Hobonichi Writing Pad for HON (A5)

The Hobonichi writing pad for the HON (A5) is a transparent writing pad made from synthetic paper, precisely cut to fit the A5 format of the Hobonichi Techo HON. Thanks to its smooth, rigid material, the pad sits directly under the page you're writing on and provides a stable writing surface – particularly important with the thin, lightweight Tomoe River paper used in the HON. An integrated pen holder on the edge accommodates the clip of a ballpoint or pencil, so your writing pad and pen travel together in your Techo. Printed on the surface is a 5 mm grid plus millimetre markings along the long edge and both 0.5 mm and 1/16-inch markings along the short edge.

Features

• Perfect fit for the Hobonichi HON A5: The pad is precisely aligned with the internal dimensions of the A5 HON – no slipping, no overhang.
• Transparent material: The clear surface allows the grid of the HON paper to show through and doesn't interfere with your layout.
• Protection for Tomoe River paper: The ultra-thin Tomoe River paper easily picks up impressions from ballpoints and pens on the reverse side. The pad absorbs this pressure and protects the pages underneath.
• Printed 5 mm grid: The fine grid pattern is visible through the page and helps you align text, tables and drawings – without the HON itself needing to be gridded.
• Integrated ruler: The long edge features 1 mm markings, the short edge 0.5 mm and 1/16-inch markings. The pad effectively functions as a precise ruler built directly into your Techo.
• Pen holder: A clip hook on the edge securely holds a pen to the pad, keeping both together – even on the move.
• Non-slip writing surface: The smooth, slightly textured surface gives ballpoints and fine-liners grip without slowing down your writing motion.

Use & Tips

• Slip it under when writing: Simply slide the pad behind the current page – it instantly creates an even, pleasantly firm writing surface, even if your HON pouch is filled with cards or notepads.
• Grid as an invisible guide: If you're creating custom layouts, weekly overviews or bullet journal structures in your HON, you can use the printed 5 mm grid visible through the page as an alignment guide – cleaner lines, more even spacing, without pencil marks.
• As a ruler in your Techo: For quick measurements whilst writing – column widths, spacing, page divisions – the millimetre scale on the long edge is sufficient for most planning tasks in A5 format.
• Make consistent use of the pen holder: Clip a pen with a strong clip (such as many rollerballs or ballpoints) into the hook: your pen is always to hand when opening and closing the HON.
• Compatible with other A5 Hobonichi formats: The pad also fits the HON Day-Free, HON Planner and 5-Year Techo in A5 format – if you switch between multiple Hobonichi notebooks, you can use the same pad.

For Hobonichi Enthusiasts

The HON uses Tomoe River paper, renowned for its ink resistance and transparency – yet so thin that firm pen pressure (such as from ballpoints or mechanical pencils) can show through on the back of the page. The writing pad mechanically interrupts this pressure transfer: the rigid synthetic paper absorbs the counter-pressure before it reaches the sheet underneath. Those writing with fountain pens on Tomoe River benefit additionally from the smooth base keeping the page flat during writing, preventing the tissue-thin paper from wavering or flexing.

Technical Specifications