HHKB Japanese Layout

HHKB Japanese Layout

If you really want HHKB, i recommend the Japanese layout ones.

This is a better HHKB, even if you only type English, because:

• Smaller space bar. (you don't need a space-hogging one. see: Tiny Spacebar)
• Arrow keys. Now you can play pacman while eating pizza!
• Lots of thumb keys at bottom. Remap them to whatever you like.

There are issues to watch out:

1. In Japanese layout, key columns are less staggered than US version (compare the vertical line from Q to Z).
2. In Japanese layout, the Space bar may not be comfortably reachable by right thumb.
3. In Japanese layout, the Enter key is 1 column more to the right than standard PC keyboard layout.
4. In Japanese layout, the Shift key on the right is tiny, and is 2 columns more to the right than standard PC keyboard layout.

Japanese keyboard are like that because there's little use for space or capital letter. See: Tiny Spacebar

Solution to Tiny Space Bar, Tiny Shift Key

For the tiny Space key problem, just use left thumb for it. Or, remap one of the thumb keys to space.

For the tiny Shift key problem, turn on Operating System's sticky key feature. So, you don't need to hold Shift. Just press left Shift, release, then type a letter key.

If you use emacs, there's more advanced way to solve the Shift key problem. See: Emacs: toggle-letter-case