The Hobonichi Note started sales on November 1st.



We’ve received a few remarks from those who had seen the “Where to Buy” list (only available in Japanese) on how it will also be sold in eyewear shops, and that’s right! This time, the Hobonichi Note will be sold in several Paris Miki shops (eyewear brand) in Japan.



The novel ruled lines that reduce eye strain is the main characteristic of this brand new notebook. Someone who’d be thinking about the importance of eyes would be . . . an eyewear shop! That’s why we introduced eyewear brand Paris Miki to the concept and characteristics of this notebook, and they have kindly decided to sell the Hobonichi Note in some of their stores in Japan.





This is how the Paris Miki Narita Misatodai shop looks like. They have arranged an old sewing machine into a table to line up the Hobonichi Notes. It makes me happy to see it displayed like this!

Tokyo Sweets Guide is an article that focuses on shops in Tokyo that are perfect to spend time writing your techo while eating something sweet. Since they are only available in Japanese on the Hobonichi Techo Online Magazine page, here is a summarized English version.

This time, it features a cafe close by to wester sweets shop Omiya Yogashiten that was featured last time, named Cafe Chopin.



Tokyo Sweets Guide: CAFE CHOPIN



A cafe located in Kanda Suda-cho, an area with places loved by locals for a long time, such as soba noodle restaurants and sushi restaurants.

Founded in 1933, it will mark its 88th year this year. Around the time when this cafe opened, this area was popular amongst the younger generation as there was Jimbocho’s famous book district and Ochanomizu’s student town close by. “Chopin” was popular as a classical music cafe to listen to classical music with vinyl.

Actually, the founder didn’t know much about Chopin or classical music in general. The reason why it was named “Chopin,” however, was because a salesperson of a vinyl shop thought their vinyl albums will sell well if this cafe played lots of classical music, so they insisted it should be named “Chopin.”

Yukiko Okamoto, the wife of the 3rd generation shopkeeper and current owner of the shop also told us how the stained glass inside the shop says “Shopin” instead of “Chopin” as the founder misspelled it. (Laughs)

Chief Nobuhiro Sasaki, who makes coffees and light meals, has worked here for 49 years.

“So many things have changed over the past 49 years. After the bubble economy popped, it isn’t as crowded anymore. The vinyl we played has changed from SP records to LP records and has then switched to reel-to-reel audio tape recording, CDs, auto-changer, and now we use the Walkman (digital audio player) to play music.”

The way the younger generation listens to music has changed over the years, but the taste of Chopin’s coffee, using lots of beans that are lightly roasted, hasn’t changed from the beginning.











The misspelled stained glass






The toast’s thickness is 2cm. Anko (red bean paste) is heaped on.


It’s then sandwiched and smothered with butter.




Layered with even more butter!






And another smothering of butter!




The final addition of butter


The toasty color, the smell . . . How yummy does this look?






Has a deep taste made with lots of beans that are lightly roasted.




















Today’s Sweets



An Press 500 yen

Uses shoku pan (white loaf) from Suzuki Bakery, who they have known each other for over 50 years. It’s sandwiched with anko (red bean curd) and toasted gradually by adding lots of salted butter. Chief Sasaki came up with this idea.

“I started making these when a customer who came to our cafe every day told us they were getting bored and wanted to try out something new.”

The saltiness coming from the butter soaked in the fluffy bread combined with the sweetness of the red bean curd makes this dish a delicious one. Because they are created one by one using a single sandwich press, only one An Press or other hot sandwiches can be ordered per group. Please order food menus with a drink. Blend coffee is available at 550 yen.



Lemon Juice 650 yen

This sherbety drink is made by blending lemon, ice and sugar in the mixer. Start of by using scooping it with a spoon, and drink it using a straw once it’s metled. In the lineup of fresh juices, there are bananas and strawberries. (Strawberries are available for a limited period of time: from Mid December to April)

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Shop Details
1-19-9 Suda-cho, Kanda, Tokyo
Hours: 8AM to 8PM (Saturday 11AM to 8PM)
Closed days: Sunday, Holidays
Telephone: 03-3251-8033
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Today’s Techo


*See the original article here.
*Tokyo Sweets Guide main page

Photography: Nobuki Kawaharazaki

Hi everyone!
Taut (Beige & Navy) has recently restocked.



This year's leather uses a reversible leather of beige and navy. The front is a beautiful beige with a tinge of gray.
The navy that peeks through accents the look.

Because it uses soft Italian leather the texture is pleasant and makes me want to touch it again and again. As the name suggests, this cover snugly fits the techo book and has an elegant look.




Behind the scenes of when we were shooting in the summer. Brings back the memories!

If you are still considering which cover you should go for next year's techo, check this cover out!

*This is a re-edit of Komata’s Techo News from this time last year.

Hello everyone!

This is my third year using the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo. Because I get to look back on my past “today’s” every year, the second year is more interesting than the first, and the third year is more interesting than the second! This was my new finding after using it for a while.

Today, I’ll be talking about the 7 things I do with the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo. It’s nothing special, but I’ve collected a few things that I found quite useful.

1. Draw the zodiac sign for that year on January 1st


Although I normally fill my techo with words, I’ve decided to draw on this page. I also write my resolutions on this page too, so I find this page is where I put in my effort the most.

2. Jot down notes about the pens I’m using


In my first year, I changed the pen I used every month to see which pen goes the best with the 5-Year Techo’s paper. After trying out various pens, I found that the kakuno Fountain Pen worked best for me, so I have been using it from the second year onward.

3. Use a pencil board


I had actually never used a pencil board with the Weeks, which is the techo I use daily, but I decided to use a pencil board for the 5-Year Techo because I wanted to keep the pages tidy knowing I’d be using the same pages for 5 years. This turned out to be successful! I can write stress-free without applying too much pressure. It also works as a bookmark as well. I’ve actually started to use a pencil board for my Weeks book too!

4. Write down plans scheduled way ahead in the 5-Year Techo


For plans I want to remember across the years, like tickets for plans scheduled way ahead, I write it down on a sticky note and paste it in my 5-Year Techo like a bookmark. If it were a techo for a single year, I’d probably even forget that I had written a memo, but this way I won’t forget it!

5. Paste stickers for when the season changes


I paste my favorite press flower stickers when the season changes. I also paste cute stickers on my friends and family’s birthdays and for slightly special days.

6. Write down extracts of“Today’s Darling” from the Hobonichi website


“Today’s Darling” is an essay by Shigesato Itoi posted on the Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun and it doesn’t have any archives. Although not every day, I pull out phrases that meant a lot to me and write them on the right page for my future self. I often find myself feeling glad that I had written it down.

7. Write down travel packing list (mainly clothes)


By writing it down, it becomes a handy reference for when I travel next, and I find it super useful. I also have another page where I write down outfits for each day. (This memo was for when I traveled to a place where it was said to be -15 degrees for the first time in my life, so I prepared for it extra carefully.)

It turned out to be quite long, but these are the 7 things I do with my 5-Year Techo. I hope you enjoyed it!

Hi everyone! Today, I'll be talking about my favorite pen, the Shikiori Calligraphy Pen!



These dual-tip, water-based markers come in 20 beautifully nuanced colors. I found out about them a year ago and have been using them ever since! They weren’t available for international shipping through the Hobonichi Store last year, but they are now this year, so I thought now would be the perfect time to properly introduce them to you.

I’ve been using them mainly with my techo, so I decided to write a spread to show you how they look on the Hobonichi Techo’s Tomoe River paper.



There are so many things I love about this pen, but to name a few . . .

(1) The pen tips are easy to use


As I mentioned earlier, these pens have two types of pen tips: the brush and the fine pen tip.


Brush


Fine

The brush pen isn’t too “soft” (or is it better to word it squishy?) so it’s useful both when you want to do calligraphy or when you want to color in illustrations. Lay the pen flat or apply pressure to draw thick lines, and hold the pen upright and release the pressure when you want to draw thinner lines. The fine tip on the other hand is really firm and I feel it doesn’t get squished as you use it. (There are some pens where the pen tip gets squashed when you write with high pressure, so this is a big plus for me!) That means you can keep on writing thin lines throughout! This is perfect for writing along the grid of the techo paper.

(2) It looks stylish


Another thing I like about this pen is that it looks stylish. That doesn’t mean it lacks in practicality - because the top of the cap matches the color of the ink, it’s easy to identify which pen is which color.

*I was about to write how if I were to mention one flaw, it would be that the cap of the fine tip doesn’t click on the other side, so you’d have to leave the cap lying around when using the fine side. (It’s nothing major, but is something that starts to bother you after a while.) However, I just realized that if you turn the cap upside down, it fits the cap of the other side!! I’m probably not explaining this in words very well so here are some pictures.


I used to think the cap doesn’t click on to the other side . . .


But it does! (when turned upside down)

These pens were inspired by Sailor’s bottle inks, which have packaging that’s so nice to look at, so no wonder the pens look equally as nice!

(3) The colors are nuanced and beautiful


Last but not least - in fact, this is the part that attracted me to this pen the most - the colors are exquisite. They are inspired by the seasons of Japan, and they have these colors that aren’t straightforward. Actually, the reason why we found out about these pens was that a Hobonichi Techo user introduced them to us saying how it goes well the color of the months of the Original and Cousin techo books.



At the Hobonichi Store, you can get them in 5 color sets that are categorized by the season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Which one is your pick?

Personally, I use the “Shimoyo” from the Winter set the most because it’s this perfect black-blue color with a tinge of gray, so it doesn’t appear too “strong” on paper (when I pack my page with words, I often find black ink looking too bold). The Autumn set has a great variation of not-too-pale colors if you want to mainly use the fine tip to write in your techo. Having said that, the Spring set has such pretty colors and the “Souten” in the Summer set is refreshing too. (Another color I use often is the “Doyou” when I feel like writing in brown.)

I think I’ll leave it there as I’ve rambled on for a while now, but do check these pens out if you’re looking for a set of pens with pretty colors and useful pen tips!


The ink doesn't bleed through the other side, which is another good thing


Sailor: Shikiori Calligraphy Pen 5 Colors Set

- 4 sets (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)
- 1,100 yen each (tax included)

>See here for details

Hi everyone, this is Asako. The Hobonichi Techo website that you’re now on has a page called “Fun Stuff.” Here, you’ll be able to read articles that take a closer look at products, how people use the techo, and other content that lets you fully enjoy your techo. Think of it as our online magazine.



Most articles are translated into English, but there is one series that isn’t translated, and it’s called the “Tokyo Sweets Guide.” This series focuses on shops in Tokyo that are perfect to spend time writing your techo while eating something sweet. I thought I could occasionally introduce you to a summarized version of this article here in the Hobonichi Techo News!

To start off here’s the most recent article featuring Omiya Yogashiten, a sweets shop that is featured in our techos for this year’s lineup. Don’t miss out on the finished techo spread at the end of the article, too!



Tokyo Sweets Guide: OMIYA YOGASHITEN



Founded in Kanda, Tokyo in 1884. Creates timeless sweets that use fresh ingredients. Fifth-generation shopkeeper, Yoshiaki Yoshida laughs as he tells us that “Although now, recipes are uniform as there are a lot of pastry schools, when I look at the recipes of former shopkeepers, it’s quite unique and fun to look at.”

There are various products that use seasonal fruits directly purchased from the wholesale market. “Nowadays, it’s easy to purchase fruit at any time of the year. Because we live in an age like this, I hold an importance in the flavor of the season.”

Lots of bread line up on the shelves In the mornings, and neighbors and office workers come to buy bread for breakfast or lunch. It’s a western sweets shop that has been loved by many over the years and blends into everyone’s daily lives.
*We borrowed their shop especially for this shoot, but their eating area is currently not open.








They also have a bakery section












Today’s pick - cheesecake!


Their cheesecake is composed of a cheese cream sandwiched by a fluffy sponge with a biscuit base


Taking a bite . . .






The bottom parchment paper matches the striped “butterfly-stopper” pen holders




Another reason to visit their shop - their fruit punch!




They wrap it up with their cute paper if you choose the type that comes in a box








Today’s Sweets



Cheesecake 350 yen
Fresh cheese cream sandwiched with a cheese-flavored sponge. It has a biscuit base.

“Although I can go back as far as the third-shopkeeper, they seemed to already have it at their time so I believe it’s been more than 60 years since we’ve had this cheesecake,” fifth-generation shopkeeper Yoshida tells us. Because it’s simple, they take extra care with the ingredients they use and have not changed the ratio from the original recipe.

Omiya Yogashiten has other cheesecakes: the rare cheesecake and baked cheesecake. The baked cheesecake is a new creation by the fifth-generation shopkeeper. It would be fun to try out and compare all three types.



Fruit Punch 3,000 yen
(With Box: 3,150 yen)
Fruit punch that is packed in a large jar. It easily has portions for 4 or 5 people. The fruit depends on the season, but it always includes 10 to 15 of that season’s produce. The tang that comes from the largely cut fruit matches the smooth sweet syrup. It’s a classic item of Omiya Yogashiten.

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Shop Details
2-4 Awaji-cho, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 9AM to 6PM
Closed days: None
Telephone: 03-3251-1088
*Eating area currently unavailable

https://www.ohmiyayougashiten.co.jp/
------------------------------------------------------------------

Today’s Techo


*See the original article here.
*Tokyo Sweets Guide main page

Photography: Nobuki Kawaharazaki

*This is a re-edit of Annen's Japanese Techo News from 2020.

Techo team member Annen uses the Cousin as her main techo, but she found it hard to make use of its weekly pages. This is because she used the calendar on her smartphone to track her daily schedules.

So, to find a fun way of making use of it, she started to keep a record of the snacks she ate!



Annen loves to eat sweet things but had never kept track of what exactly she ate every day, so in order not to forget the yummy memories, she started to keep a record.

The weekly pages have a timeline so it's perfect to write down what she ate around what time (she says the time she ate it isn't super accurate though)



Before, she often took photos of the snacks on her smartphone, but by actually writing and drawing it down in her techo, she finds it more fun to look back on and last in her memory better.


Memorable sweets, sweets she received from someone, and more

Being able to write about what it tasted like and what she liked about it is part of the fun of writing by hand.


She was eating chocolate biscuits while writing her article

After continuing to write every day, they turned out to be quite cheerful!



The weekly pages are a special feature to the Cousin, and Annen recommends not only tracking your weekly schedules but using them as freely as you like.

Hi everyone! Today, I’ll be sharing with you what Techo team Komata stores in her techo cover.
*This is a re-edit of Komata’s Japanese Techo News from 2020.

She says they’re all normal, nothing-special items, but will come in handy in various situations.



1. Hobonichi Store Exclusive 3-color ballpoint pen
It’s the perfect pen to carry around as it has 3 colors despite it being compact.

2. Memo pads
For times when she is out and about, or isn’t at her desk, Komata keeps 1-2 sheets of cute memo pads for when she wants to hand someone a quick note.

3. Stickers
Although not frequently, Komata often finds herself wanting to stick stickers, so she keeps it in her cover. On a side note, she finds Shinsuke Yoshitake’s stickers too cute to use so she actually hasn’t used a single piece yet! She sometimes takes it out of her cover to admire it, though.

4. Hobonichi Stencils (Schedule)
Komata uses this stencil in place of a ruler. Because it’s thin, it won’t get in the way even when stored in the cover.

5. Business cards
It’s reassuring to have several business cards with you as it’s not always the case that you carry your card holder with you.

6. 1,000 yen note
She always keeps either a 1,000 yen or 5,000 yen note in her techo cover. Not only does it come in handy when she doesn't have small change in her wallet, but it’s a lifesaver when she forgets her wallet at home, only to realize that at the train station.

7. Washi tape
Washi tapes are useful for pasting things in her techo. She wraps several of her favorite designs around laminated cardboard paper.

8. Sticky notes
Komata uses sticky notes to stick on pages in a book she finds important, or pass someone a short message. The Hobonichi Translucent Sticky Notes come in a case in the size of a card so it fits perfectly into the pockets.

9. Plasters
These are needed for blisters when wearing sandals during summer. She restocks it anytime she uses it.

These are the 9 items that Komata keeps in her techo! The items look like this when stored in the cover.




She likes how it looks smart even though it's packed in.

It looks compact even with the Weeks Mega slipped in.



The cover she uses is B JIRUSHI YOSHIDA's Passport Cover. She has been using her cover for two years, and she's become attached to it as it softened over the years.

So, this is how Komata has been utilizing her techo cover! I was surprised at how much could fit in a slim-looking Passport Cover. If you're a Weeks-user, or even if you're not, I hope her tips will come in handy!

Last week, I briefly talked about the area of Kanda, where the Hobonichi office moved to last year and made a theme for some of our techos this year. Today, I'll be talking about Omiya Yogashiten, a western sweets shop that we made techo covers and accessories with.



Omiya Yogashiten was already popular among Hobonichi staff members because of their delicious sweets, which feature fresh fruit and come in cute wrapping paper. During the lineup reveal event in Tobichi Tokyo that's also located in Kanda, I met several customers who told me their stories with Omiya Yogashiten. One customer told me that her family's birthday cakes are always from Omiya Yogashiten, and another customer said how her grandma always bought them cakes from Omiya Yogashiten when she visited her grandma who lives in Kanda. According to her, the package featuring the cute illustrations remained the same all the way from when she was a child up until now! I really felt how it's a shop loved by the community.



Take a look at this article to read an interview with their 5th-generation shopkeeper, and to see the beautiful photos of their shop and their display cabinet!

They also have a bakery corner like you can see here (it's the last photo out of the 4. Written in Japanese).

I personally love their fruit punch (I ate it for my father's birthday) and the fruit cake which is buttery and moist, but had never tried their fresh cakes (in other words the cakes that are sold in the cabinet and needs to be kept at a low temperature) so I took this opportunity to try them out.


This is the package of their fruit punch


This is what the fruit punch looks like

Even the boxes have the cute illustration! The illustrations were drawn by a young woman who was a university art student at the time.



When you open the box . . .





it looks like this!

Because I had to take the cake home, I chose three cakes that were fairly easy to bring home without worrying about them smudging (like those with whipped cream): pumpkin pie, apple pie and baked cheesecake.



Their cakes have that classical taste, and because it's not too sweet, I felt like eating one more. (I had the pumpkin pie by the way)

I also tried out their strawberry milk. These were fresh and creamy, and I also love that they come in a glass bottle. The sticker that tells you the expiration date comes with other sweets too, and I find this super cute.



I would love to try out their strawberry shortcake one day.


The model is eating the strawberry shortcake

If you have purchased / are considering purchasing the Omiya Yogashiten covers, I hope it brings a smile to your face by looking at the calming pastel illustrations, as well as their yummy-looking sweets!

I'll finish off by showing you one of my favorite accessories from the series: the washi tape and paper envelope.

Omiya Yogashiten Washi Tape


What I love about this washi tape is that it's wrapped with a pink ribbon, just like the cakes of Omiya Yogashiten! The accent of the ribbon was what drew me into their packaging, so it made me happy to see it in washi tape size. The blue stripes are reminiscent of the bottom parchment paper of the shop's cheesecake. The wide washi tape would be perfect to fill up your techo if you have blank pages, or to decorate.

Omiya Yogashiten Decorative Paper Envelope


You might have seen small envelopes in this shape on our website. They are called "pochi bukuro" and are used when you hand money to someone (often from grandparents to their grandchildren on New Years). You might not encounter a situation where you want to hand over cash to someone using this, but it's perfect to store small bits and pieces and keep in the pocket of your techo!

So, that's it for today's news. I hope you look forward to next week's article too!

See the Omiya Yogashiten series lineup from here

Hi everyone! It’s been a week since the launch of the Hobonichi Techo 2022 lineup, but have you been able to find a techo that you want to spend your 2022 with?

This year's lineup includes a series of techos related to the town of Kanda, as the Hobonichi Office moved to Kanda last November. Having had our office in a different area for a long time, it was refreshing to move to a completely new area - the atmosphere is so different!

Check out this article to learn the three Kanda-related techos that we have brought out this year: the Omiya Yogashiten series, Taiyo Matsumoto’s “Cat Over Kanda,” and Weeks book “Wasshoi!”.


You can see a glimpse of what the Hobonichi Office in Kanda looks like now from this article.

Although it’s in Japanese, here’s a mini tour of the office.



Again, this is in Japanese (plus it might seem a bit chaotic) but here is an article where Hobonichi crew members explored the town of Kanda upon moving here. I hope the photos we took give you an idea of what Kanda is like!




The buttons at the top and bottom of the page allow you to go back and forth

Next week, I'll be talking about Omiya Yogashiten, a western sweets shop, in more detail. See you then!

- - - - -

Kanda Techo

Omiya Yogashiten Series



Taiyo Matsumoto: Cat Over Kanda
A6 Size (fits Planner and Original)
A5 Size (fits Cousin)


Wasshoi!