Hobonichi Plain Notebook A5 [Keiko Shibata: Who is it?]

After many years of customer requests for a plain notebook that feels just like the Hobonichi Techo, the Hobonichi Plain Notebook made an appearance from 2019. We added a cover design in collaboration with an artwork by picture book author and illustrator Keiko Shibata.

“Who is it?” depicts cats noticing the sound of a guest that has come to their house and staring at the front door from the room door and even from outside the window. Are the cats in a welcoming mood, or are they trying to see if they can let the guest inside?



A unique scene from their daily life is rendered with a warm touch of oil pastel. The back cover is as red as the door, with Keiko Shibata’s autograph printed.



The Tomoe River paper is the same thin, durable paper as that used in the Hobonichi Techo. This allows the 240-page book to stay at a mere 8mm thick, giving you plenty of room to fill to your heart’s content.

The 3.7 millimeter graph paper is also the same as that of the Japanese-edition Hobonichi Techo Original. The colour of the ink on the page changes every 60 pages (red / blue / green / purple), making it easy to split the book into several themes or use the colors as a way to more easily find old entries.

The notebook size is the same as the A5 Planner and Original techo book, which makes it compatible with any of the Planner’s Hobonichi Techo covers. The cover is great for storing items like pens or sticky notes and provides a very convenient user experience (also available in A6 size).

The notebook is also a great supplement to the Hobonichi Techo, or simply a smaller-size notebook to keep by your side for filling with lots of writings or drawings.