Hi everyone, I’m Hirano from the Hobonichi Techo team. I hope you’ve been enjoying the Hobonichi Techo 2025 Preview that started in August so far.

Have you read the Shigesato Itoi interview where he talks about “Potential,” the theme of this year? If you have already done so, you might have noticed that the mood of the article changed completely from one point.

This year, we asked Ryo Fujii to draw illustrations and create the story of “The Mystery of the Techo Mask” for the leaflet that comes with the Hobonichi Techo books. Look forward to seeing how “Potential” and “The Mystery of the Techo Mask” all come together!


A flyer picked up if it’s lying on the ground. (Photography: Yuki Ide)

In this series of the Hobonichi Techo News, techo team members will talk about the potential they feel in the Hobonichi Techo they’re currently using. I will be kicking this series off.

So now, let’s talk about “Potential.” I found a memo in my techo when we decided on this theme during a meeting with Itoi.



Although the meeting took place at the end of January, I had so much to write so it spilled onto the pages in February. In the memo I wrote during this meeting, I’d written


Japan is doing well
“Potential”
We still have a long way to go


These words by themselves don’t make much sense, do they? I tried my best to recall what Itoi was talking about during this meeting from the memos I took, so let me share them with you.

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Although the Hobonichi Techo reached 10 million all-time sales in 2024, we shouldn’t draw a line there, or feel like we’ve accomplished something. The 10 million copies are numbers that accumulate like a body blow, and don’t have a strong impact like a punch to the face. 10 million is a number you’ll achieve as long as you continue to do so.

The Hobonichi Techo is growing in ways I wouldn’t have imagined when we first made it. It means that many people have continued to use it without getting bored of it, and also that there are a lot of new users trying it out. “For people in their 24th year, and for first-time users” is probably going to be our theme when we welcome new customers.

The Hobonichi Techo is increasingly becoming popular in the U.S. and in Europe, but I feel that the attention for “Tokyo, Japan” is growing too. I saw in some survey that Japan was selected as the number one “country with high expectations.” Doesn’t it make you a little happy in the midst of all the news saying Japan isn’t doing so well?

Thankfully, the Hobonichi Techo is accepted by people not as a planner, as a diary or as a journal, but as a completely new genre called the “Hobonichi Techo.” Since there’s the movement of “When it comes to stationery, it’s Japan” out there, let’s promote “Hobonichi from Japan” out there too.

We have our largest lineup of techos yet this year, haven’t we. When I actually look at the lineup, it doesn’t feel that you’ve increased the number of items indiscriminately. Instead, it gives a sense of reassurance while appearing fresh at the same time. I could tell that there’s a thoughtful intention behind making it into content. Let’s make wondering which techo to go for a joy in itself shall we.

When I think about this, I’d want the theme for this year to show that the Hobonichi Techo still has a long way to go and has potential. I’ve made Mr. Saturn say “Potential” in the MOTHER game and made products using this term at Hobonichi, but I feel it’s something you can say for the Hobonichi Techo too.

* * *

We reached the theme of “Potential” through these conversations.

Even after we’d decided on the theme, we went back to the starting point to discuss what a leaflet/user manual brochure actually is. Eventually, we asked Ryo Fujii to create the story of “The Mystery of the Techo Mask.” We’ve made it so you can have fun with it after receiving it too.

As Itoi said in the interview, it would be amazing if a positive, magic-spell-like word “potential” gets used more.

We have been releasing exciting information about the new lineup at the Hobonichi Techo 2025 Preview Stadium daily. Every news is packed with “potential,” so I hope you enjoy the previews and the Techo News that are to come!

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