoe River paper?
Tomoe River is thin enough to fit 464 pages into a 15 mm book, and the thread-sewn binding lets it lie flat. Hobonichi has used it since the first edition. From the 2024 edition it switched to Tomoe River S: Hobonichi’s Japanese site says it bleeds through less, dries faster and is lighter at the same thickness, making the Original book about 5% lighter on average.
Thin paper shows writing from the other side of the page, which many users call ghosting. Hobonichi’s store warns that some pens and inks may feather, show through or dry slowly, and suggests a test or a pencil board; we haven’t measured it.
What is on a daily page?
Each day gets one full A6 page with a 3.7 mm grid. Hobonichi has refined the grid over time: its history page says the second edition enlarged it from 3 mm to 4 mm squares, the 2009 edition shrank it to 3.45 mm, and the 2010 edition settled on 3.7 mm.
The grid lets you write in lines, make lists or sketch without a fixed ruling. On a page of 105 × 148 mm, a 3.7 mm grid fits about 28 squares across and 40 down. Hobonichi’s Transparent Dot Stickers come in a 3.5 mm size that fits inside one square.
Which edition should you choose?
Pick the January start for a calendar year and the April start if your year begins in April. Hobonichi sells the April start only in the Japanese edition.
- Language: Hobonichi sells English and Japanese editions; the Japanese one comes with Monday- or Sunday-start calendars, the English one with Monday start and no national holidays.
- Avec: the Original also comes split into two six-month books of 240 pages each, about half the weight, per Hobonichi’s Japanese guide.
- Cover: the Original Book has no detachable cover; Hobonichi sells covers and book-and-cover sets separately.
How does it compare to other A6 and A5 notebooks?
The Original is a dated planner, while a Moleskine or Leuchtturm1917 is an undated notebook. If you want a page-a-day journal, the Techo gives each date its own page. If you want blank pages to fill at your own pace, see the Leuchtturm1917 A5, the Moleskine Classic or the Midori MD Notebook A5. To compare the Techo with other dated planners, see the best 2027 journals.
For a year of thin pages without printed dates, see the STALOGY 365Days notebook.
| Hobonichi Techo Original | Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 105 × 148 mm (A6) | 145 × 210 mm (A5) |
| Pages | 464, dated | 251, numbered, undated |
| Paper | Tomoe River | 80 g/m² |
| Price band | $$$ | $$$ |
Where is the Hobonichi Techo made?
Hobonichi doesn’t state where the Original is made on its store listing, so we list it as “Not stated”. Hunter Paper Co. says the related Avec book is made in Japan by Hobonichi. Hobonichi is a Tokyo company; check the back of the book you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What size is the Hobonichi Techo Original?
It is A6, the size of a Japanese paperback (文庫本). Hobonichi lists the 2027 Original Book at 148 × 105 × 15 mm, or about 5.8 × 4.1 inches and 0.6 inches thick.
How many pages does the Hobonichi Techo Original have?
The 2027 English Original has 464 pages, according to Hobonichi's Japanese store listing. Of those, 377 make up the daily section, which runs from January 1 to December 31, 2027, one page per day.
What paper is in the Hobonichi Techo?
Hobonichi uses Tomoe River paper, a thin, light Japanese paper. From the 2024 edition it switched to Tomoe River S, which Hobonichi says bleeds through less, dries faster and makes the book about 5% lighter.
Does the Hobonichi Techo come with a cover?
No. The Original Book is sold on its own, and Hobonichi sells covers separately, as well as book-and-cover sets.
What is the difference between the January and April start?
The January-start book runs from January to December, and the April-start book begins its daily pages in April. Hobonichi sells the April start only in Japanese; the English edition is January start.
What size is the grid in a Hobonichi Techo?
The daily pages use a 3.7 mm grid, and the monthly calendar pages use a slightly smaller 3.45 mm grid. The very first edition used 3 mm squares, and the next one 4 mm.
Where is the Hobonichi Techo made?
Hobonichi doesn't state it on its store listing for the Original, and we found no retailer spec sheet that does. Hunter Paper Co. says the related Avec book is made in Japan; Hobonichi itself is a Tokyo company.
Sources
- 手帳本体オリジナル 英語版 ［A6/1日1ページ（英語）/1月/月曜はじまり］ - ほぼ日手帳 2027 (Hobonichi Japanese store: 2027 English Original, size, weight, 464 pages, ¥2,860)
- オリジナル - 手帳タイプ別ガイド - ほぼ日手帳 2027 (Hobonichi Japanese guide to the Original: 3.7 mm grid, Tomoe River, thread-sewn binding)
- オリジナル - 手帳タイプ別ガイド - ほぼ日手帳 2026 (Hobonichi Japanese guide: editions, 464 pages, avec 240 pages each)
- トモエリバーSで手帳チームが試した！ (Hobonichi Japanese magazine, November 2023: Tomoe River S from the 2024 edition, about 5% lighter)
- オリジナル - ほぼ日手帳 全タイプ解説 2024 (Hobonichi Japanese guide: paper renewed for 2024)
- Hobonichi: Original - Techo Type Guide, 2027 (English)
- Hobonichi: History of the Hobonichi Techo (first edition October 5, 2001; grid sizes)
- Boston General Store: Hobonichi Techo Original A6, 2027 (US price, thread-stitched binding)
- Hunter Paper Co.: Hobonichi Techo Avec Book 2, 2026 (made in Japan)