--- title: "KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book: 3 mm Grid Field Book" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-sokuryo-yacho-sketch-book/" description: "KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book SE-Y3 explained: a 165 × 95 mm hard-cover field book with 40 sheets of 3 mm grid, its 1959 surveying roots and types." category: "Notebooks" type: "Memo pad" published: 2026-10-22 updated: 2026-10-22 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 5 products: - name: "KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho (Field Survey Book) Sketch Book, 3 mm grid, 40 sheets (SE-Y3)" brand: "KOKUYO" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Hard cloth-covered board cover, woodfree (上質紙) paper" released: "1959" price_band: "$ (under $5 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "KOKUYO Co., Ltd." model: "SE-Y3" mpn: "51109714" gtin: "4901480781174" url: "https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/fieldnote/8332/" --- # KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book: 3 mm Grid Field Book > The KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book (セ-Y3) is a pocket field notebook first made for Japanese surveyors in 1959. It measures 165 × 95 × 6 mm, has a stiff green cloth-look hard cover for writing standing up, and holds 40 sheets of 3 mm grid paper. KOKUYO lists it at ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-sokuryo-yacho-sketch-book/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-22 - Updated: 2026-10-22 ![KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book in green, closed and opened flat on 3 mm grid pages, drawn to scale](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/kokuyo-sokuryo-yacho-sketch-book-16x9.png) *The SE-Y3 closed and open on its 3 mm grid (1 mm = 1.2 px).* 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 Sokuryo Yacho (Field Survey Book) Sketch Book, 3 mm grid, 40 sheets (SE-Y3) | KOKUYO (by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.) | Japan | Not stated | Hard cloth-covered board cover, woodfree (上質紙) paper | 1959 | $: under $5 per notebook | - Made in (KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho (Field Survey Book) Sketch Book, 3 mm grid, 40 sheets (SE-Y3)): Not stated. KOKUYO's Japanese product page for セ-Y3 (read October 22, 2026) gives sizes, sheet count, paper and JAN code but no country of manufacture, and the Amazon US listing doesn't state one either. Check the back cover. Source: https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/fieldnote/8332/ ## Key takeaways - Size: 165 × 95 × 6 mm (6.5 × 3.7 in) outside; pages are 160 × 91 mm, per KOKUYO. - 40 sheets (80 pages) of woodfree paper with a 3 mm grid running to the page edges. - The hard cover is stiff enough to write on while holding the book in one hand. - Launched in 1959 as a surveyor's field book; KOKUYO ships more than a million a year, per GetNavi. - A 10-pack on Amazon US had 734 ratings on October 22, 2026; KOKUYO's list price is ¥300 (about US$1.90). ## What is the KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho? **It's KOKUYO's surveyor's field notebook: a tall, narrow, hard-covered pocket book first made in 1959.** The name 測量野帳 means surveying field book, and KOKUYO still sells it to surveyors and builders as well as to the notebook fans who adopted it. KOKUYO's product developer told GetNavi in 2019 that the book was created after Japan's 1949 Survey Act, that its basic design has barely changed in 60 years, and that KOKUYO ships more than a million a year. The SE-Y3 Sketch Book is the version with a plain 3 mm grid. ## KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Sketch Book specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Model | セ-Y3 (SE-Y3), Sketch Book | | Outside size | 165 × 95 × 6 mm (6.5 × 3.7 × 0.24 in) | | Page size | 160 × 91 mm (6.3 × 3.6 in) | | Sheets | 40 (80 pages) | | Ruling | 3 mm grid | | Paper | Woodfree (上質紙) | | Cover | Hard, cloth-covered board, green | | JAN | 4901480781174 | | Japan list price | ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax | All figures are from KOKUYO Japan's product page, read on October 22, 2026; the grid size is in the product name. ## What are the three Yacho types? **Level, Transit and Sketch: the first two carry surveying layouts, and the Sketch Book has a general-purpose 3 mm grid.** All three share the same 165 × 95 mm hard cover and 40 sheets. ![KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho Level, Transit and Sketch pages drawn to scale: 22 lines with height columns, 20 lines for angles and distances, and a 3 mm grid](https://stationerytimes.com/images/kokuyo-sokuryo-yacho-sketch-book-types.svg) *The three classic types side by side; column positions in Level and Transit drawn by eye.* The Level Book (セ-Y1) has 22 lines with columns for recording heights; the Transit Book (セ-Y2) has 20 lines for distances and angles. A fourth original, the vertical Offset Book, was discontinued in 2002 and briefly revived for the 60th anniversary, per GetNavi. ## Why do people outside surveying use it? **Because it fits a chest pocket, the cover is stiff enough to write on standing up, and it's cheap.** KOKUYO says the hard cover makes writing while holding the book easy; at ¥300 (about US$1.90) people keep one per project or per trip. The 3 mm grid is finer than the common 5 mm grid, which suits small handwriting, sketches and tables. If you prefer a softer pocket book, compare the [Field Notes Original Kraft](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/field-notes-original-kraft/); for a bigger KOKUYO notebook, the [Campus Notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-campus-notebook/). ## What other Yacho versions are there? **Water-resistant ones with Yupo synthetic pages, recycled-paper ones, and design editions, besides the classic three.** GetNavi lists a Level Book with a brown cover and a plastic sleeve, and bright PP-cover books meant to be easy to spot if dropped on site, both with Yupo pages. KOKUYO's design brand KOKUYO ME sells a Yacho with trend-coloured covers at ¥400 (about US$2.50) before tax, and there is a Trip Book with dot-grid pages for travel. KOKUYO also sells a 173 × 204 mm clear cover made for the Yacho, to protect the cloth from dirt. ## How does it compare to other pocket field books? | | KOKUYO Yacho SE-Y3 | [Field Notes Original Kraft](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/field-notes-original-kraft/) | [Rite in the Rain No. 135](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/rite-in-the-rain-no-135/) | |---|---|---|---| | Size | 165 × 95 mm | 140 × 89 mm | 127 × 76 mm (3 × 5 in) | | Pages | 80 | 48 | 100 | | Cover | Hard board | Kraft card | Polydura, top spiral | | Ruling | 3 mm grid | 4.7 mm graph, ruled or plain | Universal pattern | The Yacho is the only one of the three with a truly rigid cover. For more Japanese notebooks, see our [best Japanese notebooks](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-japanese-notebooks/) roundup. ## Where is it made, and is it popular in the US? **KOKUYO doesn't state the country of manufacture on its page; the book is a KOKUYO Japan product, and a 10-pack on Amazon US had 734 ratings on October 22, 2026.** KOKUYO also offers custom-printed covers from 100 copies and a clear cover sized for the Yacho. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Sokuryo Yacho mean? 測量野帳 means surveying field book. KOKUYO made it in 1959 for land surveyors, and fans in Japan shorten it to yacho. ### What is the difference between the Level, Transit and Sketch books? The covers name the ruling inside: Level (セ-Y1) has 22 ruled lines with columns for heights, Transit (セ-Y2) has 20 lines for distances and angles, and Sketch (セ-Y3) has a plain 3 mm grid, the general-purpose one. ### How big is the KOKUYO field notebook? 165 × 95 × 6 mm (6.5 × 3.7 × 0.24 in) outside, with 160 × 91 mm pages. It's narrow enough for a work-shirt chest pocket. ### Is there a waterproof Sokuryo Yacho? Yes. KOKUYO makes water-resistant versions with Yupo synthetic pages, a brown cover with a plastic sleeve and bright PP-cover types, per GetNavi; the standard SE-Y3 uses ordinary woodfree paper. ### How much does the Sokuryo Yacho cost? KOKUYO's list price is ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax. In the US it usually sells in multi-packs or singles that work out under $5 each, our $ band. ### Is the KOKUYO Sokuryo Yacho made in Japan? KOKUYO's product page doesn't state the country of manufacture, and the Amazon US listing doesn't either. Check the back cover of your copy. ## Sources - [野帳 測量野帳 スケッチ 40枚 | 文具 | コクヨ (KOKUYO Japan product page, read October 22, 2026: セ-Y3, ¥300 before tax, 165 × 95 × 6 mm, pages 160 × 91 mm, 40 sheets, woodfree paper, order code 51109714, JAN 4901480781174)](https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/fieldnote/8332/) - [野帳 | 文具 | コクヨ (KOKUYO Japan Yacho lineup: Level 22 lines, Transit 20 lines, Sketch 3 mm grid)](https://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/fieldnote/lineup/) - [GetNavi web: コクヨ「測量野帳」が60年以上支持される理由 (2019 interview: born 1959 after the 1949 Survey Act, over 1 million a year, original four types, Yupo water-resistant versions)](https://getnavi.jp/stationery/469192/?view-all=1) - [野帳 測量野帳用クリアカバー 173×204mm | 文具 | コクヨ (KOKUYO clear cover for the Sokuryo Yacho)](https://www.kokuyo.com/stationery/category/notebook-paper/fieldnote/10735/) - [Amazon US: KOKUYO surveying field book Sketch Book, 40 sheets, 10-pack (セ-Y3) (734 ratings; read October 22, 2026)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F27U1EQ)