Keiko Shibata: Who is it? · Hobonichi Graph Notebook

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 color 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 A6 notebook size is the same as the A6 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.

The A5 notebook size is the same as the A5 Cousin, which makes it compatible with any of the Cousin’s Hobonichi Techo covers. The cover is great for storing items like pens or sticky notes and provides a very convenient user experience.

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.

We recommend matching them with a techo cover or Weeks featuring Shibata’s artwork.

About Keiko Shibata

Born in Kochi prefecture. Picture book works include the Meganeko series (Tegamisha), the SHIROKUMA series (PHP Institute), and the PANDOROBOU “Bread Thief” series (KADOKAWA).