Hobonichi Notebook grid A6

The Hobonichi graph notebook is a simple, thread-bound notebook from Japan – filled with the Tomoe River paper renowned from the Hobonichi Techo, weighing 52 g/m². The paper is silk-smooth, feather-light and surprisingly fade-resistant: fountain pen inks flow without feathering or show-through, and display their shading and sheening effects with particular clarity on this surface. In A5 format, the slim 10 mm notebook holds 288 pages; the A6 variant contains 240 pages at 8 mm thick.

Features

• Tomoe River paper, 52 g/m²: The paper weighs roughly half as much as standard notebook paper – the result is a handy notebook that feels barely heavier than a paperback. Despite this thinness, it exhibits high opacity: text and drawings on the front show very little through to the back, so two-sided writing works perfectly.
• Acid-free paper for lasting archival: Tomoe River paper is acid-free and pH-neutral – pages won't yellow and remain stable for decades. Those wishing to preserve sketches, notes or calligraphy practice long-term will find a dependable archival format here.
• Thread binding for flat opening: The robust thread binding allows completely flat opening – both sides of a spread lie evenly without the book springing back. Particularly noticeable when writing close to the spine or drawing across a spread.
• 3.7 mm grid in four alternating colours: The grid matches that of the original Hobonichi Techo. Every 60 pages, the grid line changes colour – red, blue, green, purple. This makes it easy to divide the notebook thematically or quickly relocate specific sections without tabs or stickers.
• Compatible with Hobonichi Techo covers: The A6 format fits precisely all covers for the Hobonichi Techo Original and Planner; the A5 format fits the Hobonichi Techo Cousin covers. Covers can continue to be used when the inner pages are refilled.

Use & Tips

• Fountain pens and wet inks: Tomoe River paper is optimised for fountain pen inks – nibs glide smoothly across the slick surface with minimal resistance. Intense, wet inks dry more slowly on this paper, but in return display particularly vibrant colour gradations and sheening effects. For left-handers, faster-drying inks are recommended.
• Drawing and sketching: Fine markers, fineliners and ink work well. Alcohol-based markers are less suited to Tomoe River, as the even flow on this surface doesn't perform as well as on conventional drawing paper.
• Pencil and ballpoint: The paper works reliably with pencil and ballpoint as well. Oil-based ballpoint refills and fast-drying gel refills harmonise well, since longer drying times are not a concern here.
• Organise multiple notebooks thematically: If you use the notebook thematically – one for text, one for sketches, one for notes – you can use the four grid colours as internal chapter markers and manage multiple notebooks within the same cover system.
• Complement to the Hobonichi Techo: This notebook complements the Hobonichi Techo sensibly: as a free writing and drawing book with no pre-printed date fields, yet offering the same paper quality and format.

For Fountain Pen Enthusiasts

Tomoe River 52 g/m² is one of the few papers that showcases fountain pen inks in their full character: shading emerges with particular clarity due to low ink absorption, sheening inks form the typical shimmer effects on the smooth, non-absorbent surface. Those testing sheening or heavily shading inks often experience different results on Tomoe River than on more absorbent papers. Important to know: drying time is longer than with more absorbent papers – if you write with broad, wet nibs or stub nibs, you should allow the paper sufficient drying time before your hand passes over the writing. The paper is not document-proof with all inks; pigmented fountain pen inks and document-proof inks (e.g. carbon-based) generally work, but should be tested on a separate sheet before use.

Technical Specifications