The Hobonichi Hype - What is a hobonichi planner and how you can fake it!

Lately I have seen everyone using a hobonichi. I didn’t know much about them so when hunting into more about the hype that surrounded them and this is what I found! I have seen more and more of these sorts of spreads in my feeds, so thought it was time to uncover what all this hobonichi hype was about! So I set off to find out… “what is a hobonichi planner”?

As a complete newbie I had to do some research into what the hobonichi was, so here is what I learnt and maybe it helps some other newbies!

It was kinda like that time I researched #studygram!

What is a hobonichi planner?

The hobonichi is a planner that was designed and created in 2001, with the intention of being an innovative design and have really good functionality. It was created by Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun. The hobonichi is also affectionally called a “Hobo”. You can find tones of examples on instagram under the #hobonichi

The planner consists mainly as a dated planner, with differing sizes. The most popular however seems to be the Hobonichi Weeks, Wallet size, which can easily be added to a persons travel notebook. That flexibility makes it an easy planner to use.

It is similar in some ways to a bullet journal, but has grids instead of bullets, which may annoy some die hard bujo’ers. The paper is known to be relatively thin, and while doesn’t bleed to much, has some serious ghosting, much like the LT19

How do you use a Hobonichi?

Considering the dates are already planned out for you like a regular planner, it is pretty straight forward using the “hobo”. Unlike using a bullet journal, there isn’t really the flexibility associated with the spread layouts until you come to using stickers and washi tape!

Why are there all these cute sticker pages on the Hobonichi?

This seems to be the awesomeness that makes “hobo’s” amazing. Even though the planner is dated, you can use the stickers to create weeks as you need them. Naturally the Japanese are brilliant at making everything cute, adorable and “wantable” – so would we expect anything less with a planner? The spreads created are amazing and it makes me want to be so creative and create tones of stickers for the hobonichi weeks!

The stickers make it really easy to change up the feel and vibe of your hobo planner and keeps it feeling fresh and fun! For me personally I find the spreads in a hobonichi really cluttered and too busy. I like a messy or cluttered spread, but I think its just a bit too small of a space for me.

Where can I find stickers for my Hobonichi?

There are literally tons of stores that sell hobonichi stickers! I found a few of my personal favourites that I thought I would share!

Rose K paper Co

Honey B Co

Sum Lil Things

Here are some hobonichi featured spreads to get you started:

This spread is simple, cute and really sweet!

This very feminine spread is not as bust as some of the others and I quite like the simplicity, it seems to leave a lot of space for someone to write!

I are that this spread is shark week themed! How sweet is that!

What is a Fauxbonichi?

For those of us that don’t have the budget to buy a hobo, you can create your own. To create your own in your bullet journal, you can fold the pages in half and use lines on the page to mimic the hobo.

Many many many happy planners use the mini and half pages as spreads for their fauxbonichis. (also called the happynichi! CUTE!) They are easy to recreate in your own planner or journal and defiantly with a try!

Check out our little video here on how to make your own fauxbonichi in your happy planner or your bullet journal!

How did I make my own Fauxbonichi Spread in my bullet journal?

As a beginner to hobonichi weeks I went over to Pinterest and downloaded some free stickers – I got mine from @lahlaland

I cut myself a dutch door to the size of the stickers
I then used the stickers to guide the sizing of the smaller spread on my bullet journal
Then I scaled the size up somewhat to meet the full size of my A5 notebook, to create a cohesive spread
I finished the spread off with some washi tape and additional stickers.