1

Masamune Kusano x junaidaThrough the Purple NightWeeks Hardcover Book / Weekly Horizontal / JPN edition / Apr start / Mon start

  • 2025ver.

The song-art book Himitsu Stranger is based on the lyrics from 13 songs recorded by Masamune Kusano for the music album “Himitsu Studio” by his rock band Spitz. Artist junaida illustrated the lyrical stories for each of the songs. Inside the book is an illustration called Through the Purple Night, which was then chosen for this Weeks book cover.



Through the Purple Night was actually the first illustration junaida did among everything in the song-art book. It shows a forest enveloped in purple, with birds, cats, and other small animals, as well as trees, flowers, and other cute plants, topped off with some planets and other things. This really completes the look as the all-over print recreates this artwork and its unique floating feeling.







The cover material is a rough, textured canvas and the cover is a hardcover with a slight bend to it. The base color is the same white as featured in the original song-art book.







The cover and spine have the year 2025 foil-printed in gold for a simple, refreshing look.







This techo also includes a pencil board with Through the Purple Night. The front side has a scene that stirs the imagination, while the back shows details that really highlight the texture of junaida’s watercolor paintings.







Pair it with the techo to immerse yourself in the world of junaida’s art.







The song-art book Himitsu Stranger that this cover is based on is also for sale in the Hobonichi Store so you can experience the rich blend of lyrics with illustrated narratives.

When you order this Hobonichi Techo Weeks, you’ll receive a clear, adhesive corner pocket you can stick anywhere you like.







The book uses thin and light yet durable Tomoe River paper. This paper that underwent an overhaul with the 2024 edition techo is more resistant to bleed through, lighter despite being the same thickness, and has a smoother surface by adjusting the fibers of the paper.







The Weeks book has space for writing in plans or journal entries, and it also has 69 pages of grid paper memo pages in the back (73 pages in the English edition). The back of the book contains bonus pages, including Sample Symbols and Icons and Oodles of Noodles.







If you’d like storage space or a way to change up the look of your Weeks book, you can customize your book by pairing it with a Weeks cover.



See Weeks cover lineup

©Kusano Masamune, junaida

About Masamune Kusano

Born in 1967. Musician. Formed the rock band Spitz in 1987 and sang vocals and played guitar. Their first major hit was the single Hibari no Kokoro in 1991. Since then, Kusano has written the lyrics and music for most of Spitz’s songs. Their latest album Himitsu Studio was released in May 2023 and was accompanied by a nationwide tour called Spitz Jamboree Tour ’23~’24 “Himitsu Studio” that ran from June 2023 to February 2024.

About junaida

Born in 1978. Painter and artist. Has won many awards and accolades for his work around the world, including being selected as an artist for HOME (published by Sun Reed) in the 2015 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, Michi and MONSTERIUM (published by Fukuinkan Shoten) winning awards at the Japan Book Design Awards in the children’s book/illustrated book division, and MONSTERIUM winning the IBBY award (Peter Pan Prize). Has most recently been branching out, with a focus on creating picture books. Recent publications include This is Home (text by poet Shuntaro Tanikawa) (published by BlueSheep), World (published by Fukuinkan Shoten), and Tomoshibi (published by Sun Reed).

Putting a rich, beautiful world of artwork on a techo

When I first got the book Himitsu Stranger, it really surprised me. Masamune Kusano from Spitz wrote song lyrics that artist junaida then interpreted into illustrative stories. It really showed me the depth of Kusano’s work, beyond just hearing the songs. And more than anything I was struck by the beauty of that illustrated world. Having that appeal on a techo to make it accessible on a daily basis felt like a really appealing prospect, so I reached out to request a collaboration.



The A6 and A5 size covers have a layout that works directly from the cover of the Himitsu Stranger book. There are so many different motifs across the design that it’s fascinating to look through and never gets old. The back pocket is also a treat if you peek inside, as you can enjoy some artwork different from that on the outside.



The interior material is arranged with pencil drawings. From the 13 stories within the book, we’ve picked out which scenes best depict the passage of time and emotions and put them together for this techo design.



The Weeks cover features the image “Through the Purple Night.” I’d fallen in love with this image when I saw it on the title page and just knew that I wanted to put it on a Weeks techo.



The double-sided pencil board within the set of this Weeks book also features “Through the Purple Night.” The front shows the art as it appeared in the book, and the back features a design based on a closeup of the art. I hope you’ll find both the composition of the scene-setting and the texture of the paint appealing.

Introduction to the Masamune Kusano x junaida series products

(Hobonichi Techo 2025 lineup)

Staff List

Photographer
Styled Images: Masahiro Tamura / Product Detail: Hiroyuki Oe
Stylist
Haruka Kimura
Masamune Kusano x junaidaThrough the Purple NightWeeks Hardcover Book / Weekly Horizontal / JPN edition / Apr start / Mon start
  1. ¥3,300 (incl. tax)

20 per item
Available
Normal

Discover more (Techo)

Discover more (Accessories)

Specifications*Specifications may vary slightly

SizeH: 188 x W: 94 x T: 11 mm / H: 7.4" x W: 3.7" x T: 0.4"
WeightApprox. 140 g
Main materialRayon / Paper
Compatible Techo Covers
Weeks Book (Japanese / April Start)
LanguageJapanese
Pages240 pages
Paper Type / BindingThin, light Tomoe River paper resistant to bleeding and designed for planners / Stitch-binding
Graph Paper Size3.55 mm
Start of WeekMonday-start week
Yearly Calendar2024, 2025, 2026
Yearly IndexApr. 2025 - Mar. 2026 (2 pages)
Monthly CalendarMar. 2025 - Apr. 2026 (28 pages)
Daily QuotesOne per week (Japanese)
Weekly Pages Feb. 24, 2025 - Apr. 5, 2026 (116 pages)
*All weekly pages include quotes.
Graph Paper73 pages
Bonus PagesShorthand Note-Taking / Using Common Items to Measure Size / My 100 / Sample Symbols and Icons / Recommended Noodle List of 47 Prefectures / Solar Terms / Emergency Preparedness / Age Table / Conversion Chart / Getting the most of Hobonichi / Contact List / Personal Notes
Listed InformationWeek of the year / Rokuyo (traditional Japanese calendar) / Solar terms / Japanese holidays / Moon phase (weekly pages include every phase, monthly calendars only include full and new moon)
OtherSee the Exploring Each Type page for more details

User recommendations

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.

Send a comment

Please Read Before You Buy

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.

Press marks or shines may appear on the corners

You may notice press marks, slight whitening, or a glossy finish on the corners of the front and back covers. These are unavoidable results of the binding process.

Color transfer may occur due to friction, pressure, or moisture

Color may transfer to other items through friction or prolonged contact. This risk increases when the cover is exposed to water or sweat, so please take extra care when carrying it near clothing or other belongings.

About the paper used (techo)

The Tomoe River paper designed for planners is known for its thinness and smooth writing surface. However, depending on the type and amount of ink or pen used—as well as environmental conditions—some ink may bleed through or take longer to dry. We recommend testing your pens on an inconspicuous area first, or using a pencil board or blotting paper for best results.