This special edition notebook cover depicting one of Hokusai’s works was originally filed under things I want but won’t spend for. It is a Hokusai Hobonichi Techo cover! We discussed his art in grad school! Thing is, I just got a leather cover for my A6 Techo (which will have its own post). Spending for another cover didn’t make sense.
But the local fountain pen community has this uncanny skill of dragging peers into purchasing. So here we are.
In contemporary Filipino slang, we call that budol. And it is my turn to disturb your inner peace.
See also: Hobonichi sticks to Tomoe River paper for 2022
What’s good
Katshusika Hokusai is best known for his 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, a series of woodblock prints that show the iconic Japanese mountain from almost four dozen vantage points. No, I’m not dumb in math. There are actually 46 prints, the most famous of which is this one:
In collaboration with the Tokyo National Museum (TNM), Hobonichi released a cover featuring Kajikazawa in Kai Province, which had the familiar blue feel of its more famous sibling.
Inside, the left part features 4 card pockets (5, if you want to count that small slot on the bottom with the TNM logo) and 2 bigger pockets. To the right, aside from the notebook slot, there are two back pockets with a Mt. Fuji print on the smaller one.
Since this is my first Hobonichi cover, I like that there are loops that act as a notebook lock when you slide a pen right through them. It also helps that there are two bookmarks.
What’s iffy
Well, it is made of canvas material. That means it will get dirty when left naked. So I also added a plastic cover on cover, which became handy when I started going out of the house (once a month). Basically, it is easier to disinfect than leather. (That’s also why I only bring fountain pens with metal bodies)
Noob verdict
I’m glad I got budol’ed.
This A6 cover goes for JPY 3,080, or around PHP1,300 while the A5 version is JPY3850 or around PHP1,600 before shipping-related fees.
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