This isn’t something you’ll see in Japanese planners. Instead, you’re given more free space to write in your own things like daily habit trackers or a daily schedule, rather than having those sections pre-made for you. You can also build a planner with different workbooks, like the Jibun Techo First Kit, which is reminiscent of refillable Filofax-style systems but with a much cooler aesthetic.
As I got used to using Japanese planners, I found I actually prefer their open-ended customization. If my goals change during the year, I’m not locked into a concept I cooked up in January—it gives me a true fresh start for each month, week, and day spread.
Which Ones Are Worth Buying?
I’ve tried a few different Japanese planners this past year. Here are the ones I’ll keep using in 2026.
Hobonichi
While Hobonichi’s beloved flagship is undoubtedly the OG Techo, I love my Techo Cousin. It adds a weekly spread at the front of the planner, and the A5 size is ideal for me to have enough space to write out my daily must-haves. This includes my work to-dos, my personal to-dos, my habit tracker, and my schedule for the day, and there’s still room for other miscellaneous lists or musings without needing to crack out an extra notebook.
The regular Techo is cheaper since it skips out on the weekly spread section (which you really don’t need, since it’s in the front of the book, separate from the daily spreads, and easy to forget about). It’s also a little smaller—A6 size instead of A5. I really like the A5 size, but the regular Techo is a great and affordable place to start if you want to see if Japanese planners are for you.
Kokuyo Jibun
As someone who already has a favorite weekly planner, I was surprised to find myself falling in love with the Kokuyo Jibun Techo. I got the 2026 First Kit, which included the last two months of 2025, so I’ve already been able to start testing it out in my daily life. It’s a rarity among Japanese planners in that it has three notebooks built into it: Diary, Life, and Ideas. The Diary is the true planner part with monthly and weekly spreads, plus other pages like a book list, money tracker, and project tracker (which has become my habit tracker). The Life booklet has more prompt pages, like 100 Wishes and places to track information about your life, including a password manager and anniversaries list, and space to log your life events between ages 0 and 99. Finally, the Ideas notebook in the back is just grid paper where you can write lists and ideas to your heart’s content.
All three books are interlaid in the cover to sit as one planner, but you can remove one and refill it any time. It’s a really handy system, especially as someone who will definitely need to refill the Ideas booklet before the year is up. I’ve got the B6 slim size, and it’s been a really nice size to fit onto my desk.
Midori
The Midori notebooks are popular—specifically, those with MD paper. It’s described as versatile, and the paper does feel plenty versatile, but it also feels a little thicker and more akin to a regular notebook than the super-thin paper you’ll get on a Hobonichi or Kokuyo Jibun planner. It’s still a little smoother to the touch than my American planners, though the paper weight feels similar.
I’m testing both the MD Diary and the Stand+ notebook, and I really like how the Stand+ is created to stand up on its own; it makes for a much more fun way to view my to-do list. There’s a monthly calendar at the front and then grid paper pages afterward for freeform notes and lists. The Diary has a similar feel to it and a similar design, but instead of grid paper, it has lines. The lines are wide, which is nice if you have large handwriting, but it doesn’t feel like enough space for me given how small the notebook is.
Are These Planners Available Only in Japanese?
If you worry that you won’t be able to read the Japanese characters in a Japanese planner, good news! Some of these planners also have English versions or use English phrases. The Hobonichi has English versions on Amazon, and the Jibun Techo uses English titles on its pages. For the Jibun, I still have to look up some translations since the descriptions under those titles are in Japanese, but I can usually infer how to use a page from the title and design. JetPens has an entire page dedicated to translating the Jibun Techo here.
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