Hobonichi Sacoche Mate Sales begin June 1st, 11 AM Japan time

Take it with you everywhere!

There’s a new item coming June 1st: the Hobonichi Sacoche Mate. True to its name, this bag will always stick around by your side so you can have fun together. The simple, lightweight sacoche uses the same leather from five types of previous Hobonichi Techo leather covers.

There are five colors available: Black Sesame with a subdued, chic tone, Dark Chocolate that is equal parts cute and elegant, Apricot with a cute yet mature look, Mint with a bright and refreshing color, and Ginger with a gentle, gray-beige hue.

The design is lightweight and simple, making it easy to carry everywhere with you while keeping both hands free. It’s certainly a “Mate” that feels great to have by your side.

So what exactly does the Hobonichi Sacoche Mate offer? Here’s what our crew has to say after using it for a bit.

*The Hobonichi Sacoche Mate is only available through the online Hobonichi Store or in person at Tobichi Tokyo/Kyoto. It’s not available at Hobonichi CultureN or Loft. For business hours and other information, see the store page.
Tobichi Tokyo>> Tobichi Kyoto>>

The Mate has a plain and simple design, making it perfect to take out when you’re wearing flashy clothes out on the town, or when you’re just popping out for a quick errand. It also comes in your choice of 5 colors, all subtle enough to blend comfortably into any outfit or setting. You can trust the Mate to provide a nice accent to your outfit, no matter what you choose to wear for the day.

The Mate’s pockets don’t have buttons or zippers, making it easy to quickly access what you need. There are pockets of various sizes on the front, the back, and even another one inside the front pocket. You can organize smaller items throughout your bag so that it doesn’t feel like a mess inside.

The high-quality leather used for Mate is the same as previous techo covers, and its mature appearance has a hint of serenity to it. The leather softens and develops a sheen as you use it over time, gradually becoming something very special that’s only your own. It’s also durable enough to use for a long time, and the more you handle it in your hands, the more personalized it becomes. It’s a very enriching item that can fill you with happiness.

The front pocket on the Mate has a flap so you can use it to safely store your essentials, like your wallet or cell phone. There’s also another small pocket inside of your front pocket, so if you’re using the Mate as an additional bag when keeping everything else in a backpack, this is a handy place to keep items such as keycards since they can deactivate locks while still in the bag—all you have to do is hold it up.

When I commute to work, I wear a backpack and the Mate. Once I arrive at work, the Mate stays hung around my shoulder, and on my days off I wear it while out shopping. So this thing really is with me all the time. The smaller pocket inside of the front pocket is really handy, because it’s big enough to store my office keycard and locker key, bandages, and headache medicine. I don’t have any small pockets in my backpack, so it’s nice being able to easily get into the office even if my clothes don’t have any pockets that day. On my days off, I like how it lets me leave the house easily since I can use it to store my house key, wallet, and earbuds. I love this bag and the way the Black Sesame color matches with any outfit I wear.

I use the Mate when commuting to work. I keep my wallet and earbuds in the main pocket, and in the front pocket I keep my house key and bandages. I keep my office keycard in the back pocket. The sacoche doesn’t add bulk, so it makes me feel at ease when I’ve basically gained some extra pockets in my outfit, and at a depth that I’m not worried about anything falling out. I always wear a backpack when commuting to work, so it’s hard to pull out my keys and wallet. After starting to use the Mate, I’ve been totally spared from the stress of fumbling around my backpack. The Dark Chocolate is such a dark brown that it hides dirty spots really well.

I mail out a lot of letters and contracts, so I keep a set of everything I need for that in my Mate. The front pocket stores my scissors, cutter knife, four rolls of tape, and two pads of sticky notes. I keep a small cutter for the tape in the small pocket inside the front pocket. It’s nice being able to find such small items so easily in the bag. The back pocket is where I keep pens. Hanging a pen by the hook makes it easy to pull out, and the fact that it’s hidden on the back of the bag means it doesn’t look tacky when I do that. I worry about the pockets in my clothes stretching out if I put anything too heavy in them, but I don’t have that concern when I’m using the Mate in place of pockets.

I use the Mate as a supplement to my computer bag, and it’s really easy to travel this way since I’ve got both hands free. I keep my cell phone in the front pocket and my keycard in the smaller pocket inside. I store the 3 pens I always use in the back pocket. My neck and shoulders get stiff pretty easily, so I try not to let my bags get too heavy. The Mate is already a lightweight bag, and because it’s flat it doesn’t stick out and is easy to keep wearing when I’m sitting down at work. Having my keycard in it is nice so I don’t have to wear it around my neck. I don’t usually wear bright-colored clothes, so the Mint color provides a nice accent to my outfits.

I keep my cell phone and Hobonichi Techo Weeks book in the main pocket of my Mate, and I hang 3 ballpoint pens on the back pocket because I’m often attending meetings at the office. It’s nice being able to access the bag so quickly when I’m in a rush. I’ve got a business card holder in the front pocket, and in that is my IC card and a little cash since I don’t have to worry about it falling out from there with the flap securing the pocket contents. When I head out for lunch, I swap out my Weeks with a book to read. It’s nice having everything I need to head out at any time. I’ve also used this during my research around town for work, and even though I wore a backpack, I carried the Mate on me so I can easily access things I need. By having note paper, my cell phone, and anything else I need in there, I can go anywhere while resting easy that I’m all set.

The Hobonichi Sacoche Mate matches any outfit in any setting. We hope you get lots of use out of it and enjoy the experience of watching it turn into something that’s your very own.