Spending nearly ¥40,000 on a keyboard? That's insane. That's honestly what I thought two years ago. And yet I ended up buying one anyway: the HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S Japanese layout / Sumi. The price is ¥36,850 (tax included).
Two years later, I've written on this keyboard almost every single day. Here's my honest take, covering both what I love about it and the parts where I've come to think, "yeah, this one isn't for everybody."
What exactly is an HHKB?
The HHKB (Happy Hacking Keyboard) is made by PFU, and the full name of the model I'm reviewing is the HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S Japanese layout / Sumi. Here are the main specs.
- 69 keys / electrostatic capacitive non-contact key switches
- 19.05mm key pitch, 3.8mm key stroke, 45g actuation force
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Ver4.2LE Class2 and USB Type-C (up to 4 devices paired)
- Power: two AA batteries (or USB power)
- Size: W294 x D120 x H40mm / weight 550g (excluding batteries)
- Keytops: cylindrical stepped sculpture, three-stage tilt adjustment
- Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS
The key point is that "electrostatic capacitive non-contact" switch. On a typical keyboard, pressing a key brings metal contacts together physically to register the input. This system detects the change in electrostatic capacity instead, so nothing physically rubs together. That means less wear and a uniquely smooth feel under the fingers. "Type-S" refers to a construction tuned for quieter operation and faster typing; it's noticeably more subdued than an HHKB without the Type-S designation.
The typing feel is superb — but it is not silent
After two years, the thing I'm happiest about is unquestionably the typing feel. It's less like pressing a key down and more like the key quietly sinking away beneath your finger. The 45g actuation force is neither too light nor too heavy, and because there's no catch partway through the stroke, my fingers stay noticeably fresher during long writing sessions.
Now for the part I want to be honest about: the sound. Type-S has a quiet construction, but it is not silent. Compared to the light clattering of a cheap keyboard, it's a far more settled, lower-pitched sound. Even so, in a quiet office or late at night with family asleep, it carries. The space bar and Enter key in particular are clearly louder than the rest — loud enough for a microphone to pick up during a video call. If you buy this expecting to type freely through meetings just because it says Type-S, you may come away a little disappointed.
The unusual key layout — about two weeks to adapt
The layout is the first wall most people hit. As the 69-key count suggests, the key set is pared way down, and plenty of functions are called up by holding the Fn key.
Having dedicated arrow keys is a big reason to pick the Japanese layout. On the English layout you need to hold Fn to use them, but the Japanese layout gives you independent arrow keys at the bottom right. That alone is why many people choose it. That said, the whole board is compact, so they aren't set far off to the side the way they are on a full-size keyboard — I did have to rebuild my sense of distance when reaching for them. There's no number pad, so number-heavy work means leaning on the top row.
Deleting text took some getting used to. On the Japanese layout the top-right key is Back Space, and there's no standalone key for Delete — you input it with Fn + BS. Forward deletion becoming a two-key operation stopped my hands more than once early on. You can also use a DIP switch to make the BS key act as Delete instead, so you can pick whichever you use more (note that this switch has no effect on macOS, where it always behaves as the macOS Delete key).
The Control key sits immediately to the left of the A key — where CapsLock normally lives. Once you adjust, it's dramatically easier to reach, and personally I consider it the single biggest benefit of the HHKB. Your pinky barely has to move, which makes shortcut-heavy work far more comfortable.
It took me roughly two weeks to adjust. For the first three days my typing speed dropped by more than half, and I genuinely wondered if I'd made a mistake. The catch comes afterward: once you're used to it, you start making a spectacular number of typos on your laptop's built-in keyboard. Getting comfortable with an HHKB also means drifting a little away from ordinary keyboards, and it's worth going in prepared for that. That said, this model supports key mapping changes, so any placement you truly can't live with can be reassigned to your liking.
With "Sumi," you can't read the legends — and that's a good thing
"Sumi" pairs a near-black body with dark gray legends, which in practice means the characters on the keytops are extremely hard to read. In a dim room they're basically invisible, and right after I bought it I definitely leaned in close a few times to hunt down a symbol.
Two years on, though, that low visibility never bothers me. The simple reason is that I stopped looking at the keys. If anything, because the legends don't shout, the keyboard sits on the desk with a wonderfully calm presence and never becomes visual noise in the workspace. Conversely, if you have a habit of watching the keys as you type, I'd sincerely recommend a different color. That's not a matter of taste but of practicality.
Two years of durability — almost no degradation
Durability exceeded my expectations. On long days I'm on it close to ten hours, and I've noticed no degradation at all: no key that suddenly responds poorly, no change in how it feels to press. The advantage of a system where no physical contacts rub together is something you really do feel over time.
Shine on the keytops is limited to a faint sheen on the most-used keys. At 550g, it's satisfyingly hefty for something this small, so it never shifts around no matter how hard I hit it. The tilt adjusts in three stages, and finding the angle that suits your wrists makes a real difference in comfort.
Bluetooth for four devices, and portability
You can pair up to four devices and switch between them with a key command. Before buying, I assumed I'd never use four slots. In practice, my desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone filled them without any effort. Being able to swap machines while keeping the exact same typing feel is more pleasant than I expected. Switching isn't instantaneous, though — there are moments where you wait a few seconds — so it's not suited to darting back and forth constantly. Using USB at the desk and Bluetooth on the go is genuinely convenient.
As for carrying it around, "possible, but not exactly easy" is my honest read. W294 x D120 x H40mm looks compact on paper, but 40mm of thickness has real presence if you're used to low-profile keyboards, and 550g adds up once you're also carrying a laptop. I've settled into taking it out only on days with long work sessions rather than every day.
Was ¥36,850 worth paying?
For me, yes. The reasoning is simple: a keyboard is the tool I touch longest during the workday. Amortized across two years of use, the daily cost doesn't even reach a cup of coffee.
That said, there's no guarantee that an expensive keyboard will satisfy you. Preferences in typing feel vary enormously from person to person, and if the layout never clicks, you've bought a very expensive paperweight. If you can, try one in person at an electronics store before deciding — that's the surest approach.
Who it's for, and who it isn't
Recommended for
- People who type for hours every day (writing, programming, and the like)
- People who can touch type, or are willing to learn
- People whose workflow leans heavily on the Control key
- People who move between multiple devices while working
Not recommended for
- People who frequently use a number pad (spreadsheet work with heavy numeric entry)
- People who watch the keys while typing (at minimum, steer clear of "Sumi")
- People who need something truly silent
- People who plan to carry it daily, or who can't spare the two weeks it takes to adjust
Wrapping up
This keyboard is unquestionably not for everyone. The layout is unusual, the legends are unreadable, and it costs ¥36,850. It was never designed for the masses.
Even so, in two years I've never once considered replacing it. The smooth typing feel, the build that shows no signs of wear, the way it looks sitting on the desk — as a tool meant for the long haul, all of that has felt worth the price. If any part of you is nervous about the layout, start by finding a chance to touch one in person. With this product in particular, that's the surest way to decide.
