If your local stationery store is always out of stock of Hobonichis or getting them shipped to you is dreadfully expensive, you might want to look into the Chinese brand Kinbor as an alternative. There's still plenty of time to get one off Ali Express in time for January.
They're about $10 to $20 depending on size and in many countries you can get free shipping. Like a proper hobonichi, they have A6 and A5 size dailies (dated or undated) and slim weeklies, and even the multi-year style.
The paper is fountain-pen friendly. A very heavy, sheeny glitter ink in my wettest, flexy nib made a lot of pinprick bleeding, but a normal everyday writer ink in a wide stub nib didn't bleed at all, and there's no feathering. I have an undated daily A6 that I've been enjoying using as a scribbles book (the pictured purple cover was included) and just got a weekly for 2026.
Just go on Ali Express and search for "Kinbor" and preferably find listings with the yellow "Choice" label for fast free shipping. Note that the prices you see on the search page will be misleading because it'll show the price of the cheapest option on the listing, which will be, like, just a plastic cover.
#hobonichi #planner #fountainpen
