Compiled from 4 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
The Suiheibiraki (horizontal-open) notebook is Showa Note's B5 notebook that opens a full 180 degrees, so a graph, map or timeline runs across both pages. It is 179 × 252 mm with a 5 mm grid and leader lines, in five cover colors, made in Japan, at ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax. The maker gives no page count.
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Notes on these facts
Made by Showa Note Co., Ltd. (Takaoka, Toyama). Made in Japan: Showa Note's product page lists the producing country as 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
Showa Note says the notebook opens 180 degrees, so figures and graphs can be drawn large across a spread, a ruler sits flat, a compass can cross the center, and copies or scans leave no shadow.
Showa Note lists it as B5 portrait, 179 × 252 mm, with a 5 mm grid (10 mm squares with 5 mm leader lines) and made in Japan.
It comes in five covers, blue, purple, green, yellow and red, and the maker's reference price is ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax on November 5, 2026, in our $ band.
Showa Note's product page gives no page count, binding type, paper weight or notebook weight, so we could not size the book or say how it is bound.
We have not tested the notebook, so the flat-opening claim is the maker's.
What is the Showa Note Suiheibiraki Notebook?
It is a B5 study notebook built to open flat, with a 5 mm grid. Suiheibiraki means “horizontal-open” in Japanese. Showa Note, a notebook maker in Takaoka, Toyama that launched its Japonica exercise books in 1970, lists five cover colors in this series.
We read Showa Note’s Japanese product pages on November 5, 2026. The maker’s page links a product video, which we did not watch. For other notebooks that open flat, see our best lay-flat notebooks roundup, and for a MUJI one see the MUJI open-flat lined notebook.
What are the size and ruling?
B5 portrait, 179 × 252 mm, with 10 mm squares and 5 mm leader lines. The maker’s list calls it a 5 mm grid with leader lines. When it opens, the spread is about 358 mm wide, twice the single page.
Showa Note lists five benefits. Because the notebook opens a full 180 degrees:
Arithmetic and science figures and graphs can be drawn large across both pages.
A social-studies timeline or map can be written across the spread.
A ruler is easy to use.
A compass can cross the center of the notebook.
Copying or scanning leaves no shadow in the gutter.
Those are the maker’s claims; we haven’t tested the notebook, and the page does not say how it is bound. The drawing below is a schematic, not a measurement.
Five: blue, purple, green, yellow and red. The swatches here were sampled from Showa Note’s own product photos, so on your screen they are close, not exact. The cover in the maker’s photo carries a small round mark for the 180-degree opening, and a 5 mm grid label at the top right.
Who is the Suiheibiraki Notebook for?
It suits people who want a cheap B5 grid notebook that lies open for wide diagrams.
Everyday writing: it is ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax, in our $ band, as a B5 study notebook.
Journaling and planning: it has a stated 5 mm grid with leader lines and, the maker says, opens 180 degrees so a spread can be used as one wide page.
Skip it if you need to know the page count or paper weight before buying: the maker’s page gives neither. For a plainer B5 grid with six colors and a stated 60 pages, see our Showa Note Japonica Section guide.
What does it cost, and where is it made?
It is made in Japan and Showa Note’s reference price is ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax, as read on November 5, 2026. That is in our $ band (under $5). We did not check overseas shops for this grid edition. The Journal Shop in the UK lists a different Suiheibiraki edition, a B5 lined notebook with illustrated covers, at £6.99 (about US$9.20), and showed it sold out on November 5, 2026; its ruling and covers differ from the grid notebook here, so we do not use it as a price for this one. Showa Note links an online shop from its pages; we did not read its prices.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Suiheibiraki notebook really open flat?
Showa Note says it opens 180 degrees horizontally. We have not tested it, and the maker gives no binding type.
What does Showa Note say it is good for?
Drawing figures and graphs for arithmetic and science large across a spread, writing a social-studies timeline or map across both pages, using a ruler easily, using a compass across the center, and copying or scanning without a shadow.
What size and ruling is it?
B5 portrait, 179 × 252 mm, with a 5 mm grid: 10 mm squares with 5 mm leader lines, per the maker.
How many pages does it have?
Showa Note does not state a page count on its product page.
Which colors does it come in?
Five covers: blue, purple, green, yellow and red. Showa Note's list gives model numbers FT-1 for blue, FT-2 purple, FT-3 green and FT-4 yellow.
Where is it made?
Japan, per the producing-country line on Showa Note's product page.
How much does it cost?
Showa Note's reference price was ¥300 (about US$1.90) before tax on November 5, 2026. We did not check overseas prices.
