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 Weeks 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 pastel painting, titled En Route to Kumamoto Port at Dawn, was created on March 22, 2024. According to Sakaguchi, it depicts “the crisp, cool morning sky before heading out to fish.” Clouds stretch across the dawn sky—those touched by light are painted in white and pale orange, while those in shadow are a soft gray.



Sakaguchi explains that the color of the clouds reflects not only the real scenery he observed, but also his own inner state—making the colors feel even more vivid.









From a distance, the artwork may resemble a photograph, but it’s actually created using pastel—a chalk-like medium that Sakaguchi dabs and layers onto white paper, then blends with his fingers.
To capture this warm, handcrafted texture, the cover material was chosen to mimic the look and feel of canvas.









The year 2026 is stamped in subtle silver foil, small and understated, a soft glint, like the morning star just before sunrise.









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 this Weeks. 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.

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. It's characterized by its ability to hold ink well and provide a smooth writing experience.









The Weeks book has space for writing in plans or journal entries, and it also has 71 pages of grid paper memo pages in the back (75 pages in the English edition). The back of the book contains bonus pages, including Memories 2026 and 12 Switches to Help You Focus.









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

Introduction to the Kyohei Sakaguchi series products

(Hobonichi Techo 2026 lineup)