This is not one thing you may see in Japanese planners. As an alternative, you are given extra free area to write down in your individual issues like every day behavior trackers or a every day schedule, fairly than having these sections pre-made for you. You can even construct a planner with completely different workbooks, just like the Jibun Techo First Package, which is harking back to refillable Filofax-style methods however with a a lot cooler aesthetic.
As I obtained used to utilizing Japanese planners, I discovered I really want their open-ended customization. If my objectives change in the course of the 12 months, I am not locked into an idea I cooked up in January—it provides me a real contemporary begin for every month, week, and day unfold.
Which Ones Are Price Shopping for?
I’ve tried just a few completely different Japanese planners this previous 12 months. Listed here are those I am going to preserve utilizing in 2026.
Hobonichi
Whereas Hobonichi’s beloved flagship is undoubtedly the OG Techo, I really like my Techo Cousin. It provides a weekly unfold on the entrance of the planner, and the A5 dimension is right for me to have sufficient area to write down out my every day must-haves. This consists of my work to-dos, my private to-dos, my behavior tracker, and my schedule for the day, and there is nonetheless room for different miscellaneous lists or musings with no need to crack out an additional pocket book.
The common Techo is cheaper because it skips out on the weekly unfold part (which you actually do not want, because it’s within the entrance of the ebook, separate from the every day spreads, and straightforward to overlook about). It is also a little bit smaller—A6 dimension as an alternative of A5. I actually just like the A5 dimension, however the common Techo is a superb and reasonably priced place to start out if you wish to see if Japanese planners are for you.
Kokuyo Jibun
As somebody who already has a favourite weekly planner, I used to be stunned to search out myself falling in love with the Kokuyo Jibun Techo. I obtained the 2026 First Package, which included the final two months of 2025, so I’ve already been capable of begin testing it out in my every day life. It is a rarity amongst Japanese planners in that it has three notebooks constructed into it: Diary, Life, and Concepts. The Diary is the true planner half with month-to-month and weekly spreads, plus different pages like a ebook checklist, cash tracker, and undertaking tracker (which has develop into my behavior tracker). The Life booklet has extra immediate pages, like 100 Needs and locations to trace details about your life, together with a password supervisor and anniversaries checklist, and area to log your life occasions between ages 0 and 99. Lastly, the Concepts pocket book within the again is simply grid paper the place you may write lists and concepts to your coronary heart’s content material.
All three books are interlaid within the cowl to sit down as one planner, however you may take away one and refill it any time. It is a actually helpful system, particularly as somebody who will certainly have to refill the Concepts booklet earlier than the 12 months is up. I’ve obtained the B6 slim dimension, and it has been a very nice dimension to suit onto my desk.
Midori
The Midori notebooks are common—particularly, these with MD paper. It is described as versatile, and the paper does really feel a lot versatile, nevertheless it additionally feels a little bit thicker and extra akin to an everyday pocket book than the super-thin paper you may get on a Hobonichi or Kokuyo Jibun planner. It is nonetheless a little bit smoother to the contact than my American planners, although the paper weight feels related.
I am testing each the MD Diary and the Stand+ pocket book, and I actually like how the Stand+ is created to face up by itself; it makes for a way more enjoyable method to view my to-do checklist. There is a month-to-month calendar on the entrance after which grid paper pages afterward for freeform notes and lists. The Diary has an identical really feel to it and an identical design, however as an alternative of grid paper, it has traces. The traces are broad, which is good when you have giant handwriting, nevertheless it would not really feel like sufficient area for me given how small the pocket book is.
Are These Planners Accessible Solely in Japanese?
In case you fear that you simply will not be capable to learn the Japanese characters in a Japanese planner, excellent news! A few of these planners even have English variations or use English phrases. The Hobonichi has English variations on Amazon, and the Jibun Techo makes use of English titles on its pages. For the Jibun, I nonetheless should lookup some translations for the reason that descriptions underneath these titles are in Japanese, however I can often infer learn how to use a web page from the title and design. JetPens has a complete web page devoted to translating the Jibun Techo right here.
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