--- title: "KOKUYO PERPANEP Notebook A5: Three Paper Textures" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-perpanep-notebook-a5/" description: "KOKUYO PERPANEP A5 notebook explained: Tsuru Tsuru, Sara Sara and Zara Zara papers, 60 flat-bound sheets, 210 × 148 mm, rulings, pen pairings and price." category: "Notebooks" type: "Softcover notebook" published: 2026-10-22 updated: 2026-10-22 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 7 products: - name: "KOKUYO PERPANEP Flat-Bound Notebook, Sara Sara, A5, 4 mm grid, 60 sheets, Gray (PER-MS106S4M)" brand: "KOKUYO" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Original Sara Sara paper; grey card cover with binding tape" released: "2021" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "KOKUYO Co., Ltd." model: "PER-MS106S4M" mpn: "PER-MS106S4M" gtin: "4901480368948" url: "https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/notebook/10117/" --- # KOKUYO PERPANEP Notebook A5: Three Paper Textures > KOKUYO PERPANEP is a line of A5 flat-bound notebooks built around three paper textures: ultra-smooth Tsuru Tsuru, smooth Sara Sara and rough Zara Zara. KOKUYO lists each at 210 × 148 mm with 60 sheets, in 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm grid, dot grid or 6 mm steno ruling, at ¥990 (about US$6.30) before tax. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-perpanep-notebook-a5/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-22 - Updated: 2026-10-22 ![Grey KOKUYO PERPANEP A5 notebook closed with its paper icon, and opened flat on a 4 mm grid](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/kokuyo-perpanep-notebook-a5-16x9.png) *The Sara Sara A5, drawn to scale from KOKUYO's 210 × 148 mm.* Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | KOKUYO PERPANEP Flat-Bound Notebook, Sara Sara, A5, 4 mm grid, 60 sheets, Gray (PER-MS106S4M) | KOKUYO (by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.) | Japan | Not stated | Original Sara Sara paper; grey card cover with binding tape | 2021 | $$: $5–20 per notebook | - Made in (KOKUYO PERPANEP Flat-Bound Notebook, Sara Sara, A5, 4 mm grid, 60 sheets, Gray (PER-MS106S4M)): Not stated. KOKUYO's Japanese product pages for PERPANEP notebooks list size, sheets, ruling and barcodes but no country of production, and the JetPens and Amazon US listings we saw don't state one either. ## Key takeaways - KOKUYO lists every PERPANEP notebook at 210 × 148 mm (8.3 × 5.8 in, A5) with 60 sheets (120 pages). - JetPens lists the papers at 96 g/m² (Tsuru Tsuru), 75 g/m² (Sara Sara) and 90 g/m² (Zara Zara). - KOKUYO's Japanese list price is ¥990 (about US$6.30) before tax; JetPens pricing puts it in our $$ band ($5–20). - KOKUYO announced PERPANEP on March 8, 2021, pairing each paper with a pen: fine liner, gel pen, fountain pen. - Flat binding lets the spread open with no step at the fold, so a drawing can cross both pages. ## What is KOKUYO PERPANEP? **PERPANEP is KOKUYO's line of A5 notebooks that lets you choose the paper by how it feels under the pen.** The name is an anagram of PEN and PAPER, and Gizmodo Japan reported its launch on March 8, 2021 with three notebooks and three matching pens. Each notebook uses one of three original papers: Tsuru Tsuru (ultra-smooth), Sara Sara (smooth) and Zara Zara (rough). The covers look identical, so a small three-line icon at the bottom shows which paper is inside. ## PERPANEP notebook specs | Spec | PERPANEP A5 notebook | |---|---| | Size | 210 × 148 mm (8.3 × 5.8 in), A5 | | Sheets | 60 (120 pages), unnumbered | | Binding | Flat binding with cloth tape | | Cover | Grey card, clear printed film | | Rulings | 3, 4 or 5 mm grid, 4 mm dot grid, 6 mm steno | | Example code | PER-MS106S4M (Sara Sara, 4 mm grid) | | List price, Japan | ¥990 (about US$6.30) before tax | Sizes, codes and prices come from KOKUYO's Japanese product pages, read on October 22, 2026; binding and cover details are from The Pen Addict's review. ## How do the three papers differ? **Tsuru Tsuru is slick, Sara Sara feels like a good everyday notebook, and Zara Zara has a toothy, fibrous surface.** KOKUYO warns that pencil lines look faint on Tsuru Tsuru and dark on Zara Zara, because of how much each surface grips graphite. ![PERPANEP paper weights: Tsuru Tsuru 96, Sara Sara 75 and Zara Zara 90 g/m², with their cover icons](https://stationerytimes.com/images/kokuyo-perpanep-notebook-a5-papers.svg) *Weights as JetPens lists them; the icon line in white marks each paper.* | Paper | Feel | Weight (JetPens) | KOKUYO's launch pen pairing | |---|---|---|---| | Tsuru Tsuru | Ultra-smooth, glossy | 96 g/m² | Fine liner | | Sara Sara | Smooth | 75 g/m² | Water-based gel pen | | Zara Zara | Rough, fibrous | 90 g/m² | Fountain pen | Gizmodo Japan names the launch pens as a PERPANEP fine liner, a water-based gel pen made with Zebra (maker of Sarasa) and a fountain pen made with Platinum (maker of Preppy). At launch the notebooks cost ¥900 (about US$5.70). ## Which one should you choose? **Pick Sara Sara if you don't know yet; it's the all-rounder for ballpoints and gel pens.** The Well-Appointed Desk found it performed especially well with ballpoints and rollerballs. Choose Tsuru Tsuru for fine liners and fountain pens on a glassy surface; The Well-Appointed Desk said it felt smoother than Rhodia's 80 g/m² paper and held up to almost every ink it tried. Choose Zara Zara for pencils and to show ink shading, accepting that it absorbs more. ## Does it lie flat? **Yes, that's the point of the binding: KOKUYO's flat binding aims to remove the step at the fold, so a spread works as one sheet.** It suits diagrams and timelines that run across both pages, which a stitched [Midori MD Notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-md-notebook-a5/) or a [Tsubame Fools](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tsubame-fools-notebook-a5/) notebook handles less evenly. There is no elastic or pocket on the standard notebook. The Pen Addict notes a premium version with more pages and an elastic. ## How does it compare with other Japanese A5 notebooks? **It's thinner and plainer than an MD Notebook, with a choice of paper the others don't offer.** | | PERPANEP A5 | Midori MD Notebook A5 | KOKUYO Campus (Semi-B5) | |---|---|---|---| | Size | 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in) | 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in) | 179 × 252 mm (7 × 9.9 in) | | Pages | 120 | 176 | 60 | | Paper choice | 3 textures | 1 (MD Paper) | 1 | | Price band | $$ | $$ | $ | Midori and Campus figures come from our [Midori MD Notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-md-notebook-a5/) and [KOKUYO Campus](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-campus-notebook/) guides. ## Where is the PERPANEP notebook made? **KOKUYO doesn't say: its Japanese product pages list no country of production, and the US listings we saw don't either.** KOKUYO itself is a Japanese company. It began in Osaka in 1905, as our [KOKUYO history](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/kokuyo-history/) explains. ## Frequently asked questions ### What do Tsuru Tsuru, Sara Sara and Zara Zara mean? They are Japanese sound words for textures: tsuru tsuru is slick and glossy, sara sara is smooth and dry, and zara zara is rough. KOKUYO names its three PERPANEP papers after the feel of each. ### Which PERPANEP paper is best for fountain pens? KOKUYO paired Zara Zara with a fountain pen when it launched the line. The Well-Appointed Desk found Tsuru Tsuru also held up to almost every fountain pen ink it tried. ### How many pages are in a PERPANEP notebook? 60 sheets, or 120 pages, unnumbered, per KOKUYO and The Well-Appointed Desk. ### What rulings does PERPANEP come in? KOKUYO lists 3 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm grid, 4 mm dot grid and 6 mm steno, a lined ruling with a vertical center line. Some combinations are marked as ending when stock runs out. ### Does the PERPANEP notebook lie flat? Yes. KOKUYO uses a flat binding meant to remove the step at the fold, so both pages lie level when the book is open. ### Where can you buy PERPANEP notebooks in the US? JetPens carries the line, and The Pen Addict's 2024 review says JetPens supplied its samples. Amazon US also has some listings from Japanese sellers. ### Is the KOKUYO PERPANEP notebook made in Japan? KOKUYO doesn't say on its product pages. KOKUYO is a Japanese company, but no listing we read states the country of production. ## Sources - [ペルパネプ さらさらフラット製本ノートブック A5 4mm方眼罫 60枚 グレー (KOKUYO Japan, read October 22, 2026: PER-MS106S4M, 210 × 148 mm, 60 sheets, ¥990 before tax, flat binding, JAN 4901480368948)](https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/notebook/10117/) - [ペルパネプ ツルツルフラット製本ノートブック A5 4mm方眼罫 60枚 グレー (KOKUYO Japan: PER-MT106S4M; pencil lines tend to be faint on the very smooth paper)](https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/notebook/13937/) - [ペルパネプ ザラザラフラット製本ノートブック A5 3mm方眼罫 60枚 グレー (KOKUYO Japan: PER-MZ106S3M; rough surface, ink shading, pencil lines darker)](https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/notebook/11793/) - [Gizmodo Japan: 紙とペンの相性を考えたことはありますか？ (March 8, 2021: KOKUYO announces PERPANEP, three notebooks and three pens, A5 only, ¥900 (about US$5.70))](https://www.gizmodo.jp/2021/03/kokuyo-pen-note.html) - [JetPens: KOKUYO PERPANEP Notebooks (category; paper weights 96, 75 and 90 g/m² per search listing)](https://www.jetpens.com/Kokuyo-Perpanep-Notebooks/ct/6280) - [The Well-Appointed Desk: Paper Review, Kokuyo Perpanep A5 Notebooks (September 2021)](https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2021/09/paper-review-kokuyo-perpanep-a5-notebooks/) - [The Pen Addict: Kokuyo Perpanep Notebooks, A Quick Look (April 26, 2024: 60 unnumbered sheets, grey card cover, cloth binding tape, lies flat)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2024/4/26/kokuyo-perpanep-notebooks-a-quick-look)