Matcha

What Matcha does

MATCHA (株式会社MATCHA) is a Tokyo-based inbound tourism platform operating Japan's largest dedicated multilingual media destination for travelers to Japan, with 3.3 million monthly users and 20,000+ articles across 10 languages. Founded in December 2013 by Yu Aoki, the company began life as a media outlet under the corporate name 株式会社Sen before rebranding to 株式会社MATCHA in August 2015 after the MATCHA brand surpassed the corporate name in recognition. The company serves three interlocking customer cohorts: (i) municipalities, DMOs, and tourism associations seeking to reach inbound travelers, (ii) hotels, ryokan, retailers, and experience operators needing multilingual digital presence, and (iii) travel technology and connectivity providers seeking co-marketing access to MATCHA's audience.

MATCHA's offering spans four product lines operating on a shared content and technology infrastructure. The MATCHA media platform is the consumer-facing top-of-funnel asset reaching 227 countries. MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM) is a freemium SaaS CMS that lets non-technical local operators publish multilingual content directly to the MATCHA platform; it is in use by 1,000+ operators across all 47 Japanese prefectures. An inbound tourism consulting practice delivers research, journey mapping, KPI design, and campaign execution for municipalities and enterprises. In 2026 MATCHA extended into connectivity with MATCHA Japan eSIM (January) and into AI-mediated multilingual publishing with the Locally platform (June). AI capabilities — auto-translation across 10 languages, AI-assisted content generation, and tracking of AI citation traffic — are embedded features rather than a standalone business line. The company has 11–50 employees, is privately held, founder-controlled, and operates from Higashi-Nihombashi in Chuo-ku, Tokyo.

The revenue model combines four streams: advertising and sponsored content on MATCHA media; MCM subscriptions (monthly recurring, freemium with paid premium tiers including customer success support); inbound tourism consulting and strategy fees from municipalities and enterprises; and MATCHA Japan eSIM data plan subscriptions. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales to government and enterprise buyers in Japan, self-serve product-led growth via MCM, and event-driven demand generation through the annual Inbound Summit (Japan's largest inbound tourism conference, co-organized with Nikkei, JAL, Trip.com, and Narita Airport), regional networking events (Nagoya Inbound Night series), and the MATCHA Lab practitioner community. Notable customers include Hoshino Resorts, JR East, JR West, ANA, ASICS, JTB, Snowpeak, AEON Mall, Suimeikan, Mitsui Fudosan Hotel Management, Hokkaido Airport, and the Inbound National Promotion Council (JITA).

Name

Matcha

Legal name

株式会社MATCHA

Website

https://company.matcha-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

株式会社MATCHA operates Japan's largest multilingual inbound tourism media platform (3.3M monthly users, 10 languages, 20,000+ articles) and a subscription CMS used by 1,000+ tourism operators across all 47 prefectures, serving municipalities, DMOs, hotels, retailers, and travel-tech companies seeking to reach international visitors to Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inbound Tourism Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151), Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615)

akta.pro primary industry

Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Partner Network & Supplier Onboarding/Connectivity Platforms (Mapping, Certification, QA) (THALAJAO), CRM & Loyalty Marketing Automation (Email/SMS/Push, Journeys, Campaigns) (THALAKAG)

Keywords

• Inbound tourism marketing
• Multilingual content management
• Travel media publishing
• Destination marketing services
• Travel research consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. MATCHA Media Advertising & Promotion: Promotional placement and content creation on MATCHA's multilingual media platform (10 languages, 3.3M monthly users, 227 countries). Revenue from municipalities, businesses, and hotels seeking to reach inbound travelers through editorial content and featured articles.
2. MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM) Subscriptions: Monthly subscription CMS service enabling local operators and DMOs to publish multilingual content to MATCHA. Offers free tier and paid premium tiers with advanced features, customer success support, and SEO optimization guidance. Over 1,000 tourism operators across all 47 Japanese prefectures have adopted MCM.
3. Inbound Tourism Consulting & Strategy Services: End-to-end inbound marketing strategy services including research, strategy formulation, and implementation support for municipalities, hotel chains, and large enterprises. Services include market research, customer journey mapping, KPI design, and ongoing campaign execution.
4. MATCHA Japan eSIM: eSIM service for inbound travelers offering data plans (unlimited, daily caps, fixed容量). Industry-competitive pricing targeting deep travelers to Japan, with plans to integrate digital coupons and booking features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

株式会社MATCHA (MATCHA Inc.) operates Japan's largest multilingual inbound tourism media platform (10 languages, 3.3M monthly users, 20,000+ articles), provides a subscription-based multilingual CMS (MATCHA Contents Manager / MCM) used by 1,000+ tourism operators across all 47 prefectures, and delivers inbound marketing consulting and strategy services to municipalities, DMOs, hotels, and enterprises. Additional offerings include the MATCHA Japan eSIM travel connectivity service and the Locally AI-powered tourism information platform for local operators.

Product overview

MATCHA operates as a three-pillar inbound tourism platform: (1) MATCHA media - a Japanese-language media platform with 3.3M monthly users across 10 languages serving as the core content distribution channel; (2) MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM) - a subscription CMS enabling tourism operators to publish multilingual content directly to MATCHA; and (3) Inbound Tourism Marketing Support - consulting services for strategy development and execution. Additional offerings include MATCHA Japan eSIM (telecom service for travelers), MATCHA Lab (practitioner community), and Inbound Summit (annual industry conference). The company also develops AI-powered translation capabilities for multi-language content distribution and research services for understanding visitor behavior.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MATCHA: Japan's largest multilingual media platform for visitors to Japan, available in 10 languages with over 20,000 articles
• MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM)
• MATCHA Japan eSIM
• Locally

Products and services

• MATCHA Media Platform Japan's largest inbound tourism media platform, delivering 20,000+ articles in 10 languages (English, Chinese simplified/traditional, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Easy Japanese, and others) to 3.3 million monthly users from 227 countries and regions. Content covers Japanese culture, destinations, attractions, travel guides, and practical visitor information.
• MATCHA Contents Manager (MCM) Monthly subscription CMS platform that lets local tourism operators, municipalities, DMOs, hotels, and ryokan publish multilingual content directly to the MATCHA media platform. Includes automatic Japanese-to-10-language translation with human editing, SEO optimization, and topic suggestions. Used by 1,000+ tourism operators across all 47 prefectures, with proven outcomes such as 5x page view increases for adopters.
• Inbound Tourism Marketing Support (Consulting) Strategic consulting and execution service for municipalities and enterprises, covering inbound marketing strategy formulation, market research, customer journey analysis, KPI/KGI setting, planning proposals, and ongoing campaign implementation for tourism promotion initiatives.
• MATCHA Japan eSIM eSIM service for international travelers visiting Japan, offering three data plan types with industry-competitive pricing. Features QR code activation usable within 3 minutes of purchase, high-speed connections via major Japanese carriers, and integration with MATCHA travel guide content and digital coupons as a 'travel gateway' to enhance visitor experience.
• Locally Media Platform AI-powered multilingual tourism information platform that enables local tourism operators to publish content in 6 languages using automated translation. Features theme-based discovery UI, multilingual inquiry handling, and map-based navigation. Targeted at municipalities, DMOs, accommodation providers, transport operators, and commercial facilities.
• Inbound Research & Survey Services Custom research and survey services for understanding international visitor behavior, including qualitative interviews, on-site surveys at tourist destinations, and data analysis. Has delivered surveys for clients including Yomiuri Giants (baseball fan survey) and Tokyu Fudosan (Tokyo coastal areas).

Quantifiable outcome

• MCM adoption led to 5x page view increase for Suimeikan ryokan, with MATCHA referrals converting to bookings
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• 西武グループ / 西武ラボ（Seibu Holdings / Seibu Lab）coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Ongoing collaboration between MATCHA and Seibu Group's innovation unit on inbound tourism strategy. Notable projects include promoting Izu-Nagaoka Onsen 三養荘 (a historic 42,000-tsubo Japanese garden property) to international markets, achieving significant YoY revenue increase in foreign guest bookings from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other new markets (Dec 2025–Mar 2026); and a research project for New Furano Prince Hotel exploring the 'Furano Bonchi Powder' snow quality brand. Joint presentations at marketing conferences in 2025-2026.
• 日本航空（JAL）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerJAL is a co-organizer of the Inbound Summit 2026 conference. MATCHA has collaborated with JAL on various inbound tourism initiatives including data sharing, joint events, and promotional content targeting inbound travelers.
• JR東日本（East Japan Railway Company）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerJR East featured in MATCHA client logos and partner listings. Collaborative efforts include promoting regional train travel and tourist destinations accessible by JR lines to international visitors.
• Trip.com International Travel JapanmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrip.com is a co-organizer of the Inbound Summit 2026 conference, alongside MATCHA and Nikkei Inc. Represents an OTA partnership for driving inbound bookings.
• 日本政府観光局（JNTO）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerJNTO collaborates with MATCHA on international tourism promotion for Japan. MATCHA serves as a trusted multilingual media platform recognized by Japan's official national tourism organization. MATCHA's CEO participated in JNTO-organized sessions on privacy/GDPR compliance for inbound tourism.
• (一社) インバウンド全国推進協議会（JITA）coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMATCHA and JITA (the Inbound National Promotion Council) signed a comprehensive partnership agreement. JITA promotes the 'Inbound-friendly Hospitality Certification System' and recommends MCM to its member organizations. MATCHA provides multilingual publishing infrastructure supporting JITA's nationwide hospitality improvement mission.
• 株式会社インターネットイニシアティブ（IIJ）supportingTechnology or IntegrationIIJ's privacy and security consulting team (featuring expert 中西康介) collaborates with MATCHA on GDPR and privacy compliance education for inbound tourism operators. MATCHA sponsored IIJ-led sessions on cookie banner compliance and data mapping as part of the Inbound Summit 2026 after-event series.
• 中部国際空港（中部空港 / Centrair）supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with MATCHA in organizing the Nagoya Inbound Night series. Centrair staff participated as panelists discussing airport access and regional tourism promotion for the Aichi/Chubu area.
• 成田国際空港（Narita International Airport）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizer of Inbound Summit 2026 alongside MATCHA and Nikkei Inc. Narita Airport is a key gateway for inbound travelers and a strategic partner in promoting regional Japanese destinations.
• チームラボ（teamLab）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured speaker at Inbound Summit 2026. TeamLab's digital art attractions represent a major inbound tourism draw, and their participation in MATCHA's conference reinforces the connection between cultural experience and travel destination selection.
• 日本経済新聞社（Nikkei Inc.）majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizer of the Inbound Summit 2026 conference alongside MATCHA. Nikkei's involvement brings mainstream business media credibility and audience to the event. Nikkei has covered MATCHA's business initiatives.
• 関西イノベーション推進機構（Kansai Innovation Initiative / KIC）supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization for Inbound Summit 2026, supporting the post-Osaka Expo promotion strategy and Kansai regional tourism development discussions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Japan Travel (JTB): JTB's inbound travel platform is operated by one of Japan's largest travel agencies, providing multilingual information, booking, and itinerary services that overlap with MATCHA's media-plus-consulting offering but with substantially greater resources.
• Klook: Klook is a major Asia-based travel activities and services booking platform that competes with MATCHA for inbound traveler attention and partner relationships across Japan destinations, experiences, and transport.
• KKday: KKday is a Taiwan-headquartered travel experience and activities marketplace with strong Japan inventory, partially overlapping with MATCHA's audience and partner network for inbound travelers to Japan.
• Trip.com Group: Trip.com is a global OTA that competes with MATCHA on inbound Japan travel information, booking, and content; Trip.com is also a co-organizer of MATCHA's Inbound Summit 2026, indicating an overlapping competitive-and-partnership dynamic.

Direct peers

• Japan Guide: Japan Guide is one of the longest-running multilingual (English, German, French, etc.) Japan travel information sites, competing with MATCHA for organic search traffic from inbound travelers planning Japan visits.
• LIVE JAPAN (Livesense Inc.): LIVE JAPAN is a multilingual inbound travel media platform covering Japan in multiple languages, directly competing with MATCHA for both traveler audience and DMO/hospitality advertiser budgets in the Japan inbound market.
• Good Luck Trip: Good Luck Trip is a multilingual inbound tourism media platform covering Japan travel destinations, attractions, and culture, directly competing with MATCHA for the same traveler audience and DMO marketing budgets.
• Tsunagu Japan: Tsunagu Japan operates a multilingual inbound travel media platform with cultural and tourism content for foreign visitors to Japan, directly overlapping with MATCHA's audience and DMO/hospitality advertiser base.
• Voyagin (by Rakuten): Voyagin is a multilingual Japan-focused activities and experiences booking platform serving inbound travelers, directly competing with MATCHA's destination content-plus-booking positioning in the inbound Japan tourism market.

Regional players

• JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization): JNTO is Japan's government-affiliated national tourism organization operating the official multilingual Visit Japan portal. It serves a similar destination-information function to MATCHA but as a state-backed non-commercial entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/matchajp
• Xx.com/matcha_global
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matchainc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matcha