Compiled from 5 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
The Luddite Function Notebook is a thin saddle-stitched notebook with one job per book, in 12 layouts such as monthly, daily, meeting, to-do and spreadsheet. The A5 is 148 × 210 × 5 mm with 64 pages of white paper, made in Japan. It sits in our $ band (under $5).
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Notes on these facts
Made by Luddite Co., Ltd. (Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan). Made in Japan: Luddite's own shop page ends its spec list with the Japanese words for made in Japan. 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
Luddite lists the A5 at 148 × 210 × 5 mm, saddle-stitched, with 64 pages of white woodfree paper, made in Japan.
The A5 comes in 12 layouts, from monthly and daily planners to meeting, to-do, ruled, grid, spreadsheet, visualizer, Free Field V and Parallel Planner.
A5 slim (120 × 210 mm) and B5 (179 × 252 mm) have the same thickness and page count; the B5 costs ¥330 (about US$2.10), against ¥308 (about US$1.95) for the A5 sizes.
The layouts are undated, so you can start any month; the Journal Shop calls them lightweight and modular for use in an A5 cover.
Luddite's own page doesn't give a paper weight, so we can't say how a fountain pen or marker would behave.
What is the Luddite Function Notebook?
It is a thin notebook with one function per book. Luddite’s page says the series adds “function” as a choice for a notebook, to help you control time and work better, and that each book is made for ideas you only get by writing.
Luddite, a Fukuyama, Hiroshima stationery maker that mostly sells cases and covers, sells it at ¥308 (about US$1.95) in A5. We read its shop pages and the Journal Shop on November 2, 2026.
What sizes and page counts does it have?
Three sizes, each 5 mm thick with 64 pages. All are saddle-stitched, which Luddite’s pages call center-bound, on white woodfree paper.
Twelve in A5, named by what they do. Luddite’s shop lists monthly, daily, meeting, separate, to-do, to-do and memo, ruled lines, grid, spreadsheet, visualizer, Free Field V and Parallel Planner, each with its own item code from LDNT-A5F-01 to 24.
Luddite calls Free Field V and Parallel Planner its new series. Free Field V combines a 5 mm grid field with a vertical weekly planner, and Parallel Planner a Gantt chart with a vertical weekly planner. Luddite doesn’t describe the other layouts, so we haven’t drawn any.
Do the sources agree on the layouts?
Nearly. The Journal Shop sells 13 A5 layouts, adding a “Weekly Planner Vertical Type” that isn’t in Luddite’s current A5 list. Luddite’s A5 slim and B5 pages do list a vertical item (code 02), so it may simply be out of the A5 list for now.
The Journal Shop also uses English names, such as “Section Notebook”, that don’t map one-to-one onto Luddite’s Japanese names, so check the photo before ordering a specific layout.
What is the paper like?
White woodfree paper, with no weight or ink rating stated. Luddite’s page says only that, and neither it nor the Journal Shop makes a fountain-pen claim. We haven’t tested bleed or show-through.
Who is the Luddite Function Notebook for?
It suits people who plan on paper and want a separate, cheap book for each job.
Journaling and planning: each A5 notebook has 64 pages, and Luddite offers 12 layouts from monthly and daily planners to ruled and grid pages.
Skip it for fountain pens until you test a page: Luddite states no paper weight.
Is there a cover?
Yes, a vinyl one. Luddite’s page links vinyl covers for one notebook and for two, and the Journal Shop sells them at £7.50 (about US$9.90) and £8.50 (about US$11.20). The Journal Shop suggests gathering several inserts in an A5 cover; see our planner buying guide for choosing layouts.
Where is it made, and what does it cost?
In Japan, per Luddite’s own shop page.
Luddite’s shop listed the A5 at ¥308 (about US$1.95) on November 2, 2026, in our $ band (under $5); Luddite also posted a price-revision notice on May 14, 2026, whose list we didn’t open. The Journal Shop listed the A5 at £7.00 (about US$9.20), a $$ price ($5–20). Luddite also makes the canvas Bendy Pen Case and the ALTDRAW pencil, and for other Japanese notebooks see best Japanese notebooks.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Luddite Function Notebook A5?
Luddite lists 148 mm wide, 210 mm high and 5 mm thick (5.8 × 8.3 × 0.2 in), with 64 pages.
What layouts does the A5 come in?
Twelve on Luddite's shop page: monthly, daily, meeting, separate (a weekly layout), to-do, to-do and memo, ruled lines, grid, spreadsheet, visualizer, Free Field V and Parallel Planner. We have only seen the cover of the monthly one.
What are Free Field V and Parallel Planner?
Luddite calls them its new series. Free Field V pairs a 5 mm grid field with a vertical weekly planner, and Parallel Planner pairs a Gantt chart with a vertical weekly planner.
Is the Function Notebook dated?
The Journal Shop sells it as an undated planner, so you can start in any month. Luddite's page doesn't say whether the pages carry dates, so check the layout photo.
How is it bound?
Saddle-stitched, which Luddite's page words as center-bound. We haven't tested how flat it opens.
What paper is it?
White woodfree paper, per Luddite. It gives no weight or fountain-pen rating, so test a page before relying on it with wet ink.
Are there other sizes?
Yes: A5 slim at 120 × 210 × 5 mm for ¥308 (about US$1.95) and B5 at 179 × 252 × 5 mm for ¥330 (about US$2.10). All three have 64 pages.
Is there a cover for it?
Luddite's page links vinyl covers for one notebook and for two, and the Journal Shop sells them at £7.50 (about US$9.90) and £8.50 (about US$11.20).
