It is that time of the year - all the planners for the upcoming year are released and its decision time for planner folks (plan ahead!). Midori released the one day one page planners in the A5 and A6 sizes a few years back. This year, they have released what they call a Hibino planner. I would call it a more Limited Edition release, given how quickly they sold out in all the major stores around the world, and will not be restocked again.

This planner/journal comes in two beautiful cover colors - a mint green and a camel. I went for the Camel so it is easy for me switch out covers as needed (well, not that there are many choices). The Mint Green is lovely too. I purchased mine from Omoi Zakka, a life goods and stationery select shop located in Philadelphia, US.

Midori Hibino 2023

Features

  • Two pages per day layout
  • 768 total pages of thin and lightweight cream Tomoe River Paper goodness (comparable to the Hobonichi 5 year journal in thickness) - It is rare for Midori to use Tomoe River Paper and that makes it even more exciting.
  • Very lightly printed 2.5mm grid that is pleasant to the eyes
  • Monthly calendars from December 2022 to January 2024
  • Year at a glance for 2023 and 2024 with a Monday start (yesss!)
  • Future log spread out in 2 pages
  • 2 ribbon bookmarks
  • Thread binding
  • 4 extra grid pages on the back
  • Textured cover that feels lovely in the hand
  • Personal Information page towards the end
  • On the left page of every day
    • Moon phases,
    • 24 hour scheduler in the Military format with a line separating schedule from tasks
    • Weather tracker
  • On the right page of every day
    • Month count
    • Day count of the year
Features of the Midori Hibino 2023 planner/journal

I have never been so excited about a daily planner after the Hobonichi Cousin. I have been journaling in the cousin since 2018 but switched it out for a B6 size this year. And I am very excited to use this new Midori Hibino as a journal for the next year.

Although I will be using this as a journal, I think it is a fantastic daily planner. It has ample space to detail your daily schedule, and to add to-dos on one page and to take notes in the other. My day often needs a combination of all these three and lots of space for note-taking, which is why the Hobonichi Cousin is not my first choice for a work planner.

Let's talk about the 2.5 mm grid

I think a lot of people in the planner community I spoke to, expressed concern about the grid size. I had the same concern as well. This is less of a concern if the grid doesnt confine you to the spacing. I have seen a lot of Hobonichi journals where a line is skipped to make it easier to write. Some do not bother to stick to the lines, and simply use them as a guide. I, love using the grid space as my guide and like to use all the lines in the page for writing. This will still work in this journal for me, using a Japanese Fine nib. I love how following the tiny 2.5 mm makes the page more appealing from a journaling perspective. The pages with writing and sketches and images and washis together will sure look stunning. The cream paper will make it look all the more appealing.

Pen Test (Left - front, Right - back)

Here is a writing sample using a Pilot Fine nib and a Pilot PO nib (review coming soon).

Writing Sample with a Pilot Fine nib and a Posting nib

Comparing with the A6 Hobonichi 5 year book

It is very comparable to the A6 Hobonichi 5 year journal - both in terms of size and thickness and the cover/binding. It is 0.2 inches thicker than the Hobonichi 5 year journal and the Midori 1 day 1 page planner, making the Hibino the thickest of the A6 journals that I know of. I am excited to see how the pages will fan out with use throughout the year.

Midori Hibino 2023 with the Hobonichi A6 5 year journal

Covers that fit the Midori Hibino 2023

There is a good chance that I will just use the Hibino coverless, but I was curious to see which covers will fit the Hibino amongst the ones I have. It does not fit the leather covers that Hobonichi offers for their 5 year journals well, although it fits the Bloom Gift set cover better than the other covers. It might fit this cover much better if the cover of the Hibino was trimmed off a little bit. I would never do that, but for anyone who is willing to trim off the edges of the cover, this is a great option.

Hobonichi 5 year journal covers holding the Midori Hibino 2023

Overall, I am impressed with this new addition to the Midori line of planners and I am excited to use it as my daily journal for 2023, replacing the Hobonichi Cousin and the Papermood B6 daily from the past years.

Please feel free to reach out for any additional photos and/or pen tests. I have 3 free grid pages to spare to test any pen/ink combo I have on hand.

P.S.: Ignore my messy desk. I wanted to get all the pictures I can for this review, and I will be replacing pictures with better ones soon.