Hobonichi 2015 and Tamoe River paper

[tandaina]

Has anyone else ordered their 2015 Hobonichi?

Mine just arrived, I opened it up, and got it all put together to sit on the shelf and wait for January. But as I flipped through the book my first thought was, this doesn't feel like Tamoe River paper. So I got out my Tamoe River journal, and my old Hobo. I swear the paper has changed. Side by side comparison the 2015 Hobo paper seems courser, and lacks the smooth silky feel of the 2014. It still behaves well with a fountain pen (I tested it with my very wet italic Pelikan M400), didn't get bleed through, similar amount of show through. But the paper feel is very, very different. One of the things I love about Tamoe River is the silky feel of it in my hands, it makes me want to keep turning pages and keep writing. This paper just doesn't have the silky/crinkly/something about it.

So either Tamoe River paper has changed (at least what they are supplying to Hobonichi, or they've switched to another paper. Either way, not happy about the change.

Anyone else who can weigh in?

[Silverbreeze]

Hmm mine feels like Midori MD paper not my Tomoe River

Still will do what I need it for fine. Did Tomoe River change that much???

[tandaina]

Yes much closer to Midori paper than my Tomoe river (which wasn't recently bought). Yeah it'll work but it isn't nearly as delicious as the 2014 version. :\

[reprieve]

I'm still waiting on mine. There have been threads recently about Tomoe River changing (see here) but no definitive answer yet. If the paper in the Hobonichi is different, it probably isn't a good sign--they still advertise that they use Tomoe River.

[Silverbreeze]

Pretty sure why Tandiana started this thread :-)

I'm still waiting on mine. There have been threads recently about Tomoe River changing (see here) but no definitive answer yet. If the paper in the Hobonichi is different, it probably isn't a good sign--they still advertise that they use Tomoe River.

Yes much closer to Midori paper than my Tomoe river (which wasn't recently bought). Yeah it'll work but it isn't nearly as delicious as the 2014 version. :\

[tandaina]

Yeah. I had read that thread but this was different enough to warrant its own topic I thought.

[KrazyIvan]

Mine has not arrived yet but I noticed in correspondence I recieved from others. Their TR paper was very different from what I expect TR to be. This led me to believe that there may be different grades of TR paper.

[reprieve]

Yeah. I had read that thread but this was different enough to warrant its own topic I thought.

Agreed. Thanks for starting this thread.

I'll respond back when my 2015 Hobonichi arrives. I have a few reams of the "original" (?) Tomoe River and some Seven Seas notebooks that have that same silky smooth crinkly paper. I really hope it hasn't changed, but that old feeling of foreboding is setting in. Sigh.

[Silverbreeze]

Yeah. I had read that thread but this was different enough to warrant its own topic I thought.

Agreed. Thanks for starting this thread.

I'll respond back when my 2015 Hobonichi arrives. I have a few reams of the "original" (?) Tomoe River and some Seven Seas notebooks that have that same silky smooth crinkly paper. I really hope it hasn't changed, but that old feeling of foreboding is setting in. Sigh.

;bad ethic movie accent:
"You wants we takes this Mr Foreboding for a ride, fors yous boss"

Sorry I am crazy this week

[bec11mort]

Mine arrived yesterday but I didn't get a chance to unpack it yet. I certainly hope the paper is still the beautiful TR paper I love!

[kataish]

You guys and the pen folk on Instagram have convinced me to get one. Saving up now, and hoping I can get one in a week or so. Fingers crossed it doesn't sell out before then!

[Silverbreeze]

The planner format this one uses fits me well

I use a modified bullet journal system

[tandaina]

The planner will not sell out, never does, you can order them right up until the end of August of the year they are printed for. It is the covers that sell out but usually just the expensive/limited edition ones. The simple cloth covers were available when I ordered mine this year in April.

[bec11mort]

On further inspection I definitely agree that the paper feels less silky and soft, but other than that it seems identical in how it takes ink etc. I've always noticed a slight difference in the paper between my Hobonichi and the TR I get from Nanami however, and I figured it was how they handled the paper on the printing/drying process.

[sgage]

You know, I seem to sense a subtle difference in my latest order of TR paper (cream), which arrived about a week ago. It looks just the same, and feels pretty much the same, but it seems to have just a touch more 'tooth' than my previous batches.

I just did a side-by-side comparison with several pen/ink combos. My finer nib pen in particular seems just a bit more scratchy. It's subtle, but real, I think... No problem with bleed-through or feathering, and the written line looks just like that on older TR. I'm going to dig up some even older stuff and maybe do a more thought-out comparison.

This is not the issue that D. Armstrong reported earlier, with the paper being fountain-pen-hostile - bleed-through, feathering, etc. TR does make several grades of paper, and I think someone just got the wrong kind. This is much more subtle...

[reprieve]

My 2015 Techo arrived and I honestly cannot sense any difference between the paper in my 2014 version and the paper in the 2015 planner. I'm not saying that it's not different, just that *I* cannot detect a difference.

I wrote on a few of the pages, and the paper still takes inks beautifully and still brings out all of that lovely shading and sheeny-ness. It doesn't feel toothier to me, but, again, it may just be my inability to perceive subtlety.

I did compare the cream Tomoe River paper in my Seven Seas notebook and the (also cream) reams of loose TR that I ordered directly from Japan a couple of years ago with the white Hobonichi TR paper, and I did notice that the Hobonichi paper might seem to be (very slightly) thicker and less crinkly. But I can't see or feel any difference in performance or toothiness.

Long story short, I still don't know! But I am glad that it remains lovely to write on.

[85AKbN]

Got my 2015 Techo today. Very nice. Do not see any difference with my 2014.

[chojo]

I noticed in correspondence I recieved from others. Their TR paper was very different from what I expect TR to be. This led me to believe that there may be different grades of TR paper.

I've had two letters this week both on tomoe river and they do feel and look different, got me thinking they have different grades too.