This is not one thing you will see in Japanese planners. As a substitute, you are given extra free house to jot down in your individual issues like every day behavior trackers or a every day schedule, slightly than having these sections pre-made for you. It’s also possible to construct a planner with totally different workbooks, just like the Jibun Techo First Equipment, which is paying homage to refillable Filofax-style techniques however with a a lot cooler aesthetic.
As I bought used to utilizing Japanese planners, I discovered I truly favor their open-ended customization. If my targets change throughout the 12 months, I am not locked into an idea I cooked up in January—it provides me a real recent begin for every month, week, and day unfold.
Which Ones Are Value Shopping for?
I’ve tried just a few totally different Japanese planners this previous 12 months. Listed below are those I will 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 house to jot down out my every day must-haves. This contains 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 without having 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 guide, separate from the every day spreads, and straightforward to overlook about). It is also a bit smaller—A6 dimension as an alternative of A5. I actually just like the A5 dimension, however the common Techo is a good and inexpensive place to begin 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 bought the 2026 First Equipment, which included the final two months of 2025, so I’ve already been in a position to 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 guide listing, cash tracker, and challenge tracker (which has turn 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 listing, and house 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’ll be able to write lists and concepts to your coronary heart’s content material.
All three books are interlaid within the cowl to take a seat as one planner, however you’ll be able to 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 bought the B6 slim dimension, and it has been a very nice dimension to suit onto my desk.
Midori
The Midori notebooks are fashionable—particularly, these with MD paper. It is described as versatile, and the paper does really feel a lot versatile, nevertheless it additionally feels a bit thicker and extra akin to an everyday pocket book than the super-thin paper you will get on a Hobonichi or Kokuyo Jibun planner. It is nonetheless a bit smoother to the contact than my American planners, although the paper weight feels comparable.
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 option to view my to-do listing. There is a month-to-month calendar on the entrance after which grid paper pages afterward for freeform notes and lists. The Diary has the same really feel to it and the same design, however as an alternative of grid paper, it has strains. The strains are huge, which is sweet when you’ve got massive handwriting, nevertheless it would not really feel like sufficient house for me given how small the pocket book is.
Are These Planners Obtainable Solely in Japanese?
In case you fear that you just 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 beneath these titles are in Japanese, however I can normally infer how one can 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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