Hitoshi Kono / 河野 仁（アピオ株式会社代表取締役社長）
車とノート、用途も形まったく違いますが、、どちらも旅の道具であり日常の道具。
河野さんは、旅の道具としてさらに旅の高揚感を思い出させてくれる日常の道具としてトラベラーズノートを愛用しています。
河野さんは、2010年8月モンゴルで行われた「Rally Mongolia」にアピオの撮影スタッフとして参加しました。その時もトラベラーズノートを持参し、待ち時間やゲルでの休息のひとときに 旅の記録を綴っていました。
そのノートを見せていただきました。
「昼頃ヘリで砂漠地帯に撮影に行く。今日はいいポジションでバイクや車の撮影ができた。夜はゲルの中で少し泡盛。」
「モンゴルの景色は”とても素晴らしい”という言葉では確実にその三分の一も伝わらないほど素晴らしい風景が広がっていた。ETAP2のゴール地はさらに美しく、静かな場所。しかもユーカリのようなハーブの香りがしていてまさに天国。」
その日の出来事や感じたこと、感動した風景の絵が、愛用の万年筆でさらりと描かれています。
ページをめくっていると旅の臨場感が伝わってきます。
プレス参加のためラリー中はヘリコプターでコースを移動していましたが、低空を飛ぶ機内からの視点は、まさに大地を鳥の視点で俯瞰するようで新鮮だったそうです。
河野氏にとって、トラベラーズノートに何かを書きとめる時間は、まさに物事を俯瞰するような視点を与えてくれる時間。写真のようにそのモノをただ写しとるのではなく、見たものや感じたことを自分の脳というフィルターを通して紙面に書きとめる。
書くことによって、見たときには気付かなかった意味や想いを発見することも多いそうです。
ノートを読み返すと丁寧にきれいな文字で書かれた日があったり、ざっくりと言葉少なく書かれた日があったりで、その時の無意識の気分や状況を教えてくれるのもアナログならではの良さ。デジカメやスマートフォンも使いこなす河野氏は、デジタルとアナログの特徴を活かしながら上手に両方を使い分けています。
旅が終わりまた日常に戻ったとき、ノートのページをめくるとその手触りや匂い、筆跡や紙についたシミによって、旅を思い起こす。それはまた日常の生活にも大きな刺激を与えてくれるそうです。
河野さんは、まさに旅と日常を行き来しながら、旅するように暮らすライフタイルを実践している方でした。
By customizing the world’s smallest four wheel drive, we want to make traveling easy for people and make their daily lives more exciting. Apio Inc. is a company that makes and sells customizing parts and complete cars of SUZUKI’s four wheel drive “Jimny.” The president, Hitoshi Kono’s word above expresses his passion towards custom made cars, and his attitude is similar to the image TRAVELER’S notebook strives to be.
Car and notebook is different in its shape and use. However, both of them are tools used for travel and daily lives. Mr. Kono uses TRAVELER’S notebook as a tool for travel and as a daily tool recall the excitement of past travels.
Mr. Kono participated in “Rally Mongolia” on August 2010 as a photographer from Apio Inc. He brought his TRAVELER’S notebook and recorded the experiences during his waiting time and break inside a yurt.
We were able to see his notebook.
“Went to take a photo of the desert on noon using a helicopter. Succeeded in taking pictures of cars and motorcycles at a perfect location. Had a little drink inside the yurt at night.”
“The word ‘fantastic’ doesn’t even express a third of its beauty of the scenery of Mongolia. The goal of ETAP 2 was even more beautiful, and the place itself was quiet. Was able to smell a eucalyptus like herb, and it felt just like heaven for me.”
The events that happened and thoughts that flashed through Mr. Kono’s mind is written smoothly with his favorite fountain pen. It is possible to sense the excitement of his travel by flipping through the pages.
Since he attended the rally as a member of the press, he used helicopter as a means of transportation to move around the courses, and the view from the helicopter resembled that of a bird flying over a land, and that experience was simply stimulating for him.
For Mr. Kono, the time used to write on TRAVELER’S notebook means a time to look over things from a bird’s eye view. Unlike photos that just reflect the image itself, the act of writing allows thoughts and experiences to be filtered through one’s brain, and this according to Mr. Kono allows him to discover things he did not think at that time.
When looking back at past pages, there are days when the notebook is written neatly, and there are days when it’s written roughly with a little amount of words. This reflects the mood at that time, and it’s possible to say that this is one of the beauty of analog products. Mr. Kono uses smartphones and digital cameras heavily, but his understanding towards analog products allows him to use both items in a smart manner.
After a long travel and going back to one’s daily life, the texture, smell, writing marks, and the stain on the notebook brings back the memories of past travel. According to Mr. Kono, this stimulates his everyday life.
Through our contact with Mr. Kono, we were able to realize that he himself was a traveler that goes back and forth between travel and daily life.
シャープ株式会社総合デザイン本部勤務を経てオノウエ自動車（現アピオ株式会社）へデザイナーとして入社。
2005年より代表取締役社長に就任。
旅好き。小学生の頃から旅に関する作文を書き、20代はひたすらオートバイで林道キャンプツーリングに明け暮れた。仕事ではプロダクトデザイナーを経て、現在はスズキジムニーパーツメーカー及びコンプリートカー販売を行うアピオ株式会社の代表。趣味はジムニーはもちろんのこと、バイクツーリングやキャンプ、そしてカメラ＆写真（愛用はリコーGR、銀塩はライカM6）、文具が好き。ハーレーFLHR、アルファロメオなど興味対象は幅広い。
Started his career at designing division in Sharp Corporation and joined Onoue Motors (the current Apio Inc.) as a designer. From 2005, he started working as a president of the company.
Likes traveling. Has been writing essays on travel since elementary school, and in the 20s, he has been traveling through the woods with his motorcycle. In terms of career, he started as a product designer, and is now the president of Apio Inc., a company that makes and sells parts and complete cars of SUZUKI’S “Jimny.” His hobby includes Jimny, motorcycle touring, camp, camera and photo shooting (uses RICOH GR and LEICA M6), and stationaries. His interests also expands to HARLEY DAVIDSON’s FLHR and Alfa Romeo.