He doesn’t construct buildings, yet he’s an architect. He writes, sings, photographs, and paints. Kyohei Sakaguchi has continued creating in all these forms—effortlessly, like breathing. This Hobonichi Techo cover features one of his pastel paintings.
Living in Kumamoto Prefecture, Sakaguchi began growing vegetables on a plot he rented in a community garden in 2020. On his way to the garden and while tending his plot, he captures the scenery with his smartphone. He uses these photos as references for his pastel artwork.
This picture, “Field Sky,” was drawn on October 17, 2021. The tall autumn sky glows pale blue, with dry air and white clouds swelling upward. The trees swaying in the wind, the strong, sprawling branches and leaves stretching into the vast sky—all radiate the vibrant force of nature.
In his essay “The Path to the Field,” featured in the artbook Pastel, Sakaguchi writes,
“Like brushing my teeth, washing my face, or taking a bath, I go to the field and draw with pastels.”
We hope that opening this techo will become just as naturally integrated into your daily life.
On the Cousin-size cover, the picture is laid out to fill the surface generously. The cool blue sky, white clouds, and deep green trees together tell the story of a sky over a fertile field.
Though almost photographic in its precision, a closer look reveals the powdery texture of the pastels—the gentle smudges and strokes made by hand give the piece a warm, tactile feel. To capture this texture, the artwork is printed on fine-grained, delicate polyester fabric.
The interior is made of white faux leather, resembling the paper used for pastel drawings. The bookmark is a soft, cool gray to complement the overall tone.
A portion of the picture is also printed onto the butterfly-stopper pen holder.
Sakaguchi is someone who excels at continuing—whether it’s drawing, writing, or making music—but you get the sense he’d gently remind you: “Write when you feel like it. Don’t force it when you need a break. That’s perfectly okay.”
Look up, and there’s the sky. Look down, and there’s a drawing of the sky.
This cover carries the promise of bright, clear days ahead.
There’s also a notebook titled A Notebook to Help Me Remember, featuring another pastel work by Sakaguchi. It has the same cover design as the Weeks version. The horizontal A5 size includes light blue grid pages inspired by the color of the sky, printed on Tomoe River paper—the same as is used in Hobonichi Techo books.
We also recommend Pastel, an artbook featuring 126 of Sakaguchi’s works printed at actual size. The landscapes he captures through careful observation remain fresh no matter how many times you revisit them—a private gallery you can keep by your side.
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1978. Graduated in 2001 from the Department of Architecture from Waseda University’s School of Science and Engineering. Participated in many fields, including writing, painting, music, and architecture. Publicly shared that he lives with bipolar disorder, and has been running a crisis line “Inocchi no Denwa” on his personal cell phone since 2012 to take calls from anyone contemplating suicide.
Introduction to the Kyohei Sakaguchi series products
(Hobonichi Techo 2026 lineup)
Size | H: 228 x W: 337 x T: 3 mm / H: 9" x W: 13.3" x T: 0.1" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Weight | Approx. 170 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Main material | Exterior: Polyester / Interior: PU | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compatible Techo Books |
Cousin | One-Page-Per-Day TypeJapanese / English![]() ![]()
Cousin Avec | One-Page-Per-Day Type (2-Book Set)Japanese![]() ![]()
Day-Free | Monthly Techo + NotebookJapanese![]() ![]()
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Size | A5 size H: 210 x W: 148 x T: 18 mm / H: 8.3" x W: 5.8" x T: 0.7" *Actual book size may vary slightly |
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Weight | Approx. 445 g |
Language | English |
Pages | 544 pages |
Paper Type / Binding | Thin, light Tomoe River paper that is smooth to write on and designed for planners / Stitch-binding |
Graph Paper Size | 3.7 mm |
Start of Week | Monday-start week |
Yearly Calendar | 2025, 2026, 2027 |
Yearly Index | Jan. 2026 - Dec 2026 (4 pages) |
Monthly Calendar | Dec. 2025 - Mar. 2027 (32 pages) |
Daily Pages | Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2026 (377 pages) *A page is included at the beginning of each month to help in planning ahead. *Every two-page spread includes one daily quote. *Includes a mini monthly calendar at the bottom right of every two-page spread (Monday-start). *Additionally, a blank two-page spread is featured at the beginning to provide a free area when starting out the book. |
Daily Quotes | One quote per two-page spread (English) |
Weekly Pages | Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 3, 2027 (106 pages) |
Memo Pages | 6 pages |
Bonus Pages | Time Table / Graph Paper / Favorites / My 100 / Memories 2026 / 12 Switches to Help You Focus / For a Comfortable Night’s Sleep / Words to Remember / 365 Days Check-Off Sheet / Getting the Most Out of Your Hobonichi Techo / Gifts / Addresses / Personal Notes |
Listed Information | Day of the year / Week of the year (listed on monthly calendars and weekly pages) / Moon phase (daily pages include every phase, monthly calendars and weekly pages only include full and new moon) |
Other | See the Exploring Each Type page for more details |
Size | A5 size H: 210 x W: 148 x T: 18 mm / H: 8.3" x W: 5.8" x T: 0.7" *Actual book size may vary slightly |
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Weight | Approx. 445 g |
Language | Japanese |
Pages | 544 pages |
Paper Type / Binding | Thin, light Tomoe River paper that is smooth to write on and designed for planners / Stitch-binding |
Graph Paper Size | 3.7 mm |
Start of Week | Monday-start week |
Yearly Calendar | 2025, 2026, 2027 |
Yearly Index | Jan. 2026 - Dec 2026 (4 pages) |
Monthly Calendar | Dec. 2025 - Mar. 2027 (32 pages) |
Daily Pages | Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2026 (377 pages) *A page is included at the beginning of each month to help in planning ahead. *All daily pages include daily quotes. *Includes a mini monthly calendar at the bottom right of every two-page spread (Monday-start). *Additionally, a blank two-page spread is featured at the beginning to provide a free area when starting out the book. |
Daily Quotes | One per day (Japanese) |
Weekly Pages | Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 3, 2027 (106 pages) |
Memo Pages | 6 pages |
Bonus Pages | Time Table / Graph Paper / Favorites / My 100 / Memories 2026 / 12 Switches to Help You Focus / For a Comfortable Night’s Sleep / Solar Terms / Emergency Preparedness / Gifts / Age Table / Conversion Chart / Getting the most of Hobonichi / Addresses / Personal Notes |
Listed Information | Day of the year / Week of the year (listed on monthly calendars and weekly pages) / Old lunar calendar / Rokuyo (traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar) (listed on monthly calendars) / Solar terms / Japanese holidays / Moon phase (daily pages include every phase, monthly calendars and weekly pages only include full and new moon) |
Other | See the Exploring Each Type page for more details |
Size | A5 size x 2 books Each Book: H: 210 x W: 148 x T: 10 mm / H: 8.3" x W: 5.8" x T: 0.4" *Actual book size may vary slightly |
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Weight | Each Book: Approx. 260 g |
Language | Japanese |
Pages | Each Book: 288 pages |
Paper Type / Binding | Thin, light Tomoe River paper that is smooth to write on and designed for planners / Stitch-binding |
Start of Week | 3.7 mm |
Start of Week | Monday-start week |
Yearly Calendar | 2025, 2026, 2027 |
Yearly Index | Book 1: Jan. - Dec. 2026 (4 pages) Book 2: Jul. 2026 - Jun. 2027 (4 pages) |
Monthly Calendar | Book 1: Dec. 2025 - Jul. 2026 (16 pages) Book 2: Jun. 2026 - Jan. 2027 (16 pages) |
Daily Pages | Book 1: Jan. 1 - Jun. 30, 2026 (187 pages) Book 2: Jul. 1 - Dec. 31, 2026 (190 pages) *A page is included at the beginning of each month to help in planning ahead. *All daily pages include daily quotes. *Includes a mini monthly calendar at the bottom right of every two-page spread (Monday-start). *Additionally, a blank two-page spread (three pages for Book 2) is featured at the beginning to provide a free area when starting out the book. |
Daily Quotes | One per day (Japanese) |
Weekly Pages | Book 1: Dec. 29, 2025 - Jul. 5, 2026 (54 pages) Book 2: Jun. 29, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027 (54 pages) |
Memo Pages | Book 1: 8 pages Book 2: 4 pages |
Bonus Pages | Time Table / Graph Paper / Favorites / My 100 / Memories 2026 / 12 Switches to Help You Focus / For a Comfortable Night’s Sleep / Solar Terms / Emergency Preparedness / Gifts / Age Table / Conversion Chart / Getting the most of Hobonichi / Addresses / Personal Notes |
Listed Information | Day of the year / Week of the year (listed on monthly calendars and weekly pages) / Old lunar calendar / Rokuyo (traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar) (listed on monthly calendars) / Solar terms / Japanese holidays / Moon phase (daily pages include every phase, monthly calendars and weekly pages only include full and new moon) |
Other | See the Exploring Each Type page for more details |
Size | A5 size H: 210 x W: 148 x T: 8 mm / H: 8.3" x W: 5.8" x T: 0.3" *Actual book size may vary slightly |
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Weight | Approx. 220 g |
Language | Japanese |
Pages | 224 pages |
Paper Type / Binding | Thin, light Tomoe River paper that is smooth to write on and designed for planners / Stitch-binding |
Graph Paper Size | 3.7 mm |
Start of Week | Monday-start week |
Yearly Calendar | 2025, 2026, 2027 |
Yearly Index | Jan. - Dec. 2025 (4 pages) |
Monthly Calendar | Dec. 2025 - Mar. 2027 (32 pages) |
Daily Quotes | Included (Japanese) |
Graph Paper | 171 pages |
Bonus Pages | Time Table / Graph Paper / Favorites / My 100 / Memories 2026 / 12 Switches to Help You Focus / For a Comfortable Night’s Sleep / Solar Terms / Emergency Preparedness / Gifts / Age Table / Conversion Chart / Getting the most of Hobonichi / Addresses / Personal Notes |
Listed Information | Day of the year / Week of the year (listed on monthly calendars) / Old lunar calendar / Rokuyo (traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar) (listed on monthly calendars) / Solar terms / Japanese holidays / Moon phase (Full and new moon listed on monthly calendars) |
Other | See the Exploring Each Type page for more details |
If you’ve used any of these products, we welcome your notes on what you like about them or what led you to buy them so we can share it with customers who are currently considering these products. We’d also love to welcome comments from customers who purchased their techo outside the Hobonichi Store or received their book as a gift.
We’ve compiled a list of warnings, potential issues, and tips to keep in mind for this particular product. Additionally, the color of the product may be slightly different in actuality than compared to how it appeared on a computer or smartphone screen.
Due to the structure of the cover that opens flat 180 degrees, exterior stitching areas may appear puckered and lining material may be loose.
The pen holder is designed to fit the 12.2 mm (0.48") diameter Jetstream pen offered as a free Hobonichi Store Exclusive Bonus. Pens with certain shapes and materials may be difficult to pull through the holder. The holder can fit pens up to 13.5 mm (0.53") in diameter.
The cover's color and print pattern are created by dyeing or printing onto white fabric. While we take care to ensure consistency during production, slight variations in color or pattern may occur between individual items. This may also happen across a single cover, such as a pocket compared to the rest of the cover. Minor print blurring or uneven coloring may also be present. In addition, on rare occasions, there may be small black or white dots visible on the print. This is an unavoidable aspect of the manufacturing process.