I, a man, bought one of those Japanese daily planners like chicks on TikTok obsess over. But I, a man, will tell you about the Midori Hibino without a 20 minute backstory. Buy a Midori Hibino for yourself by clicking on this affiliate link.
Video Summary
What will Google’s Gemini AI say about my video? Here is the AI generated summary:
Midori Hibino 2026 A6 Daily Planner – First Impressions and Industrial Utility
In this installment, Jim Kinkade takes a first look at the Midori Hibino 2026 Daily Planner. While many planners are designed for standard office hours, Jim explores how this compact, Japanese-engineered logbook serves the needs of a “blue-collar guy” working over the road. From its unique two-page-per-day layout to the legendary quality of its paper, Jim breaks down whether this A6 powerhouse belongs in your daily carry.
Compact Design and Portability
The first thing you’ll notice about the Midori Hibino is its size. Labeled as an A6 planner, it measures approximately 4.5 inches wide by 6 inches tall. To provide a real-world perspective, Jim compares it to a deck of cards and his standard Moleskine planner. While it is smaller than expected, it remains “palmable” and is compact enough to fit comfortably into the cargo pocket of a pair of work pants.
The cover, though not genuine leather, features a high-quality synthetic material with a realistic leather texture and elegant gold filigree embossing. This choice of material is particularly practical for industrial environments, as it offers moisture resistance against accidental spills—or as Jim puts it, it’s “Monster Energy resistant.”
The Layout: A Daily Log for Professionals
The true strength of the Hibino is its internal architecture. Unlike most planners that provide a single page per day, the Hibino offers two full pages for every single day. This provides an immense amount of room for detailing a complex schedule.
- The 24-Hour Graph: The left-hand page features a 24-hour time graph. The grid is flexible enough to track a full 24-hour cycle. This makes it an ideal tool for truckers or shift workers who need to maintain a log of sleeping, working, and standby hours.
- Functional Detailing: Each daily spread includes moon phases, a dedicated spot to track the weather, and a mini-monthly calendar in the corner for quick reference without flipping back and forth.
- The Grid System: The pages use a very fine graph grid, measuring slightly over 1/16th of an inch. This allows for incredibly detailed layouts or the freedom to ignore the lines entirely for larger, bold notes.
Tomoe River Paper and the Writing Experience
The Hibino uses the world-renowned Tomoe River paper (often referred to by enthusiasts as “Tomoy” paper). This paper is famous for being incredibly thin yet remarkably resistant to ink bleed-through, allowing the planner to remain relatively slim despite having over 700 pages.
However, the tiny grid size does present a challenge for standard pens. Jim notes that his usual felt-tip markers are likely too broad for the compact grid. To get the most out of the Hibino’s layout, a very fine-tipped pen—sourced from specialty retailers like JetPens—is recommended. The precision of the grid is a major asset for those who like to create custom layouts using a ruler to section off to-do lists, daily goals, and vocational notes.
Practical Features for Daily Use
Beyond the daily pages, the Hibino includes a monthly block layout (starting on Monday), a yearly overview for 2026 and 2027, and a “future log” section for high-level goal setting. For easier navigation, the edges of the pages are marked with month indicators, and the book comes equipped with two ribbon bookmarks to keep your place in both the monthly and daily sections.
One of the most impressive physical aspects is the binding. Even with its high page count, the Midori Hibino is designed to lay flat on a desk with minimal “training,” making it much easier to write near the center margin during a long shift.
Final Verdict
The Midori Hibino 2026 is more than just a calendar; it is a precision logbook designed for those who need to capture every detail of their day. Whether you are using it for intricate planning or as a rugged daily work log, its combination of premium Japanese paper and thoughtful, data-dense layout makes it a top-tier choice for the serious gear enthusiast.
Jim concludes by noting that he will be sourcing a finer-tipped pen to truly put this planner to work and invites viewers to stay tuned to the channel for more updates on how the Hibino handles the rigors of the oil field.
Conclusion
AI did a good job summarizing my video! The main thing it missed is that you can write on the small grid if you use two lines at a time.
The 24 hour grid is really what sold me on the Midori Hibino 2026 Daily planner. The grid doesn’t go from midnight to midnight. It starts at like 2:00 AM or something. Maybe it’s 3:00. But anyways it actually makes sense for most situations. That way a typical day is centered on the graph.
Daily graphs that only show banker’s hours are really dumb for everyone else. Most daily planners have grids that only have regular business hours pre-printed. Not the Midori Hibino. You can block out the whole day and night.