It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Hobonichi Techo. As an artist and planner (aka worrier), keeping track of my daily and weekly tasks is both a joy and a necessity.
And one of my favorite things to do as the year turns over is to fill my techo with my thoughts and wishes for the new year.
Carrying over plans for the new year and putting my old planner away feels like turning over a new leaf. So explore the 5 ways I’m using my Hobonichi Techo this year, and take some ideas for your own journal!
Deciding on a Techo
You may already know that the new Hobonichi Techo designs are released in September.
But all throughout August, the official website also teases the next year’s designs. And one of the hardest things about choosing a techo is picking between all the amazing, unique designs.
So I had to get mine as soon as possible after seeing all the gorgeous designs. I ordered mine around the end of September, 2025.
I was particularly drawn to the designs by Yumi Kitagishi, Kyohei Sakaguchi, and the Tamagotchi designs. While I’m a big fan of Shigesato Itoi’s Mother series, those designs didn’t stand out to me this year.
I’ve also been on a Liberty Fabrics kick lately, choosing their designs for both my 2024 and 2025 techos. So this year I checked out their offering, but the fabric’s design just didn’t call to me.
I still use my Comodo Flat Pen Case every day, though, so I still get to enjoy the delicate floral pattern. It’s a very convenient size, and holds more than I expected it to. Plus it can fit on my planner or notebook for convenience. Love it.
My 2026 Hobonichi Techo
This year, I decided to go with Yumi Kitagishi’s “White Cat’s Daily Life” Weeks design.
In the end, I was most excited by this fun, whimsical techo. I’ve seen her designs in the past and knew that eventually I’d go for one sooner or later.
I got the Weeks version again this year, since it’s just the right size for my everyday to-do without requiring me to fill a daily page. Using a planner as an adult has consistently been less stressful than when I was filling up a whole page with homework assignments.
That being said, to try more journaling, I also got the Day-Free planner. And if you want to know more about the difference between the techos, check out my guide explaining the difference between the Hobonichi techo types.
I noticed that when I fill out my Weeks techo, there are often large gaps between events. Then, when a trip or occasion comes up, I just want to write a ton about it.
So for normal plans and appointments, I plan to use the Weeks. But for special events, I want to keep a journal and ephemera in the Day-Free. I’m even attempting a mood board collage in it.
Receiving the Techo
As usual, the packaging of the stationery items was impeccable, wrapped carefully, and delivered shockingly quickly.
When you order through the official Hobonichi website, you also get a free Uni Jetstream pen while supplies last. I love getting freebies– who doesn’t?
Along with the planners came their yearly pamphlet. This year’s theme was “You love you”, which is cute.
They always try to theme their yearly release, so not only do the planners feel special, but their design rollout through August does, too.
You can also get your yearly fortune on their website, which was a fun little bonus.
And sometime early this year, Hobonichi is supposed to be releasing an app for journaling, too.
You get a little coupon for it when you order your physical planner from their site… not sponsored lol.
I’m excited to try it, though.
The Pencil Boards
While I wanted to try out some of their extra stationery items like stickers and stuff, I instead opted for a couple of pencil boards instead.
Although I am interested in their index stickers, I still have a huge backlog of regular stickers and such, so I skipped them this year. Maybe I’ll buy them sometime later and give ’em a try.
When I first heard of pencil boards, I was skeptical. We don’t use them in the US, and at first, I didn’t understand their use case. But in reality, they’re great for both blocking pencil lead from transferring and preventing ink from bleeding through.
In addition to preventing bleed-through, they can also provide a solid writing surface in your planner, especially if you use a lot of stickers or ephemera, which can cause your pen to skip.
Japanese students use pencil boards to get crisp lines when writing kanji. Once I realized how they were meant to be used, I wanted to get one myself.
So, I got the Tamagotchi design for my weeks, and a Hiroko Kubota design for my Day-Free planner. They’re both made of Yupo paper – paper made from synthetic materials. While I don’t personally enjoy Yupo for art applications like watercolor, it makes a good, sturdy pencil board that has a natural tooth, similar to paper.
Another thing I like about these is the inclusion of a ruler on the side. Its sturdy Yupo construction makes it a great straight-line guide. And not having to pull out an extra ruler for it is a nice plus.
1. Tracking My Mood Daily
This year, I’m taking a page out of the bullet-journaling playbook. While I’ve never been good at consistently tracking my mood, I’m giving it a try this year.
Conveniently, in the 2026 Hobonichi’s back pages, there’s a new section for marking each day of the year!
While you could simply check off each spot, I’m using it as an easy guide for marking my mood daily. My system is easy. No special assigned colors or stickers, just:
◎ = great
○ = good/fine
△ = meh
X = bad
This way, no matter the location or situation, I can mark my emotions that day. I want to see how my year shapes up and if I can get any insights into my emotions.
2. Keeping Track of My 5-Year Goals
I’ve been keeping a 5-year list since I was a freshman in high school. Originally, it was an assignment for one of my classes.
Though I complied and made the list, I thought it was a ridiculous exercise. How wrong I was. By the time I’d graduated and was going through my things to move to college, I found the list again.
To my profound surprise, I had completed almost all of the goals there. And ever since, I’ve kept a 5-year goal list. I don’t worry about finishing everything, and it’s awesome to look back and see what I was able to do. It also helps me stay aligned with my values.
Your five-year list doesn’t have to be long either, just something to aspire to in the coming years.
3. Taking Stock of Tarot
One of my absolute favorite things to do in the New Year is to do a tarot spread. For the past couple of years, I’ve used Yoshi Yoshitani’s Tarot of the Divine to do their 12-month spread.
While you could stick with a simple 4 or 5-card spread, I like to use it as a guide when I’m feeling down during the year. It’s also really fun to look back on the months and see what fit and what didn’t.
And of course, it’s nice to look ahead and try to prepare for harder turns of events. Though tarot is just a tool, I like using it for self-reflection.
In addition to just marking down the cards themselves, I also write a blurb about each card so I can give my future self advice.
4. Recording My Books Read
Conveniently located in the back of the Hobonichi techo is a myriad of helpful pages. They range from easy measurement conversions to guides on seasonal or regional foods.
Every year, though, they also include a top 100 list. I’ve been using it recently as a book tracker. While online book-tracking websites are available, I’m always a little dissatisfied with the range of books I can choose from.
If I read a Japanese book, for example, it can be hard to find it on apps like Fable or the Storygraph.
Instead, I take note of the books I’ve read throughout the year in my planner. Of course, I use the digital ones, too, but this is just more accurate.
Plus, I get to track my progress visually. This year I’m aiming to read at least 30 books!
5. Journaling and Keeping Track of Errands
This is the most predictable way to use your techo. But it’s true; I use my planner to keep track of important dates and things to do. I also decorate it with cute stickers and doodles while doing so.
It’s actually a great way to relax and take stock of what I’m doing, while expressing my creativity in a laid-back way. It’s a book just for me, and I get to journal about things I care about without worrying if other people will see it.
For example, I love pasting ephemera like movie or park tickets inside. Even if it’s an ugly composition, or I write all over, or doodle wildly, it’s all okay.
That’s why I also got the Day-Free planner. Not necessarily to take over all of the fun journaling from the Weeks, but to paste even more stuff in. (And because I tend to run out of room in the Weeks for long explanations and reflections).
6. Manifesting my Resolutions
I’m also keeping track of my New Year’s resolutions and goals. In past years, I’ve also done New Year’s words as overarching themes to my year.
I want to have a written record of the things I’m manifesting, not just for this year, but beyond. I want to save money for trips, see my friends and family, and stay productive.
Using my techo for goal-setting and tracking what I want to do helps keep me grounded and aiming for the things I really want, not just spur-of-the-moment ideas.
So, what will you do with your Hobonichi Techo this year?
