What A&O does

A&O (株式会社エーアンドオー) is a privately held Japanese IT company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, with a secondary production office in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. The company operates a diversified portfolio of approximately 15 map-based mobile applications and web services that aggregate location-based point-of-interest (POI) data across Japanese domestic travel, leisure, and lifestyle verticals — including hot springs (6,000+ entries), golf courses (1,800+), auto campgrounds (1,000+), shrines (~3,000), castles, pilgrimage routes (Shikoku 88, Saigoku 33, Bando 33, Chichibu 34), Mt. Fuji World Heritage sites, roadside rest areas (2,700+), and mezcal/tequila establishments (4,000+). Its apps are built on a shared mobile platform integrating GPS-based geolocation, route navigation, offline map support, and integrations with DENSO NaviCon car navigation, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Yahoo! Car Navigation, and social sharing (LINE, Facebook, Twitter).

A&O monetizes through multiple streams: freemium mobile app distribution on iOS App Store and Google Play (most apps are free with optional paid ad-free versions); web portal advertising and SEO/SEM services; commissioned website design and development (CMS, CGI, PHP, Java, PostgreSQL/Oracle database work); a commissioned B2B rental office building catalog covering 4,000+ Tokyo central office buildings; an Amazon Japan storefront ('Mexican Tokyo') selling mezcal and tequila; a physical mezcal bar ('La Cuenta') at Misaki Port in Kanagawa — Japan's first mezcal bar; artist management under the A&O-ARTS brand; and a sound-based wellness app ('Manners Sound Beauty'). The company also serves as the secretariat (幹事会社) of the Japan Mezcal & Tequila Association, founded in 2017.

The company is small (8 employees, 10 million yen capital), privately held with no public listing, no external funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue. Its customer base is overwhelmingly B2C — individual Japanese consumers planning domestic travel, pilgrimage, golf trips, camping, or seeking specialty beverage venues — with limited B2B exposure through commissioned development projects and association work. Recent activity has been incremental: a 2024 operational takeover of the Lightworks Oracle Card App from JMA Associates and the 2019 launch of the rental office building catalog represent modest portfolio broadening rather than material expansion.

Name

A&O

Legal name

株式会社エーアンドオー

Website

https://aando.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A&O is a privately held Japanese IT company operating ~15 location-based mobile apps covering hot springs, golf, camping, shrines, castles, pilgrimage routes, and mezcal venues in Japan, with supplementary web development, e-commerce, and mezcal bar businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Travel Applications

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)

Keywords

• Map mobile applications
• Japan travel apps
• Location-based services
• Car navigation integration
• Point-of-interest databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Akasaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mobile App Sales (Freemium): Free map apps distributed via iOS App Store and Google Play Store, with some apps offering paid ad-free versions or premium features. Revenue generated from app store sales and advertising displayed in free versions.
2. Web Portal Site Operations: Various portal site operations including tourism and leisure information portals generating revenue through web advertising, sponsored listings, and SEM/SEO services for clients.
3. Website Design & Development: Custom homepage/web system construction, CGI, PHP, JAVA, FLASH development, CMS implementation, SEO/SEM services, and database system construction (PostgreSQL, Oracle).
4. E-commerce / Retail Sales: Online sales of mezcal and tequila products through Amazon Japan 'Mexican Tokyo' store. Physical restaurant operations (mezcal bar 'La Cuenta') generating food & beverage revenue.
5. Artist Management & Entertainment: Artist management services for models and performers under A&O-ARTS division, including talent representation, media production, and sales promotion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A&O develops and operates a portfolio of map-based mobile applications for Japanese consumers seeking tourism, leisure, and pilgrimage destinations, including hot springs, golf courses, campgrounds, shrines, castles, pilgrimage routes, and specialty lifestyle venues. Apps are distributed primarily as freemium downloads on iOS App Store and Google Play, with shared features including GPS-based search, route navigation, and DENSO NaviCon in-car navigation integration. The company also operates a physical mezcal bar, an Amazon Japan storefront, artist management services, and web development offerings.

Product overview

A&O (株式会社エーアンドオー) operates a diversified portfolio of map-based mobile applications and web services centered on location-based content discovery. The core product lineup consists of approximately 20 mobile applications covering specialty verticals including hot springs (全国日帰り温泉マップ/Japan Spa Map), golf courses (全国高尔夫場マップ), auto campgrounds (全国オートキャンプ場マップ), shrines (全国神社マップ/全国一宮神社マップ), castles (全国お城マップ/全国お城マップLite), pilgrimage routes (四国八十八ヶ所霊場マップ, 西国三十三観音霊場マップ, 坂東三十三観音霊場マップ, 秩父三十四観音霊場マップ, 日本百観音霊場マップ), Mt. Fuji World Heritage (富士山世界遺産マップ), car camping (全国車中泊マップ), fortune-telling (開運方位マップ), romantic destinations (恋人の聖地MAP), and mezcal/tequila venues (日本メスカル＆テキーラマップ). Additional offerings include artist management (A&O-ARTS), a hot spring portal website (おふログ), and blog-related services (blog wasabi, bloamaパーツ). The apps share common features including map display, GPS-based nearby search, route navigation, third-party integration (DENSO NaviCon, Google Maps, LINE, Facebook, Twitter), and content sharing capabilities. The company also operates in food & beverage with a mezcal bar and retail business, and IT services including web development and SEO.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• A&O-ARTS: アーティスト맹이지メント業務をを行うブランド。 моделиやアーティストのマネジメント、ネットメディアやSP、制作、广告を組み合わせたサービスを提供。
• A&O - App LAB

Products and services

• Nationwide Day-trip Hot Spring Map (全国日帰り温泉マップ) Map-based mobile app showing over 6,000 day-use hot springs, mixed bathing areas, private baths, and outdoor spas nationwide with GPS search, filtering, route navigation, and DENSO NaviCon car navigation integration.
• Nationwide Golf Course Map (全国ゴルフ場マップ) Map app showing over 1,800 golf courses nationwide with current location search, keyword and prefecture search, reservation capability, and detailed course information.
• Nationwide Auto Campground Map (全国オートキャンプ場マップ) Award-winning map app featuring over 1,000 auto campsites with elevation data, temperature estimates, camping car support including power/water/drain facilities, and route navigation integration.
• Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Map (四国八十八ヶ所霊場マップ) Map app covering Shikoku's 88 temples plus 20 extra sacred sites (108 total) with detailed information, current location search, keyword search, temple list navigation, and route guidance.
• Nationwide Car Camping Map (全国車中泊マップ) Map app showing over 2,700 roadside rest areas, service areas, and parking areas suitable for car camping with facility details including restrooms, bathing facilities, elevation/temperature data, and RV parks.
• Nationwide Shrine Map (全国神社マップ) Map app showing over 3,000 shrines nationwide with search by keywords, prefecture, and conditions, plus route navigation and detailed shrine information including rank and deity.
• Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage Map (秩父三十四観音霊場マップ) Map app covering the 34 Chichibu Kannon sacred sites with photos, videos, keyword search, current location search, route navigation, and DENSO NaviCon integration.
• Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage Map (日本百観音霊場マップ) Combined map covering Saigoku 33, Bando 33, and Chichibu 34 pilgrimage sites (100 total) with color-coded pins for easy distinction between the three pilgrimage routes.
• Mt. Fuji World Heritage Map (富士山世界遺産マップ) World Heritage map covering 25 locations (34 items) of Mt. Fuji with position, address, description, photos, videos, current location navigation, DENSO NaviCon integration, and Facebook sharing.
• Nationwide Castle Map (全国お城マップ) Map app displaying castle spots and ruins nationwide with search, route navigation, castle type icons (flatland, hilltop, etc.), photo submissions, and DENSO NaviCon car navigation integration.
• Fortune Direction Map (開運方位マップ) Free fortune-telling app supervised by fortune advisor Okabe, using kigaku, feng shui, and onmyodo principles to calculate auspicious directions for travel, relocation, and burial site selection with GPS-based distance and direction calculations.
• Nationwide Castle Map Lite - Top 100 Castles (全国お城マップLite) Free map app displaying Japan's Top 100 Castles with search, route navigation, castle type icons, favorites, nearby 10-castle display, and LINE/Facebook/Twitter sharing.
• Nationwide Ichinomiya Shrine Map (全国一宮神社マップ) Free map app displaying Ichinomiya (first-ranked) shrines across Japan, extracted from the Nationwide Shrine Map database.
• Japan Mezcal & Tequila Map (日本メスカル＆テキーラマップ) Map application displaying approximately 4,000 shops nationwide serving mezcal and premium tequila, with brand information, search functionality, and route navigation.
• La Cuenta Mezcal Bar (La Cuenta) Physical mezcal bar 'La Cuenta' operated by A&O's food & beverage division at Misaki Port in Kanagawa Prefecture, offering 50+ types of mezcal.
• Mexicantokyo Amazon Japan Store (メキシカントウキョー) Amazon Japan storefront selling Mexican Tokyo branded mezcal and tequila products to domestic Japanese consumers.
• Ofulog Website (おふログ) Website introducing day-use hot springs and bathing facilities across Japan for travelers and business trippers looking for nearby relaxation options.
• Lightworks Oracle Card App (ライトワークス オラクルカードアプリ) Oracle card application operated by A&O since December 2024, providing spiritual guidance and card reading services.
• A&O-ARTS Artist Management (アーティストマネージメント業務) Artist management services for models and performers under the A&O-ARTS division, including talent representation, media production, and sales promotion.
• Rental Office Building Catalog (賃貸オフィスビルカタログ) Web service cataloging 4,000+ rental office buildings in Tokyo central wards, operated on commissioned development basis.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 日本メスカルテキーラ協会 (Japan Mezcal & Tequila Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2017A&O (株式会社エーアンドオー) is the secretariat company (幹事会社) of the Japan Mezcal & Tequila Association, established to promote mezcal and tequila awareness, demand expansion, and smooth import operations in Japan. A&O developed the '日本メスカル＆テキーラマップ' app as the association's official mapping tool for ~4,000 mezcal/tequila establishments. A&O also operates a physical mezcal bar 'La Cuenta' and an Amazon Japan store for mezcal products.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Navitime: Japanese navigation and transit app publisher with multi-vertical local-discovery and routing apps. Compares directly to A&O's map-based, NaviCon-integrated app portfolio targeting Japanese travelers.
• Golfyo: Japan-focused golf-course discovery and reservation platform. Directly comparable to A&O's Nationwide Golf Course Map app, which lists 1,800+ courses and integrates reservation/route navigation.
• AllTrails: Global outdoor-discovery app for hiking, camping, and trails with curated POIs, GPS, and route navigation. Analogous to A&O's Auto Campground and Car-Camping map apps.
• Jalan: Recruit-operated Japanese travel platform covering lodging, onsen, leisure, and regional tourism discovery. Overlaps directly with A&O's onsen, shrine, castle, and regional-leisure mapping apps for Japan domestic travelers.
• Rurubu (JTB): JTB's pilgrimage and domestic travel guide franchise covering temples, shrines, and spiritual routes in Japan. Closely mirrors A&O's Shikoku 88, Saigoku 33, Bando 33, and Chichibu 34 pilgrimage map apps.
• MapFan: Long-running Japanese mapping and POI platform with consumer apps and B2B data licensing. Comparable to A&O as a Japan-domestic, POI-centric map publisher across multiple verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Tripadvisor: Global travel-discovery platform with reviews, POI data, and booking across attractions and experiences. Adjacent incumbent in destination/activity discovery that competes for the same traveler intent.
• Klook: Asia-Pacific tours and activities booking marketplace. Comparable as a digital platform organizing destination activities and outdoor/leisure experiences, though at much greater scale and geographic reach than A&O.
• Rakuten Travel: Japan's largest OTA, covering lodging, onsen, leisure, and tours nationwide as part of a wider commerce platform. A much larger incumbent in the same Japan domestic leisure/travel discovery space.
• Yelp: Global local-discovery platform aggregating restaurants, bars, and venues with reviews and directions. Closely parallels A&O's Japan Mezcal & Tequila Map (~4,000 establishments) as a category-specific POI directory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/campertrip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 A&O