We want to continue bringing new announcements about the Hobonichi Techo. -Shigesato Itoi

At the start of 2017, I had the chance to meet all kinds of Hobonichi Techo users at our traveling Meeting Caravan event. I was especially curious to find out why users who’d had trouble staying on top of their other planners managed to continue using the Hobonichi Techo. When I asked about it in Osaka, one user shocked me by saying, “Maybe because this one’s so tough.” Our team has spent so many years working on the Hobonichi Techo that it’s easy to forget about its most basic qualities. That answer reminded us of a standard we’d set for ourselves long ago: The techo must be able to withstand an entire year’s worth of constant use without coming apart.
In the very beginning, when we were still unsure of ourselves, we worried about the book withstanding such use. But as the years have gone by we’ve come to take that feature for granted. I know I don’t look cool bragging about the features of our techo, but I admit that it was nice to hear someone appreciate a feature we’d stopped thinking about. It reminded me of the sense of pride we used to feel as the creators behind the scenes. And just as parents can’t see all the merits of their children with their own eyes, I know there must be more about the Hobonichi Techo that we can’t see, and that has yet to reappear and surprise us.
The daily quotes may be another reason the Hobonichi Techo is still around. 365 days of quotes give us a chance to create a variety of contents that’s hard to find elsewhere. Running our website, Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, has become synonymous with making the Hobonichi Techo every year, and I’m glad we’ve been able to stay active enough to continue filling the techo.

The desire to keep it forever.

A great deal of Hobonichi Techo users we spoke to save their books after the year is over. Once they’re done using the techo, they don’t throw it away, but keep it, along with both the good and the bad things inside. In the future there may be people who’ve filled and saved dozens of planners, but I’m happy to know that one year’s worth of someone’s Life is collected in each and every book. I also heard lots of users say they’ve cheated on the Hobonichi Techo with other planners, but that makes me happy, too. After all, they only phrased it as “cheating on” the techo because they eventually came back.

Growing as if part of a team.

I’d love to provide techo users with even more reasons to be glad they’re using our book. When users meet for the first time at Hobonichi Techo events, it’s apparently not uncommon for them to go out for drinks on the way home. Normally, people are uncomfortable being seen with the same thing as someone else. But it’s the opposite with the Hobonichi Techo. More people owning the same techo means more new friends to meet. It’s almost like a team that’s always adding more members. It really does feel like the Hobonichi Techo team is growing bigger every day. We opened a new Tobichi shop in Kyoto last June, and we’re hoping to provide more and more opportunities to meet fellow Hobonichi Techo users across major cities.

We always want new things to announce.

We’re going into the 17th year of the Hobonichi Techo, and we still aren’t satisfied. All year long, we’re filled with thoughts of what we can do to improve the book — what else we can do to make the experience better. We want to surprise and delight the people who have been using the Hobonichi Techo for many years now. New collaborations, events, and promotions are all ways we can bring new things to them. Hobonichi entered the stock market in March, which greatly changed the social mission of the company. Now, more than ever, we’re looking for ways to revolutionize what we do, so I hope you’ll look forward to what we have to offer in the future. I truly want to continue bringing news about the Hobonichi Techo. We’ve had times, in the past, when there was a great deal we were unable to offer. Now we can try all kinds of new, interesting things!