As the Hobonichi Techo team gears up for the production of the 2020 techo, they hosted an internal Meeting Caravan to get some ideas and find out how their colleagues use the techo.
In the second installment of the meeting, we picked staffers with a 5 at the end of their employee ID number:
A member of the design team. He designs and illustrates articles on the Hobonichi website and is the head planner and designer for the haramaki belly-warmers and other products.
He uses the Original book with the 2019 I am Doraemon cover.
I used to keep a journal in my Original, but now that I use the 5-Year Techo for that, I keep the Original for pasting in items. I keep a lot in here, like receipts and event tickets. When I look back at it I can remember when I bought what, and that brings back all the memories of that day and all the things related to that entry. Now my techo is pretty fat. I also record my dreams as well — here’s a funny one I had. And even though it’s early, I’ve already started using the 2019 Doraemon cover on my book.
On my monthly calendar, I track which days I’ve got articles scheduled for the Hobonichi website. I also circle days I didn’t drink. I’ve started paying closer attention to my health, and figured I’d better start scheduling days where I refrain from any alcohol. My goal this year was to have 100 days circled, and I’m already over 80! So I’m confident I can hit my goal. I tried especially hard for my medical health checkup in July. I even went a stretch of 10 days without any alcohol. [Laughs]
A member of the accounting team, and responsible for purchasing and expenses. Active in several projects across Hobonichi, such as running the cash register at the Joys of Life and other Hobonichi events.
She uses the 2017 Cacuma Tulip cover with a Cousin book at work, and uses the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo and White Line - Ivory Weeks books at home.
Most of my accounting work is done using my computer to run calculations, so I use my computer to track my schedule while I’m at it. So my Cousin is for keeping at work and mainly just using for taking notes during meetings. I also keep written notes from colleagues and write things I’ve learned or noticed during the Joys of Life or other events. I’m a fan of the color blue, so I use the blue ink in my Jetstream pen.
I was worried that the Original wouldn’t fit my notebook, so I decided to go with the Cousin. I also have a Weeks at home that I use to organize my private schedule, but once I started using the Hobonichi 5-Year Techo, I haven’t really been using my Weeks anymore. I’m still kind of experimenting with everything. I wonder what I should use next year!
A member of the Tobichi team. He’s a natural working with his hands, which makes him skilled at planning events, setting up venues, and running the show at the Tobichi shops in Tokyo and Kyoto... and at cooking.
He uses the Cousin book with the 2013 Bridle Leather cover.
I was previously in the product planning team, so I’d been using the Cousin to make rough sketches for products. But two years ago I transferred to the Tobichi team, and I haven’t been using my techo much since then. I’m not in many meetings anymore, and I’m out and about a lot, so this year I’ve mostly used my Cousin to take notes during company-wide meetings at the office. When we’re brainstorming venue layouts It’s often helpful to sketch over the floor plans, so oftentimes I’ll print out materials on a blank piece of A4 paper and work with that. So I’ve got a Postalco A4 binder now that I use pretty often. The binder makes it easy to share materials with people at the shop and explain information.
Lately, when I want to take notes I’ve been using Evernote. I type in things I’ll need at the venue, go to a home improvement store, and check the shopping list on my cell phone. It’s been a lot of help being able to synchronize my computer and cell for work, so I’ve been using it for my personal life as well. I’ve even taken notes about a gyoza recipe I really like. It’s been helpful, but it is a little sad not having any of the sentiment or personal impressions that attach to a book like the Hobonichi Techo.
The dependable leader of the Joys of Life event team, overseeing everything from planning, creation, and communication with all the staff.
She uses the Weeks Mega Ultramarine with the clear Partners cover.
I love my Weeks Mega. I write really large, so I use up my memo pages pretty quickly. I’m actually already on my second Weeks Mega this year!
I write my favorite dishware and meals into the weekly pages, and take notes for work in the memo pages. I also separate my memo page section and use it starting from two different places.
For example, starting at this page, I’ve got a list of dishware I own. I look at this list when brainstorming what to cook, and I enjoy thinking of what kind of dishware I’d want next.
On the weekly pages, I write down what I cooked and what dishes I used for it. I want to use this book while I work in the kitchen, so I went for something that was a little more waterproof and put on the clear cover illustrated by Shinsuke Yoshitake.
My work is completely focused on the Joys of Life events, so I don’t have much reason to take notes based on specific dates. I just start at the first page and take notes in order on all the pages. I don’t use the book as a way to store important information I’ll need later so much as a way to get all my thoughts onto paper and organize them. I often find that my hands are unable to keep up with my mind. [Laughs] I’ve also got a couple pages that my children scribble onto, so when I find little drawings between my work notes, it really warms my heart.
I don’t actually use my monthly pages; I track my schedule on my computer. The Weeks is really comfortable to carry around, and I like being able to write in it in public without feeling like the pages are really exposed to everyone around me. So the Weeks is my favorite!
Market development manager. Manages the development of marketplaces for the Hobonichi Techo and other products. He’s also a crucial source of support for the Joys of Life and other events.
He uses the Cousin book with the 2014 Henry Cuir Caffe cover.
(Link to English page for A6 Henry Cuir Cafe cover is here.)
There’s something else I make sure to use my techo for. Every year, when I first start out using my techo, I feel pressure to write with really nice handwriting. I don’t like that. So every January, I make a point to fill up my pages with random things that I write in really messy handwriting. It’s a way for me to force myself to use my techo without restraint. [Laughs]
After the meeting...
- Boy, I wasn’t expecting to get so excited about showing our techos to each other.
- Yeah. We don’t really show our books to each other this much.
- It was interesting to see everyone’s work and thought styles show up in the way they use their techos.
- I really like Hirose’s idea of circling days that he hadn’t had any alcohol. I want to use that for my diet!
- Yeah, it’s nice. It gets me motivated to be able to go back and circle the day.
- I also like Saito’s A4 binder. I want to use something like that for my Joys of Life event work. It’s hard to make information interesting for people if I’ve only got it written on my computer, but it seems much more interesting when it’s handwritten on a landscape piece of A4 paper you can actually show people.
- Yeah, I really recommend it! But just sitting here and seeing everyone’s books made me want to go back to the Hobonichi Techo. Maybe I’ll try using a Weeks next year.
- Sugiyama, your dishware list is so cool! Even though I work with everyone on a daily basis, there’s so much I learned from seeing your techos. Thank you for your time today, everyone.
