--- title: "MATOKA COTOMO Notebook: 125 × 180 mm, Three Rulings" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/matoka-cotomo-notebook/" description: "MATOKA COTOMO Notebook explained: a 125 × 180 mm, 64-page notebook in 5 mm grid, 7 mm lines or To Do, 11 colors, made in Japan, ¥418 (about US$2.65)." category: "Notebooks" type: "Notebook" published: 2026-11-04 updated: 2026-11-04 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 4 products: - name: "MATOKA COTOMO Notebook (CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102)" brand: "MATOKA" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "Paper; saddle-stitched" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "EL COMMUN" model: "COTOMO Notebook" mpn: "CTM-001" url: "https://elcommun.com/products/elco-ctm001" --- # MATOKA COTOMO Notebook: 125 × 180 mm, Three Rulings > The MATOKA COTOMO Notebook is a slim 125 × 180 mm, 64-page notebook from EL COMMUN, made in Japan. It is saddle-stitched, about 5 mm thick and comes in three rulings: 5 mm grid, 7 mm lines, or a to-do list with 2.5 mm grid. It fits the COTOMO covers and lists at ¥418 (about US$2.65). - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/matoka-cotomo-notebook/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-04 - Updated: 2026-11-04 ![All eleven MATOKA COTOMO Notebook covers drawn to scale at 125 × 180 mm, from pink and mint to dark blue, beige and ivory](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/matoka-cotomo-notebook-illustration-16x9.png?v=7e829729) *All eleven covers at 125 × 180 mm (1 mm = 0.95 px); the foil marks are drawn by eye.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | MATOKA COTOMO Notebook (CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102) | MATOKA (by EL COMMUN) | Japan | Japan | Paper; saddle-stitched | – | $$: $5–20 per notebook | - Made in (MATOKA COTOMO Notebook (CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102)): Japan. EL COMMUN's product page gives Japan as the country of origin (the Japanese page's origin field). Source: https://elcommun.com/products/elco-ctm001 - Good for: Journaling and planning. Skip it if you want a stated paper weight or a fountain-pen paper: the maker gives neither. ### MATOKA COTOMO Notebook (CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102) colors - Body colors (11 standard, 0 special edition): Grid pink (CTM-001); Grid mint (CTM-002); Grid gray (CTM-003); Grid lilac (CTM-101); Grid dark blue (CTM-102); Line beige (CTM-004); Line smoke blue (CTM-005); Line dark gray (CTM-006); To Do camel (CTM-007); To Do navy (CTM-008); To Do ivory (CTM-009). - Per EL COMMUN online shop (Japanese): COTOMO Notebook, the per-color product photos (https://elcommun.com/products/elco-ctm001), checked 2026-11-04. The names are the maker's variant names; the ruling is part of each name. The tints are sampled by eye from the maker's per-color photos and are representative. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - The maker lists 12.5 × 18 × 0.5 cm (125 × 180 × 5 mm), 64 pages and a saddle-stitched binding, made in Japan. - There are three rulings: Grid (5 mm squares), Line (7 mm rules) and To Do (a to-do list plus a 2.5 mm grid). - EL COMMUN's shop lists 11 cover colors, codes CTM-001 to CTM-009 plus CTM-101 and CTM-102, with the ruling stamped on the cover in foil. - The maker's price is ¥418 (about US$2.65) including tax; US stores listed it at US$6 and US$8 on November 4, 2026, in our $$ band. - The maker says to carry it with a COTOMO cover or pouch, and it gives no paper weight or paper type. ## What is the MATOKA COTOMO Notebook? **It is a thin, small notebook designed to slip into a bag or a cover, in three rulings.** EL COMMUN, a Japanese stationery company, sells it under its MATOKA brand as part of the COTOMO series, which the maker describes as stationery you can carry easily and use only as much as you like. It is the "insert" of the system: the notebook the series covers and pouches are made around, such as the [Pocket Cover](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/matoka-cotomo-pocket-cover/). We read EL COMMUN's online shop and series page on November 4, 2026. ## What are the size, pages and binding? **125 × 180 mm, 64 pages, saddle-stitched.** These figures are from the maker's spec list. | Spec | EL COMMUN says | |---|---| | Size | 12.5 × 18 × 0.5 cm (125 × 180 × 5 mm; 4.9 × 7.1 × 0.2 in) | | Pages | 64 | | Binding | Saddle-stitched | | Rulings | Grid (5 mm), Line (7 mm), To Do (list plus 2.5 mm grid) | | Colors | 11, codes CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102 | | Made in | Japan | | Price | ¥418 (about US$2.65) including tax at the maker | The maker gives no weight, paper weight or paper type, so we can't say how it handles fountain-pen ink. Our [notebook sizes chart](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/notebook-sizes-chart/) puts 125 × 180 mm next to other formats. ## Which ruling should you pick? **It depends on whether you log, write or list.** The maker's product images suggest Grid for log notebooks, with 5 mm squares you can divide into two or four panels. They suggest Line for memos and diary entries, with 7 mm rules, and To Do for tasks and goals, with a to-do list area over a 2.5 mm grid. ![Three 40 × 28 mm patches: a 5 mm grid, 7 mm lines and a 2.5 mm grid, as on the Grid, Line and To Do pages](https://stationerytimes.com/images/matoka-cotomo-notebook-rulings.svg?v=7675191a) *The three rulings as 40 × 28 mm patches (1 mm = 6 px), drawn by eye; the To Do list area is not drawn. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* A foil stamp on the cover shows the layout inside, so you can tell the books apart in a bag. The maker also sells an undated [Log Notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/matoka-cotomo-log-notebook/) of the same size with monthly or weekly pages. ## What colors does it come in? **Eleven, with the ruling part of each color's name.** The shop lists Grid in pink, mint, gray, lilac and dark blue, Line in beige, smoke blue and dark gray, and To Do in camel, navy and ivory. The maker says new colors were added to Grid and To Do, which are the lilac, dark blue and ivory entries, and its shop marks at least one color out of stock. The tints in the colors list are our reading of its photos. ## Who is the COTOMO Notebook for? **It suits people who want a small, cheap notebook for logs, memos or lists, and a cover to carry it in.** The maker's pages name a use for each of its three rulings. - **Journaling and planning:** 64 pages in a ruling named for logs (Grid), memos and diaries (Line) or tasks and goals (To Do). Skip it if you need a stated paper weight or fountain-pen paper: the maker gives neither. ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **In Japan, and ¥418 (about US$2.65) including tax at the maker, in our $$ band ($5–20) in the US.** The maker's series page lists ¥380 (about US$2.40) before tax and ¥418 (about US$2.65) with it. US stores charged more: Zakkajoy listed the To Do Camel at US$6.00 and Semantics Paper listed the Lined Black at US$8.00 on November 4, 2026. For other Japan-made notebooks, see our guide to [Japanese notebooks](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-japanese-notebooks/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What size is the MATOKA COTOMO Notebook? The maker lists 12.5 cm wide, 18 cm tall and 0.5 cm thick (125 × 180 × 5 mm, about 4.9 × 7.1 × 0.2 in), with 64 pages. ### What rulings does it come in? Three. Grid is 5 mm squares, Line is 7 mm rules, and To Do is a to-do list combined with a 2.5 mm grid. A foil stamp on the cover shows which one you have. ### How is it bound? Saddle-stitched, which the Japanese page calls center-stitched binding. A saddle-stitched book of 64 pages is thin and opens from the middle. ### How many colors are there? EL COMMUN's shop lists 11, five Grid, three Line and three To Do. It says new colors were added to the Grid and To Do ranges, and the shop marks at least one as out of stock. ### Does it fit the COTOMO covers? Yes, that is its design. The maker recommends carrying it in a COTOMO cover or pouch, and its Pocket Cover is made for one COTOMO notebook. ### What is the paper like? The maker doesn't say. Its pages give no paper weight, type or fountain-pen claim, so check a sample or a retailer review before using wet ink. ### Is it made in Japan? Yes. EL COMMUN's product page gives Japan as the country of origin. ## Sources - [EL COMMUN online shop (Japanese): COTOMO Notebook, CTM-001 to CTM-009, CTM-101, CTM-102 (¥418, about US$2.65; 12.5 × 18 × 0.5 cm; 64 pages; saddle-stitched; Grid 5 mm, Line 7 mm, To Do with 2.5 mm grid; made in Japan; read November 4, 2026)](https://elcommun.com/products/elco-ctm001) - [EL COMMUN (maker): COTOMO series page with tax-inclusive and tax-excluded prices (read November 4, 2026)](https://elcommun.co.jp/product/stationery/%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%81%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9/cotomo) - [Zakkajoy: COTOMO To Do B6 Notebook, Camel (US$6.00; read November 4, 2026)](https://zakkajoy.com/products/cotomo-to-do-b6-notebook-camel) - [Semantics Paper: Cotomo Lined Notebook, Black (US$8.00; read November 4, 2026)](https://semanticspaper.com/products/cotomo-lined-notebook-black)