Hobonichi 2022 Lineup

I think it isn’t wrong to claim that Christmas does start in September because I always feel that way whenever Hobonichi starts to put up their new releases on sale. Do you not feel the same?

People who follow brand talk about the excitement and share the items they plan to get for the following year on social media, which isn’t really hard to miss. A few days after the first three days of official release, that’s when we start seeing unboxing videos on YouTube and it even gets more exciting, extending that feeling until the following month when we are all just excited to setup the items we expected to get and eventually how we all plan to use them.

I didn’t dwell much on the unboxing this year as when I did for the first time last year. I did, however, put up several chatty videos leading to how I plan to use four Hobonichi notebooks. Yes, you read that right FOUR notebooks, 4. It wasn’t my original intention to be honest, I only really really intended to use one main planner for planning but I ended up with four because this year’s releases seems to be too good to pass. Besides, I find that I could always think of ways to use stationery by watching how other people try to use it. It always seem like a good idea to experiment to see what works and what doesn’t, right?

First off, the only one thing that I thought I needed for the following year was another Hobonichi weeks notebook. I’ve found a system of using it on planning and scheduling, together with my micro 5 system planner, for anything that involves life as it happens.

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It is the first time they released a week’s version of the Liberty Fabrics and it was what got me interested in getting the Joanna Louise design for this year. But lo and behold, they also released a Loft collaboration which feature an Eric Carle special edition, particularly on his popular storybook called The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

So now, I thought of using these weeks notebook for tracking children’s growth and development, one for each kid. Somehow, I’m glad that they had the weeks version because I’m most comfortable using this layout. In addition, they also had the original cover but because Loft exclusively sells it with the original techo. Since I wanted the cover for future use, I unintentionally have a Hobonichi original notebook.

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For what use I have with this unexpected purchase, I thought of starting a daily gratitude journal instead. I’ve never started on one before although I did have something similar previously, might as well try to start on one. I wanted to keep it simple and dedicate the notebook for writing without any embellishments and kept it covered with the Galen Leather slim notebook cover in A6, perfect fit. But then, this isn’t necessarily a planner but an addition to my daily notebook routine. Plus, I also wanted to experiment on this weekly supplement as a self-care tracker which was a perfect partner for the journal. Let’s see how that goes…

Last but not the least is my daily to-do list notebook, which also doubles as a brain dump and anything to write on. It isn’t necessarily a Hobonichi notebook (I could have used the Hobonichi orginal one but it would be such a waste), but the cover is a current release that I first hesitated on getting.

Ta-da! It’s a design from my all-time long time favorite video game, Animal Crossing!!! This game became quite popular last year when Nintendo decided to release it on the Switch console but it has been available since the DS way back 2013 or earlier. it has gotten better of course, with the improved graphics and technology and what better way for them to promote it with collaborating with Hobonichi.

I don’t necessarily do dailies but I find this way of just dumping an everyday to-do list less overwhelming especially when things get a little out of hand. It’s more like bullet journaling which isn’t completely one. I find it really working for me since I started such to-do list writing and brain dumps simply at first on tiny memo pads several years back until I experimented with bullet journaling when I started working. However, I find it troublesome to prepare the BuJo layouts every time so I opted for a dated planner and somehow forgotten about the daily to-do list habit that actually worked for me. And so now that I’m back at it, the cover and the pencil board makes it motivating for me to quickly write what needs to be done no matter how monotonous it may be.

My current challenge now is how to maintain four notebooks daily, yes everyday! The other journals that I have for memory keeping, probably except for the gratitude journal and self-care tracker, I could do away without having to write an entry everyday but planners, I don’t think so. Otherwise, I could lose track of doing them and it won’t do me good especially if I’m trying to make it a habit. But of course, we all try our best and so will I 😉

How about you? What planners will you be keeping for 2022? Let me know of any ideas you may have by leaving a comment in this post. It’s always good to know how people use these things since as well all know, planner systems isn’t always constant LOL. If you want to watch a video of me showing these goodies, you can check out the YouTube upload in this link >> Hobonichi 2022 Lineup

~ヾ(＾∇＾) Happy brewing!

-Louie

Chibi Maruko is *heart*

Yes, it’s the long most awaited release for the 2021st edition and it’s one that shouldn’t be missed, for me at least. Why? Because who doesn’t like pink and a soft pink at that? Also because, who isn’t a fan of Chibi Maruko-chan? Probably just me and others who still continue to watch every Sunday. But, who cares right?

Beginning October 1st, Hobonichi released their animé design series, which mostly included very nostalgic animé titles, i.e., Ranma 1/2, Astroboy, another release of Doraemon and last but not the very least Chibi Maruko-chan! If you’re not familiar with these titles, go check them out.

I think I went all out with my second purchase but that’s because I was mostly buying gifts for friends and I’m really fond of the Hobonichi Weeks that I wanted to share the love~ ❤

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First up, let’s talk about the Weeks. I just had to get a clear cover for it because the planner cover is just too delicately pretty to be smudged with anything. The front cover has the 2021 gold foil print on it and the back cover has the similar design. Inside you’ll find the vinyl pocket you could stick on the planner for your inserts as well as a card size paper explaining what the animé is (this is also same for the Sesame Street design).

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Next up is the Hobonichi original cover, Chibi Maruko-chan version! I’m not really using the original planner and to be honest, I had a hard time deciding on this. However, the very mention of necktie fabric cover which I really liked with my previous and current Weeks didn’t stand a chance. Then again, the pink just won me over. The embroidered design feels and the cover overall feels good to touch. The mandala design on the front cover is looking totally zen. And guess what? It comes with a free sticker, yay!

If you’re not familiar with Chibi Maruko-chan, it is an old school manga by Momoko Sakura who passed away two summers ago, bless her soul. I’m not familiar with the manga really but I regularly watch the series still airing every Sunday. The main character itself is a funny grade schooler and her experiences with her grandpa always humors me (I probably miss my grandpas). Anyhow, check it out as it might just humor you like it does to me. Especially during this time, we simply need a good laugh once in a while.

Additional purchases I did were the classic black with white stripe and cherry blossom colored Weeks that were in vinyl and thin book covers, respectively. I wasn’t really into the current clear cover designs but I found they still continue to sell the cute one with pastel colored circles on it. So I got that for the cherry blossom because it will be disheartening if it will be tainted. I didn’t pass up on the original Chibi Maruko-chan pencil board because I was exhilarated with the Weeks version that I first bought and I thought I just had to get the other size too! I also got extra blue and black refills for the Jetstream tri-colored pen that came with the 2020 planner because surprisingly, I used up both and I just can’t stand using the red one normally (kinda hurts my eyes).

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On my recent discovery, I found this pen glue with the same brand as the roller adhesive tape that I’m currently using and I was just curious how it works and if it works. Oh yes, it did work and does a good job at cleanly covering edges to paste.

So that’s it for my quick sharing of Chibi Maruko-chan ❤ and I hope you enjoyed reading my take on this, whatever it was. Since I already have the all-rounder Sesame Street Weeks from the first release for 2021, I’d probably have to make the Chibi Maruko-chan Weeks version as my mindfulness journal. I haven’t really gotten into that practice but I’d like to try and see how it will do me good. What about you? What type of planners do you use and what do you use them for? I’d like to know what other potential planners are available and how other use them. Comment below your thoughts ❤

~ヾ(＾∇＾) Happy brewing!

-Louie

Ready for 2021?

Hobonichi started releasing their new editions for 2021 beginning September 1st and I didn’t pass up on it as last year I kinda missed some of the nice items, which unfortunately ran out as I did my purchase

For those unfamiliar with Hobonichi, aka Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, is a Japanese company that began the craze on what now everybody calls around the world as “techo”. It isn’t really a new word as it is the actual Japanese term for “diary” but lately it has caught up globally, much like how everybody calls animé for Japanese cartoons and ramen for Japanese noodles. Now, every year since 1998 when they began on pushing the techo habit of journalling or just writing down anything, they’ve perfected the original techo as to how it is now and introduced other planners, i.e., the Hobonichi weeks, which I prefer over the original one. Let’s get it!

First up is my go-to planner, which has become my favorite since I got one last year, the Hobonichi weeks planner! If you’re a 90s kid growing up with Sesame Street, you’d know that they recently celebrated their 50th year anniversary and I’m so glad they collaborated with Hobinichi to create a yet nostalgic planner of my favorite layout. Yay!

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You’ll see all the Sesame Street goodness from the planner cover to the endsheets until the back cover. Just…how…cool…is…that?! The weeks came with a free vinyl pocket with adhesive that you could stick inside the back flap of your planner. This time, it came with an info card about Sesame Street, written both in English and Japanese. As usual, all purchases of Hobonichi planners come with a free pen, also one of my favorites and most recommended pen for left-handers, the Uni Jetstream!!! (more screaming here)

Speaking of free pens, this year, they introduced the Fude pen, which unfortunately only comes free with a purchase of an original techo. ( I got one for a friend, so yay, I get the free Fude pen for that)

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“Fude” is Japanese for a “writing brush”, comparable to a calligraphy brush pen. But this one is felt brush pen that Japanese typically use for writing addresses on envelopes or messages on the hanshi paper or the Japanese calligraphy paper. This one comes in a set of 10 pieces of hanshi paper, small ones, you could use to write some message or quotes or words to live by, to add onto your daily journaling whatever-it-is-that-you-journal thingy. Then again, this is a Hobonichi-custom pen in collaboration with Pentel, which again, I highly, very very highly, recommend if you’d like to get on with brush calligraphy or lettering. Their Fude pen touch line is a wonder, really, get one now please. Another one of my favorites of all time, yay!

I’m not really into pencil boards to be honest, as I find that only kids normally use that. But this year, as it has become a special year for Hobonichi (20th year annivesary? wow!), they made their design releases very attractive for me that I was totally convinced to get my self pencil boards!!!

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Hurray for pencil boards! Because really, who would pass up on the Japan only available Chibi Marukochan and Sesame Street cool designs? Yes, I got sucked in that I decided I need pencil boards for my Weeks planner and my B6 size notebook. I stopped using the original techo by the way, simply because I find it appalling that I’m pressured (kinda) to fill the pages every day or end up wasting paper and money. However, the techo cover was a good purchase for me since I was able to use it to cover my Stalogy all-purpose work notebook, so yay, I didn’t waste money on that somehow ridiculously expensive cover.

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The good thing about pencil boards, which I now have discovered, is that it works perfectly as a marker for the current page you need to open when you want to open to that page immediately. The string bookmarks aren’t necessarily handy as I always fumble through them whenever I need to open the recent page I need. I find, though, that they were useful for other pages I navigate to less frequently such as the monthly calendar and memo pages in the Weeks (thumbs up!)

That’s it for the Hobonichi haul for the September release from me. More to come on their October release of the anime edition of the weeks and other things in my next post! Let me know in the comments below what you plan on getting for this year, Hobonichi aside.

~ヾ(＾∇＾) Happy brewing!

-Louie