For some, today is Labor Day, the last official day of summer but, for stationery nerds, its Hobonichi Day or the official start of 2026 planner season.
Whether you have been clicking reload on the Hobonichi web site for the last month or have been waiting for the release of your favorite planner brand for the new year,
For US Hobonichi fans, I recommend purchasing your new planner from one of the US importers like JetPens, Yoseka or Dromgoole’s. They will have already handled all the potential tariffs so your new planner will be delivered domestically without additional stops with customs agents.
For more information about the tariff situation and the price increases, check out this video: Hobonichi Just Got Pricier: What US Buyers Must Know
If you are looking for a Hobonichi alternative, don’t forget to check one of the many other planner brands on the market that will be released in the next month or so like:
There are so many other brands out there. What is your favorite planner? Are you planning to use the same planner in 2026 so switch it up?
I have experimented with different planner brands for the last seven years and narrowed it down to Hobonichi Avec and Weeks for me and Day-Free for my DIL.
She’s got one daughter, a senior in high school, plus working on her associates degree, that will be double graduating next spring. And there’s also the senior trip.
The other daughter is about to be proposed to and is moving halfway across the country while working on her master’s degree.
Plus she also has her own life and work to keep track of.
After weighing my lack of choices in covers for the Day-Free, I bought some empty last year’s A5 for her from JetPens.
I went with the Hobonichi store for a new 5-Year and cover packed with the Avec. I didn’t want to be stuck with extra books that I may not be able to unload.
Pricing between the two sites was about the same considering if I went with JetPens I would have had to buy extra books.