The English version of the Japanese planner, Hobonichi Techo, was first introduced in 2013. This year – once again under the direction of Sonya Park, owner of the select shop ARTS&SCIENCE – we’ve fine-tuned the planner, creating a simple, refined design that’s easy to use by anyone, anywhere in the world.

Similar to its Japanese counterpart, the planner features a format with a page devoted to each day. There’s lots of space to plan the day ahead and to record your memories and activities. Think of the pages as containers for random ideas – with a clear record of the date. Paste magazine clips, ticket stubs, photos . . . your imagination is the limit . . . to make the planner something completely unique.

First-time users are often surprised by the planner’s special stitch binding that allows it to open and lay completely flat. Whereas readers of novels, for example, don’t need to open them 180 degrees, for someone who carries their planner everywhere and may want to jot something down at any time, this is a huge convenience.

From the heartfelt to the humorous to the whimsical, each spread of the planner features a quote from Sonya Park or one selected from the parent site, the Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shimbun.

The planner pages are printed on the same paper used for the Japanese version. This thin, light paper, called Tomoe River paper, is strong and resistant to bleeding – an ideal choice for a planner. It’s the reason why the 450-page Hobonichi Planner is so compact.