We’ve included these two books by children’s book author Ryoji Arai to commemorate the release of the Hobonichi Techo cover, “I forgot when it was, but we sure had fun.” The books are written in Japanese.



The first book is called Tyrol’s Apple Tree and is published by NHK. Tyrol lives in Towering-Mountain Town and loves his hometown more than anywhere in the world. He loves life in the town, the scenery of the town, the local families, animals, and his childhood friend Edel — and, of course, his home apple tree that feels like family. You can almost hear songs as you see all the various lineart and colors illustrating the book as Tyrol spends the spring, summer, fall, and winter alongside the apple tree.



The other book is called It’s Morning, So I’ll Open the Window and is published by Kaiseisha. The book depicts boys and girls from around the world waking up in the morning and going to open their window. Arai’s colorful pages depict the joy behind the uneventful, average days in our lives. Look closely and you’ll see the curtains in one girl’s house have cherries on the design that seem to resemble the pen holders in Hobonichi Techo covers.



These books treasure and celebrate the simple, everyday moments in our lives, just like when we write about our everyday lives in our Hobonichi Techos.