My car's 1st gear is hard to engage occasionally too, but mostly when cold or if I'm rolling slightly. I never force it, just put it back in neutral let the clutch out then engage the clutch again and slip it in 1st

 

I don't know if this is a synchro issue or some sort of intentional lock-out, but every manual Honda I've driven ('82, '89, '92 Accords + '00 S-Type) exhibited this same thing. If not rolling, the 2-1 always does the trick. If rolling, I just use second.

For some reason, I've developed the habit to leave the said Hondas in second when parked. By chance, this helps in two ways...

o makes going into first much easier from a stand-still

o 2-1-R makes going into reverse much smoother; since it seems so much easier to go into reverse when it is preceeded by a forward gear

Don't know if this helps, but at least you're not alone.

 

Ok, so it's normal. So be it.