Updates to the 2018 Hobonichi Techo book

The Hobonichi Techo Planner book, translated into English and simplified in design, is available this year in a Steiff Edition through a special collaboration with famous teddy bear maker Steiff. Look closely and you’ll see the usual Arts  & Science key mark has been replaced with a Steiff bear.
The bear mark is a clear sign that you’ll have a wonderful time spending the year with this Steiff “forever friend.” Aside from the bear mark on the cover, the Steiff Edition Planner has the same contents as the traditional Hobonichi Techo Planner. The book will go on sale September 1st in the Hobonichi Store and in Loft stores across Japan.

The Cousin’s special weekly diary contains one week per two-page spread. While this section previously included a timeline from 6 AM to midnight, we’ve changed the timeline based on customer input, and each day in the weekly diary is now labeled from 5 AM to 4 AM the following morning. This allows users to write in their plans for any hour of the day.

The monthly calendar is one of the best tools in the techo for managing schedules. Each month includes the number of the month, the year, the year according to the traditional Japanese era, the month’s Japanese name, and the month’s English name. In the Original version, we’ve switched the Japanese month name to the left and the English month name to the right.

The Cousin has large, roomy pages that leave plenty of room to not only manage your schedule, but include journal entries, draw pictures, tape in tickets, and use any way you please. The dates atop the daily pages are now printed more boldly to make the text easier to read.

The serial number printed on the endpaper of the Hobonichi Techo is unique among each and every book. This serial design has been given a simplified design for the Hobonichi Techo Planner.

Every year since its inception in 2002, the Hobonichi Techo has included new, updated informational pages at the end of the book. Here are some of the new columns you’ll see in the 2018 Hobonichi Techo.

Original / Cousin / Weeks
Favorite Local Japanese Foods
The results of the Favorite Local Japanese Foods poll we conducted in Japanese  in December 2016 are outlined in this section as a list of the top 6 favorite foods for each prefecture across Japan.

Original / Cousin / Weeks
Hobonichi’s TK Stretch
This illustrated guide outlines 8 simple stretches as taught by MMA fighter Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka. These stretches are easy to keep up with on a daily basis, and doing them regularly can prevent body stiffness.

Original / Cousin / Weeks
Chatting with People Around the World
Use this 6-language phrase book to interact with people when meeting international visitors or traveling overseas.

Original / Cousin / Weeks
MY 100
This 100-item list is for anything you want: things to accomplish this year, books you’ve read, movies you’ve seen, snacks you’ve tried, shops you want to visit — it’s up to you!

Original / Cousin
Graph Paper
The graph paper is convenient for recording your daily weight or other changes when you have a certain target in mind. The horizontal X-axis along the bottom contains 31 boxes to easily cover a one-month span. The 2018 edition book includes a larger space for notes at the bottom of the page.

Planner
Highlights of the Calendar Year in Japan
This page introduces a list of festivals and other main events celebrated in Japan, such as Setsubun, hanami, Tanabata, summer fireworks festivals, and Christmas.

Planner
Chronology of Japanese History
This timeline features main events in Japanese history in each era.

Planner
Japanese Folk Tales
Get to know 6 of the most famous folk tales in Japan, including Momotaro, the crane’s gratitude, and Urashima Taro.

We’ll introduce the content and features of other pages during the pre-opening on Monday, August 28th Japan time.

While the Planner, Cousin, and Weeks are only available with a Monday-start week, the Original is available in Monday-start or Sunday-start. The Sunday-start version was previously only available in the Hobonichi Store, but starting this year, it will be available in Loft stores as well. This version also goes on sale September 1st.