--- title: "isshoni. Insert Notebook: Slim 4 mm Grid, A6 to A5" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/daigo-isshoni-insert-notebook/" description: "DAIGO isshoni. insert notebook: a 4 mm-thin, 48-page 5 mm grid notebook in A6, B6 and A5, made slightly under standard size for cover pockets, plus prices." category: "Notebooks" type: "Softcover notebook" published: 2026-10-28 updated: 2026-11-02 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 7 products: - name: "isshoni. Insert Notebook A5 Grid, White (48 pages)" brand: "DAIGO" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "Polypropylene cover, paper pages" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Daigo Corporation (Osaka)" gtin: "4902041418539" url: "https://www.daigo.co.jp/isshoni/" --- # isshoni. Insert Notebook: Slim 4 mm Grid, A6 to A5 > The isshoni. insert notebook from Daigo of Osaka is a slim 48-page notebook with a polypropylene cover, made a little smaller than standard A5 or B6 so it slides into a notebook cover or planner pocket. Retailers list it in A6, B6 and A5, about 4 mm thick, with a 5 mm grid. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/daigo-isshoni-insert-notebook/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-28 - Updated: 2026-11-02 ![Three isshoni. insert notebooks drawn to scale: A6 146 × 100 mm, B6 180 × 124 mm and A5 208 × 144 mm, with a 4 mm thickness inset](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/daigo-isshoni-insert-notebook-illustration-16x9.png?v=62a7e1c5) *The A6, B6 and A5 to scale at 1 mm = 1.15 px; the colors are representative tints.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | isshoni. Insert Notebook A5 Grid, White (48 pages) | DAIGO (by Daigo Corporation (Osaka)) | Japan | Japan | Polypropylene cover, paper pages | – | $$: $5–20 per notebook | - Made in (isshoni. Insert Notebook A5 Grid, White (48 pages)): Japan. Maruzen Junkudo, bungu.store and The Journal Shop give Japan; Daigo's isshoni. page doesn't state it. Source: https://www.maruzenjunkudo.co.jp/products/4902041418539 ## Key takeaways - Maruzen Junkudo lists the A6 at 146 × 100 × 4 mm and 35 g, the B6 at 180 × 124 × 4 mm and 54 g, and the A5 at 208 × 144 × 4 mm and 72 g, all with 48 pages. - Daigo says it made the notebooks smaller than exact B6 and A5 on purpose, so they slide into notebook covers and planner sleeve pockets. - Daigo's page lists B6 and A5 only, in clear or black and in grid or ruled; Maruzen Junkudo, bungu.store and The Journal Shop list grid only, in white or black, and add an A6. - Daigo lists the B6 at ¥308 (about US$1.90) and the A5 at ¥352 (about US$2.20) with tax; The Journal Shop priced the A5 at £5.50 (about US$7.30). - The 5 mm grid has a composition line, a margin for headings, per Daigo, bungu.store and The Journal Shop; only Maruzen gives the 48-page count. ## What is the isshoni. insert notebook? **It is a thin extra notebook that rides inside a cover or planner next to your main book.** Daigo of Osaka makes it for its isshoni. line for office workers, which our [DAIGO story](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/daigo-history/) covers. Daigo says it is for adding pages when the notebook in your cover is short on room. Its page calls it a thin notebook with a hard polypropylene cover. The shops call it the Insert Notebook or the Slim Grid Notebook. ## What are its specs? **Three sizes, each about 4 mm thick with 48 pages.** The sizes and weights are Maruzen Junkudo's white grid listings; bungu.store and The Journal Shop give the same sizes. Prices are Daigo's tax-included list prices where its page lists the size. | Size | Body (H × W × D) | Weight | Daigo price | |---|---|---|---| | A6 | 146 × 100 × 4 mm (5.7 × 3.9 × 0.2 in) | 35 g | Not on Daigo's page | | B6 | 180 × 124 × 4 mm (7.1 × 4.9 × 0.2 in) | 54 g | ¥308 (about US$1.90) | | A5 | 208 × 144 × 4 mm (8.2 × 5.7 × 0.2 in) | 72 g | ¥352 (about US$2.20) | The Journal Shop gives 200 g for the whole range. We read that as a shipping weight, since Maruzen's 72 g for the A5 is far lower. ## Why is it smaller than standard size? **Daigo says it designed the notebooks slightly under exact B6 and A5 size so they slip into covers and sleeve pockets.** The A5 is 208 × 144 mm against the standard 210 × 148 mm, and the B6 is 180 × 124 mm against 182 × 128 mm. Our drawing shows the difference, and how much thinner it is than a Notebook Number. ![The isshoni. insert notebook in B6 (180 × 124 mm) and A5 (208 × 144 mm) inside dashed outlines of the standard B6 and A5 sheets, and its 4 mm thickness beside the 11 mm Notebook Number](https://stationerytimes.com/images/daigo-isshoni-insert-notebook-fit.svg?v=e308c2a8) *The insert against standard sheet sizes, and its thickness against the Number notebook. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## What is the layout? **A 5 mm grid with a composition line, a margin line for headings.** Daigo says the grid is easy to use and lists the composition line, and bungu.store and The Journal Shop say the same. Daigo's page also lists a ruled version with 6 mm lines and 6 mm gaps, and thick lines that split a page into three. We found the ruled version only on Daigo's page, for B6 and A5. ## What cover colors and finish does it have? **Daigo says clear or black; three shops say white or black.** Daigo's clear cover is for decorating, it says, and its black suits business. bungu.store and The Journal Shop add a gold foil stamp. Daigo's page doesn't mention foil for this notebook. We can't tell whether the white is the clear cover renamed or a newer build. ## Which size should you choose? **In our view, match it to your cover.** Use the A5 insert in an A5 cover and the B6 in a B6 one. The A6 only appears at three retailers, so check availability. If you want 192 numbered pages instead, see our [Notebook Number guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/daigo-isshoni-notebook-number/). For the cover with a pen case, see the [PVC pen case notebook cover](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/daigo-isshoni-pen-case-notebook-cover/), and for a thinner notebook in a different shape, the [Notebook Desk](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/daigo-isshoni-notebook-desk/) Slim. ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **In Japan, per Maruzen Junkudo, bungu.store and The Journal Shop.** Daigo's page doesn't say. We found no US-dollar listing, so our $$ band ($5–20) rests on shops abroad and imports. The Journal Shop priced the A6 at £4.50 (about US$5.90), the B6 at £5.00 (about US$6.60) and the A5 at £5.50 (about US$7.30). Maruzen listed ¥440 (about US$2.80), ¥495 (about US$3.10) and ¥550 (about US$3.50), and bungu.store ¥900 (about US$5.70), ¥1,000 (about US$6.30) and ¥1,100 (about US$7.00). Daigo's own prices are the lowest we found. For another low-priced Japanese notebook with a function for each book, see the [Luddite Function Notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/luddite-function-notebook-a5/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Why is the insert notebook smaller than a normal A5? Daigo says the size is designed a little under exact B6 and A5 so the notebook slides easily into notebook covers and planner sleeve pockets. The A5 is 208 × 144 mm against the standard 210 × 148 mm. ### How many pages does it have? 48 pages, per Maruzen Junkudo. Daigo's page and the other shops we checked don't give a count. ### Is it a grid or a ruled notebook? Both exist on Daigo's page. The shops we checked list only the 5 mm grid, which has a composition line for headings. ### Is the cover white or clear? Daigo's page says clear or black. Maruzen Junkudo, bungu.store and The Journal Shop say white or black, so the sources differ; we can't tell if white is a renamed clear. ### Does it have a gold foil cover? bungu.store and The Journal Shop say the cover is stamped with gold foil. Daigo's page for this notebook doesn't mention foil. ### Will it fit the isshoni. pen case cover? The A5 insert is 208 × 144 × 4 mm and Jenni Bick says the A5 PVC cover takes notebooks up to about 12 mm thick, so it should fit. We haven't tried it. ### Is it the same as the Notebook Number? No. The Number has 192 numbered pages and a front index and is about 11 mm thick; the insert has 48 grid pages and no page numbers. ## Sources - [Daigo (Japanese): isshoni. page, notebook section (polypropylene cover, B6 and A5, clear and black, grid and ruled layouts, smaller than exact size to slide into covers, ¥308 and ¥352 with tax; read October 28, 2026)](https://www.daigo.co.jp/isshoni/) - [Maruzen Junkudo (Japanese): isshoni. notebook A5 grid, White (48 pages, 208 × 144 × 4 mm, 72 g, Japan)](https://www.maruzenjunkudo.co.jp/products/4902041418539) - [Maruzen Junkudo (Japanese): isshoni. notebook B6 grid, White (48 pages, 180 × 124 × 4 mm, 54 g) and A6 grid, White (146 × 100 × 4 mm, 35 g)](https://www.maruzenjunkudo.co.jp/products/4902041418515) - [bungu.store: isshoni. Insert Notebook Grid (A6, B6, A5; white and black; gold foil; sizes at 4 mm thick; yen prices)](https://bungu.store/products/isshoni-insert-notebook-grid-daigo) - [The Journal Shop: Isshoni Slim Grid Notebook, A6, B6, A5 (5 mm grid with composition lines, gold foil cover, Japan; prices in pounds)](https://www.thejournalshop.com/products/daigo-isshoni-grid-notebook-a6-b6-a5) - [Maruzen Junkudo (Japanese): isshoni. Notebook Number A5 grid, Clear (208 × 144 × 11 mm, 277 g), for the thickness comparison](https://www.maruzenjunkudo.co.jp/products/4902041417440) - [Jenni Bick Bookbinding: Isshoni PVC Pen Case & Notebook Cover (A5 fits notebooks up to about 12 mm; read October 28, 2026)](https://www.jennibick.com/products/isshoni-pvc-pen-case-notebook-cover)