If you’ve been following this site for a while, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of the Hobonichi Techo series of planners from Earthbound creator Shigesato Itoi’s lifestyle company, Hobonichi. I’ve been using them every year since I got my first one in 2017, and love looking at what other users do with theirs for inspiration, as well as official Hobonichi Techo communications for the latest news and insights.

So, you can imagine my excitement when Hobonichi announced that they would be bringing their meetup event, the Meeting Caravan, to Los Angeles! There were to be two sessions at the stationery store Hightide Store DTLA, and applications were open on the Hobonichi website for a period in September. You read that right – due to the limited number of spaces available, there was an application/expression of interest process you had to go through to be considered for attendance!

Of course, I immediately jumped on a chance to apply – while I don’t live in the immediate LA area, it’s not all that far from me, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk about the Hobonichi Techo at an in-person meetup! The questions were pretty general, and standard – how long have you been using the techo for, what is your age/gender, etc. I had no idea how many people would apply, but I submitted my application, crossed my fingers, and waited… Until I received an email notifying me that I got in!

It’s wild to think that 12 years after my first blog post about the Hobonichi Techo and 8 years after I took the plunge and picked up my first techo, I would have the opportunity to meet with Hobonichi staff and other enthusiasts in an official Meeting Caravan meetup in Los Angeles. To be honest, I was a little nervous – though the event is welcoming to users of all walks of life and meant to be an information exchange, not a “look how great MY Hobonichi is” contest, I couldn’t help but feel worried that my Hobonichi wouldn’t look cute enough, have enough entries filled in, etc.

Despite my trepidation, I resolved to bookmark a few of my favorite pages to share (knowing that there was a chance they’d be photographed and shared on the Hobonichi Techo website), pack up some of my favorite journaling supplies, and try my best not to be too anxious.

Since I’d never been to Hightide Store DTLA before, this was also a great opportunity to check out what they have to offer, which I must say, is quite a lot! The adorable store opened 30 minutes before my Meeting Caravan session, so I went in early to look around. They were having a Hobonichi Techo popup that was surprisingly well-stocked, so I picked up a Cover on Cover from the 2026 Tamagotchi collection that I’d been eyeing, and ooh’d and aah’d over all of the things in the store until the event was about to start. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend checking out Hightide Store DTLA for Japanese stationery and quirky gifts!

The event was held in a corner of the store with a large, rectangular wooden table, so when it was time, I wandered over and checked in. The Hobonichi staff gave me a blank piece of paper to write my name on and decorate before things got started. There were lots of stationery products from the Hobonichi website available to try out, so I got straight to work. What do you think? Can you tell I like coffee?

When it was time to kick things off, the main Hobonichi staff member running the event gave a little presentation about the Hobonichi company itself, which provided some interesting background for those of us who primarily focus on the Hobonichi Techo. I always forget they have this whole other side to the business where they post daily articles and general lifestyle items for sale. It reminded me that I should check it out more! (That side of things is only available in Japanese)

Attendees were then each given an opportunity to talk about how we use our techos and share any of our favorite pages or products that we journal with. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the event allowed for 6-8 attendees, only 3 people actually showed up, including me… Classic LA, right?

Despite there only being 3 of us, plus the 2 Hobonichi staff, we had lots to talk about! I really enjoyed hearing each of the other 2 attendees talk about their history with the techo and how they use it in their daily lives. All of us brought our past journals, too, so it was great to see so many techos in one place. You wouldn’t be able to tell there were just 3 of us from this stack, would you?!

One thing that I didn’t consider was how this event inspired me to go back and look at my old techos, some of which I haven’t flipped through since I finished them. The first Hobonichi Techo I used in 2017 was during the final year of my PhD, so flipping through that brought back so many memories of late night edits, sprinting to get it done…

And I also can look back and see how much my method of using the techo has changed. I don’t write daily tasks in it anymore, primarily because I’ve found using digital task systems works better for me, and I am currently using a Day Free Hobonichi Techo because I don’t like feeling like I’ve “missed” days.

One of the attendees showed us how she puts little stickers or manga printouts in pages where she didn’t have time or energy to write and said that when she looks back, it reminds her that it was a busy time. I think that’s a lovely way of thinking of it, rather than just seeing a blank/near blank page and feeling bummed out that you “missed” or “skipped” it. I’m not sure if or when I’ll switch back to a daily Hobonichi Techo, but if I do, I will definitely try to use that mindset!

It was also really fun to see everyone’s supplies and compare covers. Check out this epic use of the Stappo pouch for supplies!

After we all shared our experiences, there was free time to chat and try out the different supplies the Hobonichi staff brought along. It was so much fun! While I started off really nervous about sharing my techos, I found that as soon as I started talking with everyone, that nervousness melted away. There really was no judgement, and I could feel that everyone just loved talking with other journaling and stationery fans.

At the end of the 90 minute session, we took a group photo, and each attendee received a little gift! I didn’t expect this, as attending the event was more than enough, but it was a very sweet gesture from the Hobonichi team.

All of the Hobonichi Techo Meeting Caravan events from around the world are catalogued on the official website, so you can see photos and recaps of past events there. At some point in the near future, my LA event should be added too, so I will add a link here when it’s posted! While I don’t know if any of my techo photos will make an appearance, it’s still cool to think that something I went to will be immortalized on the official Hobonichi website after all these years writing about and sharing the techo myself.

The best part of the event was definitely talking to the other attendees, and we all shared our Instagram handles with one another to keep in touch. I hope there will be even more in-person Hobonichi Techo meetups in my future!