The Hobonichi Caravan is a meet-up event for Hobonichi Techo users to gather together and share how they use their techos. This year, we held the event outside of Japan for the very first time!
On October 1st, the Hobonichi Techo team visited Log-On, a mega lifestyle specialty store in Hong Kong that carries the Hobonichi Techo alongside a wide array of products that draw in fans of stationery and accessories. Although both Cantonese and English are spoken in Hong Kong, our event was mainly conducted in English. Today we’d like to share with you our report from the event. Although the Meeting Caravan has only been held throughout Japan until now, we were surprised by how many things were the same across the sea!
The event was held at Log-On, located in the large shopping mall Festival Walk by the Kowloon Tong subway stop.
The event marker was a banner we sent from Japan. This area is often used for workshops, galleries, and other gatherings.
We wanted to introduce ourselves properly, so we set up a corner showcasing the history of the Hobonichi Techo and an archive of retired techo designs.
There were three meetings total. Everyone brought their Hobonichi Techos to show one another how they were using the book. Some people had interesting spots in their books, and the others would point it out and ask them what it was.
This stationery fan had a complete set of Hobonichi Stencils and used the Zippers cover as a pouch to carry it all.
This drawing journal filled the pages of a Weeks, with the left page listing interesting things that happened that day, and the right page listing meals as the main theme. This user is learning Japanese, so the pages also contain entries about Japanese dramas and anime.
Some stationery fans even create their own stationery and hand out original stickers listing their Instagram account.
Others design their own washi tape and order it through Taiwanese companies to use in their pages. What cute decorations!
Interestingly, there are original stickers like this, too. Look closely, and you’ll see they’re adhesive stamps!
It almost seemed as though more people here used watercolor paints than in Japan. Because some watercolor paints come in small sizes, users said it was easy to keep up the habit.
These so-called “Unicorn Colors” have a fantasy-like color scheme that’s influenced by Japan’s “kawaii” culture. This user even had her techo decorations featured in a video on ★Log-On’s official page.
This art student’s schedule was beautifully organized. It was moving to see how every page listed things and people to be thankful for.
As the meeting progressed, participants grew closer to one another. Sometimes people would gather around a single book to see inside.
Interestingly, Hong Kong’s best-selling instant ramen is Japan’s “Demae Iccho” brand! It’s become a staple in Hong Kong, and even comes in flavors not available in Japan.
We recognize this character! It’s from the Hobonichi Techo fortune-telling article where you can draw your fortune for the year and it pairs it with a corresponding snack. Hong Kong’s New Year’s is during a different time than Japan, but we’re really happy to see more people enjoying the fun article.
This high-schooler’s techo contains entries about friends and school exams. There are some personalized elements to the book, with washi tape that has been custom-cut and applied to the pages.
Rita, the manager of Log-On, participated in all three meetings. She added a fun and humorous air to the meetings while keeping things running smoothly.
At the end of the meeting, everyone held up their Hobonichi Techos for a group photo. Even after the event was over, lots of people stuck around and chatted excitedly with one another while paging through their techos.
This concludes our report from our Meeting Caravan in Hong Kong. Thank you so much to all the participants and Log-On staff!
Almost all the planners at Log-On (at least 90%) were Japanese brands! It looks like planners are widely seen as a Japanese item in Hong Kong.
When I asked the participants about it, they said, “Everyone loves Japanese products — and not just the planners. It’s because Japanese products are cute and high-quality.” As a Japanese person, I felt really happy when I heard this.
People were so friendly the whole time they were showing one another their techos. They complimented others’ drawings, explained the stories in their entries, and shared information about stationery and writing utensils. The ways they used their techos on a daily basis were the same as Japanese users. I’m sure if we were able to hold some kind of Meeting Caravan with users from Japan, Hong Kong, and other areas, everyone would be able to make all kinds of wonderful friends! I wonder if we can make this happen?
(Naoko)
What surprised me most was the way that for all 3 meetings, participants would talk to everyone before the meeting even started and instantly made friends. After the meeting was over, they exchanged contact information. This was all the exact same as Meeting Caravans held in Japan. It was amazing to see how making friends through the Hobonichi Techo was so universal. The time also passed so quickly for all the meetings, it wasn’t enough time for everyone to keep up with their excitement.
I was so grateful to see all this, knowing that as an imported product, the Hobonichi Techo is relatively more expensive than other products. It’s also a little more complicated to buy from overseas. Even so, there are people out there enjoying our products, some even having more than one techo.
It was really neat to see everyone making their techo their own by decorating their pages, filling the pages with color, and even going so far as to create their own original washi tape and stickers. I was touched at the way that keeping track of one’s life in a techo has become in itself one of life’s enjoyments.
(Shiori)
I was a little nervous at first about holding a Meeting Caravan overseas for the first time. I was worried about the participants having a good time despite the language and culture differences between Japan and Hong Kong. But I was pleasantly surprised when things kicked off and all the participants were so active and friendly. Our first overseas event was a big success!
At first glance, there seemed to be a greater number of users who loved drawing and stationery than Japanese users. I wondered what users in Hong Kong wrote in their Hobonichi Techos, and when they showed me, sure enough, their Life filled the pages. It’s universal!
It was a wonderful experience for me, and I had a lot of fun.
(Shinya)