Hi! I’m Hirano, the "last batter" (anchor) for the Hobonichi Techo End of Year Reflection series.

When I reread my techo from this year, I found that mixed in with the notes I wrote because I didn't want to forget, there were plenty of completely mysterious memos that I’ve forgotten entirely. Either way, they’d probably be a mystery to anyone seeing them for the first time, so I’ll introduce a few of them here—mixing my memories with a bit of guesswork.



First, here are the techos I used this year. On the left is my Original. This was a memo from a meeting with Itoi-san on the day we decided the name for the 2026 Hobonichi Store exclusive: "G.O.R-01." I noted down "Good Old Robot."

The one in the middle is my Weeks. This was a rough sketch I drew for the Detective Conan collaboration, suggesting we should have fun with the memo pages by filling them with illustrations—and that sketch was actually adopted almost exactly as-is.

On the right is my HON. My son drew a picture in his own techo after passing a swimming test, but he ended up tearing it out because he couldn't write the hiragana perfectly. I, his father, picked it up and pasted it here. And for the day I went to the Osaka Expo—I must have been so happy. I was so excited that I drew Myaku-Myaku.

I do draw occasionally, but among them all, this one was especially mysterious.



It’s a drawing imagining what it would look like if one of our Techo Team designer appeared on Jonetsu Tairiku (a famous documentary profile show). I have absolutely no memory of the context. We were talking about how handwriting someone’s name gives a certain impression, but there was really no reason to draw it in my planner.



Ah, I remember this one. These are notes from a meeting about making the robot. We wanted it to be able to sit side-by-side with the "Bear" paperweight we made years ago, so we went with a teddy bear pose. The note saying "It’s enough if it's useful by its weight" reflects a concern that maybe we should think a bit more about its function—but the idea was that if it’s helpful through its weight alone, then it’s not a useless thing.



"Glad I bought the Hobonichi Techo." This is a mystery without an explanation, isn't it? This was a memo from when I was talking withabout the cover of the Hobonichi Techo Guidebook. We were talking about the concept: isn't the guidebook essentially a "I'm so glad I bought the Hobonichi Techo" book? We wanted to make a guide that makes everyone who just bought one feel, "Ah, I’m really glad I chose this techo."



"In search of the ultimate Chai Tea Latte."
This was a memo I wrote while launching Yuka Nakamae’s essay series, Everyday Stars. I’m glad the first installment ended up being "Will you be dining in?" instead of the chai latte. Still... why was it chai tea latte?


An emperor penguin drawn by my son. He even wrote, "Isn’t it cute?" Yes. It is.



This is "Agenda-chan," a girl who explains the agenda on the slides during a meeting. There was no need to draw her—I really should have been writing the actual agenda instead.




"Any story that contains even a sliver of a brag is entirely boring."
During a meeting, while we were talking about how conversations between people who like each other are fun, but they stop being interesting once they turn into a lecture of self-boasting, I noted down these words from a senior colleague.

Come to remember, this year I decided to put speech bubbles around things from meetings that I wanted to remember. Since we're at the end, I’d like to share a few of them with you?like a little inventory check.
“There is no meaning in 'getting to say everything I wanted to say.’”
“People like those who help expand who they are.”
“If a story includes a doubt or a question, it will, at the very least, move the heart.”
“Being ignored is lower than being the object of anger.”
“Are you really important enough to be hated?”
“Few things look more delicious than a 'freshly fried' donut.”
“Ideas are all about sex appeal.”
“All that’s left now is to swing the bat with everything you’ve got.”
“I want to reach out and shake hands with a hand that carries its own warmth.”
“Aim for the heart.”

The 17-day "Hobonichi Techo End of Year Reflection 2025" series now comes to a close. With one week left in the year, I hope you’ll all enjoy some time rereading your own Hobonichi Techo—and enjoy looking back on your year.

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