Stationery items are a comforting presence in all aspects of our lives, from work to everyday routines. By choosing your favorite notebooks and diaries—items you pick up multiple times a day—you might find your daily life a little richer.

"booco," a stationery brand that creates notebooks and diaries that resemble books and bring a sense of calm just by looking at them, is an original brand of Ishida Seihon Co., Ltd., a long-established bookbinding company in Sapporo. Their products, which combine bookbinding techniques with the essence of Hokkaido, bring a gentle warmth to everyday life.

The "sincerity" that we have continued to put into each and every task.

Founded in 1936, Ishida Bookbinding Co., Ltd. has been dedicated to bookmaking with sincerity, guided by the motto "making books with heartfelt care." Its history began with the handcrafted binding of account books.

"After the war, as magazines and similar publications gradually became popular, the trend shifted towards trying to keep the price of each book as low as possible. This made manual bookbinding inefficient. However, automation hadn't progressed much at the time, and many bookbinding companies, including ours, still bound books by hand. As time went on, those companies gradually went out of business, and now our company is the only one that can still bind books by hand. Back then, we mainly focused on bookbinding for ledgers, but that technology has been passed down and is still being used today in our manufacturing."

These are the words of Taku Imamura, a section chief at Ishida Bookbinding Co., Ltd.

"booco" is a brand born from a bookbinding company's "question."

As time progressed, obtaining information from the internet rather than books became the norm. Even in this situation, they have always considered "what they can do as a bookbinding company," and what caught their eye was the "notebook" that they were producing in-house.

"What if we made stationery using bookbinding techniques, like this notebook, instead of books?" It was from this question that the new brand "booco" was born in 2020.

The name is said to be derived from a combination of "bokko glove," a Hokkaido dialect term for mitten-shaped gloves, and the English word "book." The brand aims to be a warm and inviting stationery brand born from the fusion of years of bookbinding expertise and the joy of its creators.

"booco" creates notebooks and memo pads that feel just like books, incorporating the unique techniques of a bookbinding company. The designs, featuring animals and vegetables reminiscent of Hokkaido such as red foxes, long-tailed tits, and corn, are also one of the reasons for their popularity.

"We started out knowing absolutely nothing, but together with the designers and employees, we've managed to bring this to fruition. We thought, 'Let's just try it ourselves. Let's try to create something that only our bookbinding skills can make.'"

Until now, they had not only made stationery but also launched a new brand in-house, so it was apparently very difficult to bring it to fruition. However, along with the difficulties, there was a feeling of "excitement," says Imamura.

Applying bookbinding techniques to stationery

The "DELICIOUS COLOR hardcover series," featuring adorable designs of Hokkaido's specialty products, and other "booco" products often utilize "thread stitching," a manufacturing method that Ishida Seihon Co., Ltd. is particularly proud of, where the spine of a book is bound with thread stitch by stitch.

The reason given is, "We value above all else that the book will last a long time." By using thread instead of glue, the book becomes stronger and has advantages such as making the pages easier to open, making it suitable for long-term use.

In the "DELICIOUS COLOR hardcover series," instead of using just one type of thread as is typical, we've deliberately created a vibrant color scheme. This idea stems from the "excitement" of Ms. Imamura and the rest of the staff, who wondered, "What if we tried this?"

The meticulous and time-consuming craftsmanship embodies the wish that "the finished book will be something that stays close to the person who uses it."

There are other unique features that only a bookbinding company can offer. For example, they've incorporated the idea of enclosing five different types of paper with varying textures within a single notebook.

Bringing these staff members' ideas and playful spirits to life requires many work processes, but they have made improvements to streamline the process. "Being able to produce in small batches in large quantities is something unique to a bookbinding company," says Imamura.

We are constantly thinking about how to deliver our products to as many people as possible without compromising quality.

We aim to create products that people will cherish and take good care of.

Among "booco" products, the diary is particularly popular. It features illustrations by Masao Takahata, an illustrator with ties to Hokkaido, and just looking at the bears depicted with soft curves will make you smile.

Many fans eagerly await the release of the 'booco' diary each year, saying, "I want to start the year with a 'booco' diary." 'booco' fulfills this promise to deliver the diaries to these fans by offering pre-orders along with a small perk.

In Sapporo, the only physical store where you can pick up "booco" products is "Mitsuhashi Stationery Store." Mr. Imamura explains the reason as follows:

"Having many stores carry our products would allow more people to learn about 'booco.' However, mass production and wholesale can sometimes result in damaged books. Hardcovers are basically meant to protect the cover, but we want our books to be picked up by people who will appreciate that aspect as well. That's why we currently do business with stores that understand our philosophy."

Imamura says that since becoming involved with "booco," she has had many more opportunities to hear customer feedback. She says that she has come to imagine more than ever what it will be like for customers to actually purchase the product and use it in their daily lives.

What I want to deliver is the warmth of "hand-knitted gloves."

"booco" has expanded the possibilities of stationery while cherishing its original principle of "creating books that will be used for a long time." Mr. Imamura said, "We will continue to take on new challenges in Sapporo to deliver books that will last for years to come."

When you hold a "booco" product in your hands, filled with the warm feelings of its creators and reliable bookbinding techniques, a gentle warmth spreads through you, much like putting on a pair of Booco gloves.

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石田製本株式会社（booco） 
電話：011-676-4520 
住所：北海道札幌市西区発寒16条14丁目3-31 
HP：https://booco.i-bb.co.jp/ 
SNS：https://www.instagram.com/ishida_booco/ 
＊営業時間や定休日についての詳細は、上記のリンク先からご確認ください。

[Stores that carry booco products]

みつはし文具&CAFE 
電話：011-757-9467 
住所：北海道札幌市北区北23条西5丁目2-24 
アクセス：地下鉄南北線「北24条駅」より徒歩3分程度 
HP：http://bungu-mitsuhashi.com 
SNS：https://www.instagram.com/bungunomitsuhashi/ 
＊営業時間や定休日についての詳細は、上記のリンク先からご確認ください。