Compiled from 11 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
The isshoni. Notebook Number from Daigo of Osaka is a thread-bound notebook with every page numbered and a front index where you write each page's title, so old notes are easy to find. Numbers run on the diagonal, so it works upright or sideways. A clear polypropylene cover wipes clean.
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Notes on these facts
Made by Daigo Corporation (Osaka). Made in Japan: Maruzen Junkudo, The Journal Shop, Jenni Bick and bungu.store all give Japan; Daigo's own isshoni. page doesn't state it. Source. Price: example listing.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
Maruzen Junkudo lists the A5 grid at 208 × 144 × 11 mm and 277 g with 192 pages, the B6 at 180 × 124 × 11 mm and 206 g, and the A6 at 146 × 100 × 10 mm and 134 g.
Daigo says the page numbers run on the diagonal, so the notebook works upright or sideways, and that you log each page's title in an index at the front.
Sources disagree on pages: Maruzen Junkudo and The Journal Shop give 192 for the A5, Jenni Bick lists 224, and Maruzen lists the B5 at only 96.
Daigo's page says the Notebook Number won a 2022 Good Design Award; the Japan Institute of Design Promotion list we read names the Notebook Desk, not the Number.
Daigo lists the A5 grid at ¥1,210 (about US$7.70) with tax; the US shop we found listed it in our $$$ band ($20–75) on October 28, 2026.
What is the isshoni. Notebook Number?
It is a notebook that finds its own pages: every page is numbered, and an index at the front holds a title for each. Daigo’s isshoni. page says it solves the “where did I write that?” problem. You note a page’s title in the index and look it up later.
Daigo of Osaka makes it for its isshoni. line for office workers, which our DAIGO story covers. Its page lists three grid sizes (B6, A5, B5) in clear, black and blue.
What sizes and page counts does it come in?
Five sizes appear across Daigo and its retailers, from a palm-size Mini to B5. The sizes and weights below are Maruzen Junkudo’s listings for the clear covers; prices are Daigo’s tax-included list prices where its page gives them.
You write a title in the front index beside the page number, and the diagonal number makes any page readable in either direction. Daigo says numbers are printed at an angle so the notebook works upright or sideways. Its page describes an easy-to-use 5 mm grid layout.
Maruzen Junkudo adds that the paper is Daigo’s original and that the binding is thread-sewn, so it opens 180 degrees and lies flat.
Is there a Mini version?
Yes, a 110 × 60 mm Mini with 192 pages, which Daigo’s page doesn’t list. Maruzen Junkudo and Yoseka both do, and Yoseka sells it as “Notebook, Grid” in six colors: clear, black, blue, pink, green and light blue. Maruzen’s listing calls it palm-sized and gives 61 g.
For another small notebook from Daigo, see our isshoni. pocket notebook, which has 2.5 mm grid and a pencil instead of an index.
Do the sources agree on the page count?
No: 192 is the usual figure, but one shop says 224 and one size says 96. Maruzen Junkudo, The Journal Shop and bungu.store give 192 pages for A5, and Daigo’s own September and June 2026 releases say 192 for the plain A5 and the collaboration A5 and A6. Jenni Bick lists the A5 grid at 224 pages (112 leaves).
Maruzen lists the B5 at 96 pages and 6 mm thick, which is a different build from the 11 mm A5. Daigo’s page gives no page counts, so we use 192 for the A5 and say the others are retailer figures.
Did it win a Good Design Award?
Daigo says so, but we couldn’t confirm it independently. Its isshoni. page shows a 2022 Good Design Award mark beside the Notebook Number, and bungu.store and Jenni Bick repeat the claim.
The Japan Institute of Design Promotion’s Marunouchi exhibition page we read lists the Notebook Desk by Daigo and no Number. It may be a partial list, so treat the award as Daigo’s claim. For the confirmed prize, see our Notebook Desk guide.
What are the cover and paper like?
The cover is hard polypropylene that Daigo says resists scratches and wipes clean, and the pages are Daigo’s own paper. Jenni Bick calls the A5’s cover semi-transparent and its paper cream with a thin gray grid, and recommends it for fountain pens. Yoseka’s page for its collaboration edition says the same. Daigo makes no such claim.
On September 9, 2026 Daigo said the A5 plain notebook’s paper changes from cream to white, to suit sketching and color. Its ¥1,540 (about US$9.70) tax-included price is for that plain A5.
Which size should you choose?
In our view, A5 for desk work and the Mini for a pocket log. The A5 weighs 277 g and is 11 mm thick. The B6 at 206 g is easier to carry. The Mini at 61 g fits a pocket.
Where is it made, and what does it cost in the US?
In Japan, per Maruzen Junkudo, The Journal Shop, Jenni Bick and bungu.store. Daigo doesn’t state it on the page we read.
Jenni Bick listed the A5 grid at US$25 on October 28, 2026, in our $$$ band ($20–75).
Yoseka listed the Mini at US$12.50 that day, a $$ price. The Journal Shop priced it at £14.00 (about US$18), Maruzen listed ¥1,430 (about US$9.10) and bungu.store ¥2,900 (about US$18). Yoseka also announced a sage-green Yoseka x DAIGO A5 and B6 for late December 2026, at US$24 and US$23.50; they weren’t on sale when we checked.
We couldn’t read Daigo’s online shop (it refused our requests) or JetPens (we couldn’t connect), so we don’t know if they list this.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use the Notebook Number sideways?
Yes. Daigo says the page numbers sit on the diagonal of the corner so the notebook can be used both vertically and horizontally.
Is the Notebook Number good for fountain pens?
Daigo says only that it uses its own original paper. Jenni Bick and Yoseka call it fountain-pen friendly, and we haven't tested that, so try a nib on the last page first.
How many pages does the A5 Notebook Number have?
Daigo's retailers Maruzen Junkudo and The Journal Shop list 192 pages. Jenni Bick lists 224 pages (112 leaves) for the same A5 grid, so we go with 192.
Does the Notebook Number come with blank pages?
Yes, in A5. Daigo's September 9, 2026 release says the A5 plain type moves from cream to white paper, so older and newer stock may differ in color.
Is the Notebook Number the same as a Notebook Desk?
No. The Notebook Desk is a horizontal notebook for a laptop front; the Number is an upright notebook whose pages are numbered and indexed.
Is there a pocket-size Notebook Number?
Yes, a Mini at 110 × 60 mm and 192 pages, per Maruzen Junkudo and Yoseka. It comes in six colors and has the same diagonal numbers and index.
Does the cover scratch easily?
Daigo calls the hard polypropylene cover scratch-resistant and says it wipes clean. We haven't tested that claim.
