IW

What IW does

IW (株式会社IW) is a Fukuoka-based marketing and public relations firm specializing in inbound tourism promotion for Japanese businesses targeting visitors from Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. Founded circa 2018 and led by Representative Director Masuda Masato, the company sells a portfolio of professional services including Korean power-blogger recruitment and PR campaigns, Naver/Baidu/WeChat/Facebook channel strategy, multilingual video production, and multilingual website creation. Its primary customers are SMB restaurants, tourism operators, and select enterprise clients (Fukuoka Bank, Boat Race Fukuoka, Matsumoto Kiyoshi) in the Fukuoka and Kyushu region, with pricing conducted via custom quotes and free consultations rather than published rates.

The company's product surface combines service execution with proprietary distribution assets. The PRomoter LinX platform, launched November 2019, is a matching marketplace connecting Korean influencers with Japanese advertisers and is positioned at approximately half the cost of going through traditional agencies. Yoka Map is a serially published, multilingual (Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese) tourism magazine distributed seasonally through Fukuoka Airport, hotels, and tourist information centers; editions Vol.15 through Vol.18 are documented in 2019. Underneath IW sit three wholly-owned sub-brands: Hands-on SAKE (sake experience tourism), Seniru JAPAN (K-pop fan birthday/support advertising agency), and SAKE Kurafan (Japanese sake crowdfunding platform).

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees, advertising sales tied to Yoka Map distribution, and consumer-facing transactions across the sub-brands. Go-to-market is sales-led and regionally concentrated in Kyushu, leveraging founder-led content marketing, SEO, social media, and earned media in outlets such as 訪日ラボ and ふくおか経済. No public funding rounds, headcount, or audited financials are disclosed, and the company operates as a privately held, founder-led entity.

Name

IW

Legal name

株式会社IW

Website

https://iw-inc.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IW is a Fukuoka-based marketing and PR firm helping Japanese businesses attract inbound visitors from Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong through blogger/influencer campaigns, multilingual content, and the PRomoter LinX matching platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inbound Tourism Marketing & PR Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C) (MPAAACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Multilingual SEO (Hreflang, Geo-Targeting) (BPAFAJAG), Multilingual SEO/ASO Localization (MPAAANAD)

Keywords

• Inbound tourism marketing
• Influencer marketing services
• Multilingual content production
• Korean blogger promotion
• Cross-border PR agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Hakata

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing/PR Consulting Services: Provides inbound marketing consulting, Korean/Taiwan/China/Hong Kong market promotion strategy, and PR services to Japanese businesses.
2. Influencer/Blogger PR Services: Korean power blogger recruitment, influencer marketing campaigns, and fan trip organization for Japanese clients.
3. Yoka Map Publication: Tourism magazine publishing for inbound visitors, distributed at airports, hotels, and tourist information centers.
4. Support Services: Multi-language content creation, video production, multilingual website development, and marketing collateral creation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IW Inc. is a Fukuoka-based marketing and PR agency that helps Japanese businesses (restaurants, tourism operators, retailers, and local governments) attract foreign visitors from Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. It delivers Korean power blogger PR campaigns, influencer marketing, region-specific SEO (Naver, Google, Baidu), multilingual video production, and multilingual website creation, supported by its proprietary PRomoter LinX matching platform and its multilingual tourism magazine Yoka Map distributed across Fukuoka. It also operates own-brand services (Hands-on SAKE sake experiences, Seniru JAPAN K-pop fan advertising, SAKE Kurafan crowdfunding).

Product overview

IW (株式会社IW) is a Fukuoka-based marketing and PR company offering a comprehensive suite of services for international inbound tourism promotion, with particular expertise in Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Hong Kong markets. The core product portfolio includes: Yoka Map (multilingual tourist magazine), PRomoter LinX (Korean blogger matching platform), and self-owned brands (Hands-on SAKE, センイルJAPAN, SAKEクラファン). Services encompass power blogger PR campaigns, multilingual video production, multi-language website creation, and influencer marketing for Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong markets. The company operates as a service-based business rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ハンズオンSAKE: Japanese sake experience business offering hands-on sake tourism services
• センイルJAPAN
• SAKEクラファン

Products and services

• Yoka Map (Multilingual Tourist Information Magazine) A multilingual tourist information magazine/booklet for Fukuoka targeted at inbound international tourists, published in seasonal editions and distributed at major tourist touchpoints. Available in Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese.
• PRomoter LinX A matching platform connecting Korean power bloggers/promoters with Japanese companies seeking PR services, enabling direct booking and collaboration for influencer marketing campaigns targeting Korean tourists.
• Hands-on SAKE (ハンズオンSAKE) A sake experience business under IW's own brand offering hands-on sake experiences for inbound international tourists in Japan.
• Seniru JAPAN (センイルJAPAN / Birthday Ad Japan) A specialized fan-support advertising agency service for K-pop idol fans, providing support for birthday advertisements and support advertisements (seniru/ouen koukoku) in Japan and Korea.
• SAKE Kurafan (SAKEクラファン) A Japanese sake-specialized crowdfunding service for promoting local sake brands to international audiences.
• Korean Inbound Power Blogger PR Service (韓国人パワーブロガーPRサービス) Korean inbound marketing services including power blogger recruitment, PR planning, keyword consulting, interpreter services, Korean-language article review, and comprehensive PR execution for Japanese businesses targeting Korean visitors.
• Taiwan Inbound PR Service (台湾人・インバウンド客向けPRサービス) Inbound tourism PR services for Taiwan and other international markets, including influencer marketing, Google search engine optimization, and Facebook community marketing.
• Multilingual Tourism Video Production Service (多言語観光動画制作サービス) Multilingual tourism video production services including foreign-model casting, planning, filming, and editing for international promotion campaigns.
• Multilingual Website Creation Service (多言語HP制作サービス) Multilingual website creation services for businesses targeting international tourists, supporting multiple languages.
• Hong Kong and Chinese Market Marketing Service (香港・中国人マーケティングサービス) Hong Kong and Chinese market marketing services including KOL (Key Opinion Leader) utilization, WeChat promotion strategies, and word-of-mouth marketing campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Some restaurants achieved 400-500 Korean visitors per month through blogger promotion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 福岡銀行 (Fukuoka Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Co-promotion partnership for FUKUOKA BANCOUPON campaign targeting foreign currency exchange customers. IW designed the promotion while Fukuoka Bank provided sponsorship and customer access. Campaign offered restaurant coupons to foreign visitors exchanging currency at bank locations.
• PRomoter LinX Platform Partners (Korean Power Bloggers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Korean power bloggers registered on IW's proprietary PRomoter LinX platform, available for blogger famitrips and promotion campaigns for Japanese clients seeking Korean visitor attraction.
• 韓国インフルエンサー事務所 (Korean Influencer Agencies)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnerships for accessing Korean influencers and managing promotional campaigns.
• 訪日ラボ (Inbound Lab)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInbound tourism news media coverage of IW's promotion campaigns and partnerships, providing marketing exposure for IW services.
• ふくおか経済 (Fukuoka Keizai)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional business media coverage of IW's Fukuoka Bank partnership and promotion activities.
• 韓国旅行会社 (Korean Travel Agencies)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKorean travel agency partnerships for famitrip coordination and Korean visitor attraction campaigns.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• H.I.S. Co., Ltd. Major Japanese travel agency with inbound tourism operations and tour marketing; an established incumbent in inbound tourism with significantly greater scale than IW's regional focus.
• DAIKO Inc. Established Japanese marketing communications agency offering advertising, digital marketing, and PR services at scale; overlaps with IW's full-service marketing capabilities but serves a much broader client base.
• Septeni Holdings Co., Ltd. Listed Japanese digital marketing holding group with advertising agency, digital platform, and content businesses; competes for inbound marketing clients but operates at much larger scale and scope.
• Loco Partners, Inc. Operates Relux, a high-end inbound tourism accommodation platform with marketing services for ryokan and hotels; competes with IW in the inbound tourism marketing space but serves a higher-end accommodation segment.
• Allied Architects, Inc. Digital marketing group in Japan offering advertising, influencer marketing, and D2C services; a broader incumbent with capabilities that overlap IW's influencer marketing and content production services.
• D.A. Consortium, Inc. Digital advertising platform and agency in Japan offering programmatic, performance, and SEO services; competes with IW's digital marketing and SEO offerings, particularly multilingual SEO for international clients.

Direct peers

• WAmazing Inc. Inbound tourism platform offering travel media, booking, and tourism marketing services to foreign visitors in Japan; overlaps with IW's Yoka Map content and inbound marketing services, though WAmazing is broader and more established.
• Along Co., Ltd. Tokyo-based inbound marketing agency targeting foreign visitors to Japanese businesses, with comparable service offerings including PR, SEO, and influencer marketing for Asian markets — the most direct competitor to IW.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iw_inc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrrO_IuxQAlcCe5uxEmA-Pg
• Facebookfacebook.com/iwinc.jp01
• Instagraminstagram.com/yokabyfukuoka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 IW