Slow Life

What Slow Life does

株式会社すろーらいふ (Slow Life) is a privately held local media company headquartered in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, founded on September 1, 2003. The company's core product is すろーかる (Slowcal), a free monthly local magazine launched in October 2006 that connects Shizuoka-based businesses with local residents through editorial coverage of shops, restaurants, events, and community stories. The magazine is distributed free at hundreds of partner shops across Shizuoka Prefecture, with the July 2026 issue marked as No. 221, demonstrating nearly two decades of consistent monthly publication.

The company operates three revenue-generating streams beyond the magazine's advertising base. First, すろーかるMarket is an e-commerce platform selling Shizuoka-origin products to consumers. Second, paid access is available through digital e-book sales (200 yen per issue) and an annual mail-delivery subscription (2,400 yen for 12 issues). Third, the company runs a professional design services practice, producing flyers, brochures, catalogs, websites, logos, packaging, and editorial content for local government agencies, financial institutions, and commercial businesses on a project basis. The company maintains a sales-led go-to-market targeting local Shizuoka clients, with an in-house team handling proposals, editorial planning, writing, photography, and proofreading.

Slow Life is founder-led by Representative Director Katsunori Kuriyama, with no external investment, parent company, or acquisition activity disclosed. The company maintains a single headquarters in Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City, and operates exclusively within the Japanese domestic market. Recent activity includes a 2024 website redesign and 2025 sales staff hiring campaign, indicating modest operational scaling within its established geographic niche.

Name

Slow Life

Legal name

株式会社すろーらいふ

Website

https://slow-life.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Slow Life is a privately held Shizuoka-based local media company publishing the free monthly magazine すろーかる (Slowcal) to connect local Shizuoka businesses with residents, while also operating an e-commerce platform and providing professional design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Media and Design Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

POD Fulfillment, Warehousing & Drop-Shipping Services (MPAJANAJ)

Keywords

• Local magazine publishing
• Regional media services
• Design and printing services
• Free advertising magazine
• Local e-commerce marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Shizuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising in Free Magazine (すろーかる): The company publishes the free magazine すろーかる, distributing it at local shops throughout Shizuoka Prefecture and to subscribers. Revenue is generated through advertising placements by local businesses and organizations.
2. すろーかる E-book Sales: Electronic versions of the magazine are sold individually at 200 yen per issue through the company's website. Back issues are available for purchase via theすろーかるMarket e-commerce platform or by email/mail order.
3. すろーかる Annual Subscription: Annual subscription service delivering 12 issues via mail for 2,400 yen per year (200 yen per issue). Subscription fees are collected in advance via postal transfer.
4. Design and Production Services: The company provides design services including flyers, brochures, catalogs, websites, logos, packaging, and other printed materials. Services also include editorial writing, photography, and printing. Revenue is earned through project-based contracts with clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Slow Life is a Shizuoka-based local media company that publishes a free monthly magazine called すろーかる (Slowcal) distributed across Shizuoka Prefecture. The company sells advertising space within the magazine to local businesses, generates revenue from paid magazine subscriptions and digital e-book sales, and provides professional design, editorial, photography, and printing services to local businesses, government agencies, and organizations. It also operates the すろーかるMarket e-commerce shopping site selling curated Shizuoka products.

Product overview

株式会社すろーらいふ operates as a local media company based in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The core offering is the free local magazine 'すろーかる' (Slowcal), a monthly publication connecting Shizuoka and its residents through local business features and community content. The company extends its media business through three related products: 'すろーかるMarket' (an e-commerce platform for Shizuoka products), 'デザインのお仕事' (a professional design service offering print materials, websites, and branding), and a subscription service for home delivery. The company also provides digital e-book versions of current and past issues through the ActiBook platform. Design services are a significant part of the business, with extensive portfolio work including brochures, websites, logos, and promotional materials for various local government offices and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• すろーかる (Slowcal): A free local magazine connecting Shizuoka and its residents, featuring local businesses, events, and community content
• すろーかるMarket

Products and services

• すろーかる (Slowcal) Free Magazine A free monthly local magazine connecting Shizuoka residents with local businesses, featuring business spotlights, community events, lifestyle content, and reader prize giveaways. Distributed free at hundreds of local partner shops throughout Shizuoka Prefecture.
• デザインのお仕事 (Design Services) Professional design and production services for local businesses, organizations, and government agencies in Shizuoka. Includes creation of flyers, brochures, catalogs, websites, logos, packaging, and business cards, plus editorial writing, photography, and printing. Delivered through project-based contracts with direct client consultation.
• すろーかるMarket (E-commerce Site) An e-commerce shopping site that delivers quality products from Shizuoka Prefecture to consumers, featuring curated local Shizuoka goods. Operated as an online storefront under the Slow Life brand.
• すろーかる Magazine Annual Subscription Annual subscription service delivering 12 printed magazine issues via mail to subscribers for 2,400 yen per year. Available via mail-in application, FAX, or email, with payment collected in advance via postal transfer.
• すろーかる Digital E-book / Back Issues Electronic versions of each magazine issue sold individually at 200 yen per issue through the ActiBook platform on the company's website. Back issues from 2006 to present are accessible via the platform, with select back issues available for purchase.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• リビング新聞社 (Living Shimbun Co., Ltd.): Publisher of regional free lifestyle newspapers distributed at supermarkets and local shops across Japan. Operates the same free-distribution + local advertising model that defines Slow Life's すろーかる magazine.
• ぱど (PAD Co., Ltd.): PAD is one of Japan's largest regional free-magazine publishers, distributing free local lifestyle magazines across multiple prefectures. Like Slow Life, PAD monetizes through local advertising sales; the business model, target customer (local SMB advertisers), and free-distribution mechanic are closely aligned.

Regional players

• 静岡新聞社 (Shizuoka Shimbun): The dominant local newspaper in Shizuoka Prefecture, sharing Slow Life's Shizuoka-only geographic focus and serving the same local advertisers and readers. Operates a larger-scale paid news format rather than a free magazine.

Broad incumbents

• 電通グループ (Dentsu Group): Japan's largest advertising agency group. While not a direct free-magazine competitor, Dentsu intermediates the same local advertising budgets that Slow Life sells into, and represents the broader incumbent ecosystem Slow Life's sales-led approach must navigate.
• 中日新聞社 (Chunichi Shimbun): Major regional newspaper group covering Shizuoka and broader Tokai region. A broader incumbent in Japanese regional media that competes with Slow Life for local advertising budgets, though operating at much larger scale and in paid news rather than free magazines.
• 日本経済新聞社 (Nikkei): National business newspaper with regional coverage and digital subscriptions. Represents the larger incumbent competitor for both reader attention and corporate advertising spending that regional free magazines like すろーかる must compete against.

Others

• 凸版印刷 (Toppan Holdings): Major Japanese printing and information-communications conglomerate. Relevant as a printing-services supplier and an adjacent media-services incumbent; Slow Life's in-house production capabilities overlap with Toppan's magazine production service line.
• 大日本印刷 (Dai Nippon Printing): One of the world's largest printing companies with extensive magazine publishing services. Serves as a printing infrastructure peer and potential production partner for Slow Life's すろーかる magazine.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/slowlife_webinn
• Facebookfacebook.com/p/%E3%81%99%E3%82%8D%E3%83%BC%E3%82%89%E3%81%84%E3%81%B5-100051068393322
• Instagraminstagram.com/slowlife2006

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 Slow Life