Hobonichi Hiroko Kubota: Graph Notebook (A5) - Another night of falling star sparklers

The Hobonichi Graph Notebook (A5) "Another night of falling star sparklers" features an illustration by Japanese artist Hiroko Kubota: a cat fills the night sky with the sparks of a sparkler. The sparkler's glow is printed in aurora foil, which shimmers in changing colours depending on the viewing angle. On the back of the cover waits a fox – with an expression that surprises on second glance. The paper is Tomoe River, and the grid is 3.7 mm – identical to the Hobonichi Techo Cousin.

Features

• Tomoe River paper, 288 pages: The thin yet tear-resistant paper accepts fountain pen ink cleanly without show-through. Stub nibs, wet inks and fine liners all work equally well on it.
• 3.7 mm grid in four print colours: The grid colour changes every 72 pages (red / blue / green / purple) – making it easy to divide the book into thematic sections or quickly locate older entries.
• Fully lie-flat binding: The binding yields across the full page width – no margins are lost, no paper warps whilst writing.
• Aurora foil on the cover: The sparkler sparks shift colour with the light – from golden yellow to cool blue, depending on how the cover is held.
• Compatible with Hobonichi Techo covers (A5/Cousin): The notebook fits precisely into any A5 Techo cover – including pen holder and pockets.
• Illustration by Hiroko Kubota: The Japanese illustrator, born in 1971, works with acrylic gouache and paints landscapes, people and animals. This design was originally a popular pattern for the Hobonichi Techo Weeks 2024.

Use & Tips

• Fountain pens on Tomoe River: The paper is renowned for its exceptional fountain pen performance – inks display shading and shimmer particularly clearly, chromatography effects are highly visible. Fine to medium nibs produce sharp lines.
• Bullet journaling and planning: The 3.7 mm grid matches the Hobonichi Techo standard exactly – if you use both books side by side, you have the same grid system throughout. The colour sections can serve as natural chapters.
• Sketches and layouts: The fine grid is ideal for proportion-accurate sketching, floor plans, lettering guides or handwriting practice. The lie-flat opening makes double-page drawings possible.
• Combined with Techo cover: Placed in an A5 Techo cover, the notebook transforms into a fully equipped writing set – complete with slip pocket, pen holder and elastic band.
• Quick-drying gel pens and pencil: If you don't use fountain pens, you'll still get very clean results on Tomoe River – the surface is smooth enough for precise lines, but not so smooth that pencil won't grip.

For Hobonichi Enthusiasts

The Graph Notebook was created in response to demand for a pure notebook with the same paper qualities as the Hobonichi Techo – without date structure, but with identical grid and binding quality. The 288 pages (10 mm spine width) provide significantly more space than the dated Techo version. If you keep the notebook alongside a Techo Cousin, you're working with two physically compatible books in the same cover. The "Another night of falling star sparklers" design is a reprint of a 2024 Techo Weeks cover – for collectors, a design with history.

Technical Specifications