NINE SENSE

What NINE SENSE does

NINE SENSE Inc. is a Japanese creative agency providing integrated web design, e-commerce site development, online advertising management, professional photography, and print design services. Founded in 2006 by Yasutaka Shimizu as a freelance operation and formally incorporated in January 2014, the firm operates dual offices in Tokyo (Minami-Aoyama, Omotesando) and Toyama City. Its technology stack centers on conventional web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, WordPress CMS, PHP), widely adopted EC platforms (Magento, EC-CUBE, Color Me Shop, Ochanoko Net), and certified Google/Yahoo Japan advertising partnerships. Production work is guided by a proprietary "Nine Essential Qualities" talent framework. Customers span SMEs, large Japanese corporations (TORY BURCH Japan, Toyama First Bank, Taisei Corporation, Speee, WiL), restaurants, beauty salons, government entities, and advertising agencies using NINE SENSE as a creative subcontractor.

The firm's business model is project-based and dominated by one-time license fees. Website production packages range from 500,000 yen (Homepage Lite) to 9,000,000 yen (EC Site Pro); photography is hourly from 45,000 yen; recurring maintenance subscriptions start at 20,000 yen per month. Five modular revenue streams — website design/development, EC site production, online advertising, photography, and print design — are marketed through direct sales (website inquiry, phone, in-person consultations), supplemented by Google/Yahoo partner referral channels. In March 2026 the firm announced a 15–30% price hike effective April 2026 in response to rising labor, tooling, and fuel costs.

NINE SENSE is privately held, founder-owned (registered capital ¥10 million), with Yasutaka Shimizu serving as Representative Director and Creative Director. The firm holds METI IT Introduction Support Provider certification (2017) and is a registered Qualified Invoice Issuer. With no external equity funding, no disclosed revenue or headcount, and a 20-year operating history concentrated on Japanese domestic clients, NINE SENSE operates as a stable, founder-led small business rather than a venture-stage or scaling-stage company.

Name

NINE SENSE

Legal name

株式会社ナインセンス

Website

https://ninesense.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NINE SENSE is a founder-led Japanese creative agency providing website design and development, e-commerce builds, online advertising management, and commercial photography to Japanese SMEs, large corporations, and advertising agencies through dual Tokyo-Toyama offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Design and Creative Production Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative, Content Production & Ad Ops Tools (BPAMALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

Keywords

• Web design services
• Website development
• Ecommerce site production
• Professional photography services
• Online advertising management

Headquarters

HQ city

Toyama-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Website Design and Development: Project-based web design and development services including corporate sites, branding sites, campaign pages, mobile sites, and EC sites. Pricing varies from 500,000 yen to 9,000,000 yen depending on scope and features.
2. Photography Services: Professional photography services including product photography, portrait photography, event photography, and architectural photography. Billed per session or hourly basis.
3. Online Advertising Services: Google and Yahoo! Japan certified agency providing advertising account setup, management, and reporting services. Includes banner production.
4. CMS Development and Maintenance: WordPress-based CMS site development, custom template creation, blog setup, and ongoing maintenance/support services billed monthly.
5. Print Material Design: Graphic design services for business cards, flyers, brochures, promotional materials, and signage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NINE SENSE provides integrated creative production services for Japanese businesses, with its primary offering being website design and development across Lite and Pro tiers using WordPress CMS, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and Web Standards-compliant coding. The company additionally produces ecommerce sites on Magento, EC-CUBE, Color Me Shop, and Ochanoko Net platforms, manages Google Ads and Yahoo! Japan advertising campaigns as a certified partner agency, and offers professional photography and print/graphic design services. Clients include SMEs, large corporations, advertising agencies, beauty/wellness businesses, restaurants, retail shops, and government/educational institutions served from Tokyo and Toyama offices.

Product overview

NINE SENSE is a creative company offering web design and internet business solutions. Their core service portfolio includes Website Production (Standard/Lite/Pro tiers), EC Site Production (using Magento, EC-CUBE, カラーミーショップ, おちゃのこネット), Web Advertising Services (Google/Yahoo certified agency), Photography Services, and various add-on modules including CMS (WordPress), Shopping Cart, Mobile Sites, Landing Pages, and Print Materials. The website production services form the primary offering, with EC and advertising services as integrated extensions, and photography as a complementary creative service. Pricing uses modular/hourly structures with base fees, per-page costs, and optional add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NINE SENSE Photography: Photography service division offering outdoor/studio photography, event coverage, food photography, architectural photography, fashion photography, and family portraits in Toyama and Tokyo areas.

Products and services

• Website Production (Lite and Pro tiers) Web Standards-compliant corporate website design and development service for Japanese businesses, available in Lite (500,000–3,000,000 yen for small-scale sites) and Pro (1,200,000–6,000,000 yen for large-scale sites with WordPress CMS, marketing research, inquiry forms, and 1-year support) tiers. Standard SEO measures are included without additional cost.
• EC Site Production (Pro, Lite, and Rental tiers) Original-design ecommerce site construction service for Japanese businesses selling online, with three tiers: Pro (2,000,000–9,000,000 yen on Magento or EC-CUBE), Lite (800,000–5,000,000 yen on Color Me Shop or Ochanoko Net), and Rental (custom-priced on EC-CUBE for sharing-economy business models). All tiers include product, order, customer, and inventory management functionality, and the Pro tier includes 1-year support and server fees.
• Branding Site Design Rich-content, full Flash website production service for brand awareness campaigns, featuring intro animations, video content, and sound effects. Targeted at fashion brands, restaurants, and film industry clients seeking visually rich brand experiences.
• Campaign Site Design Time-limited campaign microsite and landing page production service optimized for banner and PPC advertising, including conversion-focused design and consulting. Includes landing pages starting from 330,000 yen.
• Web Advertising Services Internet advertising planning, account setup, management, and reporting service for Google Ads, Yahoo! Japan Ads, and social network advertising (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LINE). Delivered as a Google Partner and Yahoo! Japan Partner certified agency, including banner production.
• Beauty Site Production Specialized website package designed for hair salons, esthetic salons, massage businesses, and spa operators. Includes easy content update features, campaign notices, and appointment booking form functionality.
• Recruitment Site Production Dedicated recruitment marketing website package for Japanese companies seeking to attract talent. Includes company PR planning, design, entry form implementation, and ongoing web recruitment support.
• Photography Services (NINE SENSE Photography) Professional photography services including product photography, food photography, image cuts, portrait, interview, event, and completion photography. Delivered by the NINE SENSE Photography division at session-based pricing starting from 45,000 yen for 4 hours, available within and outside Toyama Prefecture and the Tokyo area.
• Print Materials Production Graphic design and print production service for business cards, shop cards, signs, brochures, and flyers. Available as a standalone service or with a bundle discount when combined with website design projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• CMS implementation enabled staff without web expertise to frequently update website content
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google JapancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified Google advertising partner enabling them to manage Google Ads accounts, access platform resources, and offer integrated digital marketing services to clients.
• Yahoo! JapancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified Yahoo! Japan advertising partner allowing them to manage Yahoo! display and search advertising accounts and provide advertising services.
• IT League IT導入支援コンソーシアム (IT League IT Introduction Support Consortium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the IT League Consortium certified by METI to assist SMEs with IT introduction subsidy applications and digital transformation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mitsue-Links (ミツエーリンクス): Established Japanese web production and design boutique offering similar UI/UX design, web development, and content production services to enterprise clients. Headquartered in Tokyo with comparable scale and a similar focus on high-quality digital creative output, making it the closest direct peer to NINE SENSE.
• Hakuhodo i-Studio (博報堂アイ・スタジオ): Digital creative production arm of Hakuhodo Group providing web, app, and digital creative services for major Japanese brands. Operates in an overlapping service category (branding sites, campaign pages, internet advertising production) at somewhat larger scale but with similar craft focus.

Broad incumbents

• transcosmos Inc. Public Japanese digital services company offering CX/UX consulting, web production, BPO, and digital marketing at massive scale. Competes in the same enterprise website production and internet advertising services space as NINE SENSE but operates globally with thousands of employees.
• Members Inc. (メンバーズ): TSE-listed Japanese digital marketing agency serving enterprise clients with web/digital production, marketing operations, and creative services. Overlaps with NINE SENSE's web design and advertising operations at vastly larger scale and via a digital-staffing business model.
• Septeni Holdings (セプテーニ): Public Japanese holding company with a digital advertising agency arm (Septeni) operating in internet display ads, creative production, and web marketing, including Google/Yahoo partner status. Competes in the same ad-operations and creative production market as NINE SENSE.
• Dentsu Digital (電通デジタル): Subsidiary of Dentsu Inc., one of Japan's largest digital marketing groups. Provides web development, creative production, and media buying across Google/Yahoo platforms. Directly comparable service offering to NINE SENSE but at enterprise scale, competing for the same large-corporate and luxury/fashion brand clients.

Others

• CyberAgent (サイバーエージェント): Listed Japanese internet advertising and media conglomerate; this is NINE SENSE founder Yasutaka Shimizu's former employer (internet advertising division). Relevant primarily as the institutional pedigree source and because both firms operate (or operated) in Japan's internet advertising creative production ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ninesense
• Facebookfacebook.com/NineSense
• Instagraminstagram.com/ninesense
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ninesense

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 NINE SENSE