ITP

What ITP does

ITP (iタウンページ) is a Japanese local business directory and life portal operated by NTTタウンページ株式会社, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone). The platform at itp.ne.jp catalogs more than 5 million private business listings across 100 industries and 8,000 categories in all 47 Japanese prefectures — a footprint it claims exceeds the country's 5.16 million private establishments as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in June 2021. Consumers can discover providers by area, station, genre, or keyword, while business owners can self-register and self-edit their listings through the Myタウンページ (My Town Page) portal at itown-jiten.com.

The core product surface consists of the iタウンページ directory, an AI検索モード (AI Search Mode) chat interface for natural-language queries, the Myタウンページ SMB listing-management module, and the 暮らしのコラム (Kurashi Column) content platform covering 12 lifestyle themes including home repair, plumbing, PC/phone repair, waste disposal, automotive, roofing, keys, moving, house cleaning, furniture/glass repair, end-of-life planning, and inheritance/tax filing. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the web portal and supported by an NTT Group social presence on Facebook and YouTube; paid advertising and promoted listings are sold to SMBs alongside bundled NTTTP-Dlead (web marketing/lead generation) and NTTTP-DB (local business database) services. There is no mobile app, no disclosed API/SDK surface, and no public revenue, funding, or M&A activity — ITP operates as a stable, NTT-funded directory asset rather than a venture-backed growth company.

Name

ITP

Legal name

NTTタウンページ株式会社

Website

https://itp.ne.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ITP (iタウンページ) is a Japanese local business directory portal, operated by NTT Group subsidiary NTT Town Page, indexing 5M+ businesses across 100 industries and all 47 prefectures, with free SMB listings, paid advertising, and an AI natural-language search mode for consumer discovery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Business Listing Fees (Free Listings): Free registration allowing businesses to self-edit their store/company information, with the value proposition of strengthening web-based customer acquisition.
2. Paid Advertising & Promoted Listings: Paid advertising options and promoted listing placements for businesses seeking increased visibility on the platform. Referenced via '広告掲載のご案内' (advertising inquiries).
3. NTT Group Services Integration: The platform is part of the NTT Group ecosystem, referencing NTTTP-Dlead (web marketing/lead generation) and NTTTP-DB (database/marketing) services, suggesting cross-service bundled offerings for businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ITP (iタウンページ) operates a free consumer-facing web portal at itp.ne.jp that allows individuals to search for local businesses, shops, facilities, and service providers across all 47 Japanese prefectures by area, station, or genre. Business owners can self-register and edit their listings for free, while the company monetizes through paid advertising, promoted placements, and bundled NTT Group marketing services (NTTTP-Dlead, NTTTP-DB). The platform features an AI-powered conversational search mode and an editorial Kurashi Column content hub covering 12 lifestyle topics.

Product overview

ITP (iタウンページ) operates a comprehensive Japanese life portal platform centered on its core iタウンページ business directory service, which indexes over 5 million private businesses nationwide. The platform offers an AI検索モード (AI Search Mode) for natural language-based business discovery and a Myタウンページ self-service listing management module for business owners. Supplementary content is provided through the 暮らしのコラム (Lifestyle Columns) informational article hub covering 12 practical lifestyle topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iタウンページ (iTown Page) A comprehensive Japanese business and local information search portal covering over 5 million private businesses nationwide, offering area-based, station-based, and genre-based search functionality with business reviews and support comments. Designed for general consumers seeking local service providers, shops, restaurants, medical facilities, and other facilities.
• AI検索モード (AI Search Mode) An AI-powered natural language search feature integrated into the iTown Page portal, enabling users to find businesses using conversational search queries (e.g., "plumber near Shibuya station", "weekend pediatrician in Setagaya") instead of traditional keyword or category-based searches. Designed for Japanese consumers seeking more intuitive business discovery.
• Myタウンページ (My Town Page) A free business listing management portal allowing business owners to self-register and edit their store/company information at no cost to enhance web-based customer acquisition. Designed for Japanese SMB owners in construction, healthcare, beauty, real estate, food, retail, automotive, IT, and other sectors.
• 暮らしのコラム (Lifestyle Columns / Kurashi Column) A content platform offering practical lifestyle advice across 12 themes including home repair, plumbing/gas, PC/smartphone repair, waste disposal/recycling, car services, roofing/exteriors, key services, moving/delivery, house cleaning, furniture/glass repair, end-of-life planning, and inheritance/tax returns. Designed to drive organic SEO traffic and provide consumer guidance on everyday life matters.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NTT Group (NTTタウンページ株式会社)coreOthersITP is operated by NTTタウンページ株式会社, a subsidiary of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation). The platform is a core digital product within the NTT Group's directory and local services ecosystem, benefiting from NTT's brand, infrastructure, and cross-selling opportunities across its telecommunications and enterprise service portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Yelp: Yelp is the global reference point for the SMB-review/local-directory business model that ITP operates; while US-focused, Yelp provides a relevant comparable for monetization mechanics, content strategy, and competitive dynamics against platform incumbents.

Direct peers

• Hot Pepper / Hot Pepper Beauty (Recruit): Recruit's Hot Pepper is one of Japan's leading local business discovery and coupon platforms, directly competing with ITP in restaurant, beauty, and lifestyle service listings with paid reservation/booking monetization.
• Tabelog (Kakaku.com): Tabelog is Japan's dominant restaurant discovery and review platform operated by Kakaku.com, overlapping with ITP's dining/food-service category and competing for both consumer traffic and SMB advertising spend.
• Jalan (じゃらん / Recruit): Jalan is Recruit's travel and leisure discovery and booking platform, overlapping with ITP's travel/leisure category and competing for SMB advertising and consumer intent in Japan.
• Gurunavi (ぐるなび): Gurunavi is a long-standing Japanese restaurant directory and reservation platform, competing with ITP in the food-services category for both consumer search and SMB subscription/promotion revenue.
• Ekiten (エキテン): Ekiten is a Japanese local business review and directory site covering beauty, medical, and lifestyle services, directly competing with ITP in SMB listing accumulation and consumer local discovery.
• Denwacho Library (NTT Town Page): The Denwacho Library is the legacy phone-book archive operated by ITP's parent NTT Town Page; it overlaps with ITP in business-directory functionality and reflects the company's heritage as a print-to-digital directory operator.

Broad incumbents

• Yahoo! Japan Local (LY Corporation): Yahoo! Japan Local is the local directory arm of LY Corporation, offering area-based business search integrated with Yahoo! Japan's broader portal traffic, directly competing for SMB advertising in the same Japanese market as ITP.
• Google Maps: Google Maps is the dominant local business discovery surface globally and in Japan, with reviews, directions, and AI answers that increasingly substitute for directory sites like ITP for top-of-funnel queries.

Regional players

• LIFULL HOME'S: LIFULL HOME'S is a major Japanese real-estate and local-services discovery platform; while focused on housing, it competes for the same SMB advertising budgets and consumer local-intent queries that ITP monetizes in Japan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TownpageOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/NTTtownpage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartwarning-bike-express

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ITP