Hobonichi Original vs Cousin vs Weeks

Hobonichi Original, Cousin, and Weeks are not three sizes of the same planner. They represent two page systems and three distinct carrying commitments. Original and Cousin provide one dated page per day. Weeks uses a horizontal week on the left side of a spread and a memo page on the right.

The most useful comparison therefore begins with the page job, then adds physical size and weight. Choosing only by the labels A6, A5, or wallet size can hide the difference between a daily archive, a desk-based planner, and a portable weekly overview.

This guide uses the official 2026 specifications. Dated coverage and edition availability can change each year, so verify the current product page before ordering.

Comparison at a glance

The measurements describe the standard 2026 books in the official comparison. Cover material, special editions, Weeks Mega, and inserted papers can change the finished dimensions or weight.

Choose Original for a compact daily record

Original uses the A6 page footprint, 105 × 148 mm, and assigns one page to each day. It is the smallest of these three options by page area, but it still asks the user to engage with a dated page every day.

That combination works well when the planner needs to travel but the daily record matters more than a week-at-a-glance view. A page can hold appointments, notes, a short journal entry, or pasted items, yet the available area naturally limits how much can accumulate on one date.

Original does not include the Cousin’s full weekly section. A shopper who needs to see several timed days together should decide whether monthly pages are enough or whether a separate weekly supplement is acceptable. Buying Original because it is portable and later expecting Cousin-style weekly planning creates a format problem that no cover can solve.

The standard Original belongs to Hobonichi’s A6 reusable-cover family. Planner, Original Avec, and A6 Day-Free can also share designated A6 covers when the current cover page lists them, but their layouts and thicknesses are not identical.

Choose Cousin for room and a built-in weekly layer

Cousin doubles the ISO A-series page area from A6 to A5. Its 148 × 210 mm pages give substantially more room for writing, diagrams, photographs, or pasted material. The official 2026 guide also includes vertical weekly pages, making Cousin the only choice in this three-way comparison that combines a daily page with a detailed weekly section.

The extra planning layer comes with a carrying cost. At approximately 445 g before a reusable cover or accessories, the standard Cousin is better treated as a desk book or a deliberate bag item than a pocket planner. A filled cover with loose papers, cards, and stickers will be heavier and thicker than the bare specification.

Cousin is the strongest fit when daily detail and a weekly timeline must stay in one book. It is a weaker fit when most dated pages will remain blank or when the planner must be carried with minimal weight.

The Cousin Avec divides the year into two six-month A5 books. It preserves the daily and weekly formats while reducing the carried thickness at any one time. That makes Avec a relevant alternative when the Cousin page system is correct but the full-year volume is not.

Choose Weeks for planning before journaling

Weeks uses a tall wallet-size footprint of 95 × 186 mm. Each spread presents the week horizontally on the left and graph-paper memo space on the right. This structure supports quick schedule scanning, tasks, and a limited weekly record rather than one full page for every date.

Its proportions make it narrower than Original and much narrower than Cousin. The book can fit bags and pockets that do not comfortably accept A5, although an added cover or zipper case changes the finished envelope.

Weeks is the clearest choice when the user wants to see the week first and write longer notes only when needed. It is not a smaller Cousin: it removes daily pages rather than merely shrinking them. A person who regularly fills one page per day is likely to outgrow the weekly memo area.

Weeks Mega keeps the same general footprint but adds substantially more memo paper and is thicker and heavier. Accessories should identify whether they support standard Weeks, Weeks Mega, Sneaker, or a specific hardcover treatment.

Page area changes the writing behavior

Original’s A6 page area is exactly half of A5 under the ISO A-series relationship. That does not mean a Cousin daily page provides exactly twice the usable writing area after margins, dates, quotes, and grid design, but the physical difference is large and visible.

Weeks cannot be compared by area alone because its job is different. Its 95 mm width is narrower than A6, while its 186 mm height is taller. The relevant question is whether a weekly spread and memo page match the planning routine.

A useful paper test is to cut three plain rectangles to the official width and height, then write a typical day or week on each. This tests space, not paper feel or binding, but it reveals whether the intended information fits before a dated book is purchased.

Language and start date remain separate decisions

The official 2026 comparison lists Japanese and English options across these families, but not every language and start-month combination is available in every format. Original and Cousin also distinguish January-start and April-start editions. Weeks availability varies by edition.

Language affects headings, supplemental pages, quotes, and some calendar conventions. It does not automatically change the cover family, yet it can change the planning experience. Record five fields before shopping: format, size, language, start month, and start-of-week convention.

Cover cost should follow the book decision

Original uses the standard A6 cover family, Cousin uses the A5 Cousin family, and Weeks has Weeks-specific accessories. A shared brand name does not make those accessories interchangeable.

Select the book before the cover. The page system determines whether the planner will work for a year; the cover only protects and organizes the chosen system. Special hardcovers, zip cases, and Weeks materials can also have product-level restrictions, so the current accessory page should name the exact compatible book.

Fast decision path

Choose Original when daily pages matter, A6 is large enough, and the book needs to remain reasonably portable.

Choose Cousin when daily pages, a built-in vertical week, and generous writing space justify an A5 desk-oriented book.

Choose Weeks when a weekly overview, memo space, and a narrow carried footprint matter more than one page per day.

If the answer still feels unclear, decide which page would be missed most: a full daily page, a vertical weekly timeline, or a compact weekly overview. That missing page is more informative than the cover color or the familiar size label.