Ekitan
Ekitan & Co., Ltd. (TSE: 3646) operates Japan's pioneering transit route search engine, serving 10M+ monthly users across mobile carriers, and provides enterprise APIs, corporate expense management, MaaS platforms, and multilingual services for inbound tourists.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Ekitan does
Ekitan & Co., Ltd. (TSE Standard: 3646) is a Tokyo-based internet information services company that operates Japan's pioneering transit route search engine. Originally developed within Toshiba in 1997 and spun off as an independent entity in 2003, the company's flagship product, 駅探★乗換案内 (Ekitan Transfer Navigation), provides train, bus, and airplane route, timetable, and fare information to over 10 million monthly users across smartphone, PC, and all three major Japanese mobile carrier portals (NTT docomo, KDDI/au, SoftBank). The company also offers multilingual services in 10+ languages targeting inbound tourists, a vertical media property (駅探PICKS) for station-area businesses, and a membership discount service (駅探バリューDays / 駅探メンバーパス).
The company monetizes through a diversified mix of revenue streams: consumer subscriptions (Ekitan Deluxe at ¥210/month, Ekitan Prime at ¥315/month), enterprise ASP/API licensing of its transit search to workflow and ERP vendors (Rakuraku Workflow II, CAP21, Create!WebFlow, GreenOffice Workflow), the Ekitan BIZ corporate expense management service with patented IC card parsing (¥315/month per card), advertising on its high-traffic consumer properties, transit data sales, and travel package distribution (including a JR Tokai Tours partnership). The technology stack includes patented IC card trip reconstruction, a Tourism Route Search System, an AI/MCP server for AI agent integration, and a MaaS platform deployed across Hokkaido, Toyama, and Yamagata prefectures. The group operates multiple wholly owned subsidiaries (Laterra International, Proud Engine, Growth and Communications, Cybernet, ITJ, Saqua, Seezoo) and the Ekitan I&I joint venture.
Strategically, Ekitan is repositioning for a turnaround: revenue has declined from ¥23.75B (FY2022) to ¥18.85B (FY2026), with operating income turning slightly negative in FY2026, while the company invests in AI-agent integration (MCP Server), inbound tourism (multilingual Shinkansen timetable), and new verticals via its IP DREAM AI/DX alliance. The business serves five core segments — individual commuters/travelers, corporate/enterprise clients, local governments and regional transit operators, inbound tourists, and platform/API integrators (real estate, job portals, navigation) — and is governed by a recently restructured leadership team with two external directors and a president who took office in 2020.
Ekitan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ekitan
- Legal name
- 株式会社駅探（Ekitan&Co., Ltd.）
- Website
- https://ekitan.co.jp
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ekitan & Co., Ltd. (TSE: 3646) operates Japan's pioneering transit route search engine, serving 10M+ monthly users across mobile carriers, and provides enterprise APIs, corporate expense management, MaaS platforms, and multilingual services for inbound tourists.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Ekitan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ekitan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consumer Subscription (Mobile/Web): Monthly subscription fees from individual users for premium route search services on mobile and web. Ekitan Deluxe (¥210/month) and Ekitan Prime (¥315/month) tiers, plus ticket-based pricing for iPhone apps (¥100/10days, ¥600/90days, ¥1,200/180days, ¥2,200/365days). Revenue driven by converting free users to paid members.
- Enterprise ASP / API Services: Transit search and data APIs sold to railway operators, portals, mobile carriers, map companies, and corporate systems integrators. Includes route planning API, nearest-station API, and fare data services. Recurring API licensing fees.
- 駅探BIZ (Business Expense Management): Corporate cloud-based expense management service leveraging IC card reading and route inference. IC card reading app at ¥315/month per card; integration with workflow systems. Also includes JR EX预约 data linkage for business travel.
- Travel Package Sales: JR set plans combining Shinkansen tickets with hotel accommodations, sold directly to consumers through Ekitan's website. Commission-based model on travel bookings. Also domestic travel packages via JR Tokai Tours.
- Advertising: Display advertising on Ekitan's consumer website and apps with station/route targeting capabilities. Sendai/delivery to over 10 million monthly unique visitors.
- Data Sales: Sale of transit data (station, route, train schedules) to real estate, job portal, restaurant, and navigation companies. Also data generation services (enriching client address data with nearest station, travel time, and walking directions).
- Member Value Services (駅探バリューDays, 駅探メンバーPass): Subscription-based membership services offering discounted access to entertainment, travel, dining, fitness, and lifestyle benefits. 駅探バリューDays at ¥315/month; 駅探メンバーPass at ¥300-500/month. Cross-sold to transit users.
- Ticketless Business Travel (BTM): Domestic self-booking tool for corporate clients integrating with transportation operators and travel booking sites, enabling end-to-end booking, management, and expense reconciliation for business trips.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Consumer Freemium with Paid Tiers |
| Subscription | Monthly | 駅探BIZ Corporate IC Card Expense Management |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise ASP / API Services |
| Subscription | Monthly | 駅探メンバーPass |
| Subscription | Monthly | 駅探バリューDays |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Ekitan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ekitan operates Japan's pioneering mobile and web route search service (駅探★乗換案内) covering all Japanese rail, bus, and air transit, supplemented by enterprise transit ASP/API services, a patented IC-card-based corporate expense management product (駅探BIZ), MaaS platform deployments for municipalities, AI-agent integration via the Ekitan MCP Server, and multilingual inbound-tourism timetable services. The portfolio serves over 10 million monthly unique users on the consumer side and licenses its data and APIs to railway operators, mobile carriers, ERP/workflow vendors, real estate and job portals, and local governments across Japan and selected international markets.
Product overview
Ekitan operates a multi-platform transit information service portfolio anchored by 駅探★乗換案内 (Ekitan Transfer Navigation), Japan's pioneering mobile route search service offering train, bus, and airplane transfer guidance to 10M+ monthly users. The consumer offering spans PC and smartphone sites, carrier-specific mobile services, and native iOS/Android apps. For business clients, Ekitan provides 乗換案内ASP/ルート計画ASP API for enterprise integration, and the 駅探BIZ expense management service with IC card reading, automatic route estimation, and JR EX予約 integration. The recent 駅探MCPサーバ extends AI agent integration via Model Context Protocol. Adjacent services include 駅探PICKS vertical media (real estate/dining/beauty by station), 駅探バリューDays/駅探メンバーPass discount memberships, Latelabo travel industry information, MaaS solutions for regional governments, and domestic ticketless business travel booking. Group subsidiaries include Latelabo International, Ekitan I&I, Proud Engine, and others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 駅探★乗換案内: Core route navigation/search service for trains, buses, and planes available on PC and smartphone.
- 駅探ドットコム
- 駅探PICKS（ピックス）
- 駅探バリューDays
- 駅探BIZ
- 乗換案内ASP / ルート計画API
- Latelabo（ラテラボ）
- 駅探MCPサーバ
Products and services
- 駅探★乗換案内 (Ekitan Transfer Navigation) Flagship mobile and smartphone route search service providing train, bus, and airplane transfer guidance, timetables, and real-time operation information across Japan. Serves over 10 million monthly unique users via PC, smartphone, and carrier-specific mobile sites.
- 駅探BIZ (Ekitan BIZ) Cloud-based corporate transportation expense management service leveraging IC card reading, automatic route estimation, commuter pass section deduction, and JR EX Reservation integration for business travel expense reporting.
- 乗換案内ASP / Route Planning ASP API Enterprise ASP/API providing route search, fare calculation, commuter pass computation, and tourist route planning capabilities in 11 languages for railway operators, portals, mobile carriers, ERP/workflow vendors, and B2B SaaS platforms.
- 駅探MCPサーバ (Ekitan MCP Server) Model Context Protocol server enabling AI agents to perform flexible route searches, continuous multi-step queries via conversational context, and integration with scheduling and expense management workflows. Reduces AI hallucination risks by providing reliable Ekitan transportation data as reference.
- 国内チケットレス出張手配サービス (Domestic Ticketless Business Travel BTM) Self-booking tool for domestic business travel combining rail/air tickets, Shinkansen EX Reservation, and hotel reservations. Connects corporate internal systems with transport operators and travel booking sites for streamlined booking, management, and expense settlement.
- MaaSソリューション (MaaS Solution) Mobility-as-a-Service solution combining traditional rail/bus with on-demand transport and local mobility options. Provides efficient route search, PC/smartphone app development support, and usage analytics for regional activation. Targets local governments and transport operators.
- 駅探バリューDays / 駅探メンバーパス Membership discount service offering preferential pricing at movies, karaoke, travel, hotels, theme parks, fitness centers, and other leisure facilities, cross-sold to transit users via Benefit Station and direct subscriptions.
- ここから何分以内検索API / Station/Bus Stop N-Minute Reachable API Arrival-time-specified API enabling searches for stations or bus stops reachable within a specified travel time from a given latitude/longitude origin. Designed for real estate, job search, and HR platforms.
- Latelabo（ラテラボ） Travel industry information platform operated by subsidiary Latelabo International, providing practical information for travel planning including country/city guides, airport maps, and route maps for travel company professionals.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10M+ monthly unique visitors to consumer services
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ekitan
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Ekitan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Ekitan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- JR Companies (JR旅客会社各社の新幹線情報)coreMultilingual Shinkansen timetable covering all JR-operated Shinkansen lines in Japan, available in 10 languages. Data partnership enabling inbound tourism services with seamless ticket reservation integration.
- IP DREAM (IP DREAM Co., Ltd.)coreAI/DX business collaboration project team established. Three focus areas: Disaster Prevention DX Platform (multilingual AI communication), Tourism DX Platform (inbound demand capture), and Security Service Business (P2P-VPN). Capital and business alliance discussions ongoing.
- NEC / SSMR Business Promotion ConsortiumminorParticipation in '駅弁GO!' service combining NEC's spatial audio MR technology and local ekiben (station bento) sellers to promote frailty prevention and regional tourism. Ekitan provides transit/tourism route search integration with MaaS elements.
- Japan Tourism Agency (Go To Travel Campaign)minorParticipation in Japanese government's Go To Travel subsidy campaign. Ekitan sold eligible domestic travel packages (Shinkansen + hotel) under the campaign, promoting domestic tourism recovery during COVID-19.
- Future Share (株式会社未来シェア)coreStrategic partnership for MaaS domain. Future Share provides AI-based on-demand ride-sharing technology; Ekitan provides transit search and MaaS platform. Five-party MaaS consortium formed (Ekitan, Future Share, Sapporo Holdings, Hokkaido Hakodate Future University, Sapporo City University) targeting Hokkaido regional mobility.
- MONET Consortium (MONETコンソーシアム)minorJoined MONET Consortium (established by SoftBank and Toyota, 604 member companies as of August 2020) to advance MaaS initiatives. Leverages consortium resources for autonomous driving and MaaS service development.
- Business Travel Japan (株式会社ビジネストラベルジャパン)coreSubsidiary acquisition (absorbed merger in 2020) adding BTM (Business Travel Management) capabilities. Enabled synergies with 駅探BIZ and corporate travel booking services.
- JR Tokai Tours (ジェイアール東海ツアーズ)coreAgency agreement for selling JR Tokai Tours' domestic travel products (focused on Tokaido Shinkansen routes) through Ekitan's platform. Significantly expanded Ekitan's travel product lineup beyond its own JR set plans.
- JTB Publishing (JTBパブリッシング)coreBasic agreement to jointly develop inbound tourism services for international visitors. Ekitan provides transit search systems; JTB Publishing contributes travel guidebook content and editorial expertise. Joint development of new services targeting inbound tourists ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- Increment P (インクリメントＰ)coreMutual API integration between Increment P's MapFan+ and Ekitan's transit search. MapFan+ users can access Ekitan's rail routing; Ekitan users can launch MapFan+ for walking/driving navigation on transfer segments. Both parties benefit from expanded service utility.
- Benefit One / Benefit One Solutions (ベネフィット・ワン)corePartnership to cross-sell 駅探バリューDays membership discount service through Benefit One's corporate welfare platform (Benefit Station, 320万 members). Also launched IC card-based automatic expense management service, with monthly fee ¥315/card. Strategic in expanding consumer subscriber base.
- Fujitsu BSC (富士通ビー・エス・シー)coreIntegration of Ekitan's transit ASP into Fujitsu BSC's CAP21 ERP travel expense module. Enables automatic fare calculation within ERP-based expense approval. 400+ enterprise clients served by CAP21 benefit from this integration.
- Sumitomo Electric Information Systems (住友電工情報システム)coreIntegration of Ekitan's transit ASP service into Sumitomo Electric's 楽々WorkflowII business travel expense workflow system. First partnership of this kind. Enables auto fare calculation within expense approval workflows. Continued partnership expanded to 駅探BIZ integration in 2020 with free initial fee promotion.
- Infotec Architects (インフォテック・アーキテクツ)minorIntegration of Ekitan's transit ASP into Infotec Architects' Create!Webフロー workflow system as an optional module (駅探連携オプション). Enables fare calculation within document-based approval workflows.
- ARO In Tech (Korea)minorFirst overseas partnership targeting inbound/outbound tourism. ARO In Tech (Korea's largest transit data provider) and Ekitan agreed to mutual cooperation in Japan/Korea markets — Korean users of Japanese services and Japanese users of Korean services. Co-marketing for mutual business expansion.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ekitan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Google Maps (Alphabet): Global mapping platform with comprehensive Japan transit routing and real-time information. Acts as free incumbent competitor compressing consumer willingness-to-pay across all dedicated transit search apps.
- Apple Maps (Apple Inc.): Global mapping platform with growing transit routing depth in Japan, pre-installed across Apple's device ecosystem. Provides free multimodal routing that competes directly with Ekitan's consumer subscription tiers.
Regional players
- Willer Inc. Japan-focused travel and mobility aggregator operating highway buses, travel packages, and emerging MaaS initiatives. Comparable in Japan-centric travel/mobility aggregation with partial product overlap on travel packages and regional transit services.
Direct peers
- NAVITIME JAPAN: Major Japanese multimodal navigation and route search provider covering transit, walking, driving, and MaaS. Closest direct competitor to Ekitan across consumer route search, premium subscriptions, and MaaS platforms.
- Increment P (MapFan): Japanese mapping and navigation provider operating MapFan+ with bidirectional API integration to Ekitan for transit routing. Competes in Japanese map-based search while being a current integration partner.
- Jorudan Co., Ltd. (ジョルダン): Japanese transit route search service offering train, bus, and flight navigation. Direct competitor to Ekitan Transfer Navigation with overlapping consumer and enterprise offerings in the Japanese market.
- Yahoo! JAPAN Transit (LY Corporation): Transit search integrated into Yahoo! JAPAN portal (operated by LY Corporation / former Z Holdings). Directly competes with Ekitan for free consumer route search queries and benefits from SoftBank carrier distribution.
Others
- East Japan Railway Company (JR East / JREast): Largest Japanese rail operator owning Suica, JREast app, and embedded routing/mobility services. Not a route-search peer, but as the dominant data source and a growing in-house capability owner, JR East shapes what Ekitan can monetize in Japan transit.
- Uber Japan / Uber Technologies: Global ride-hailing and MaaS platform operating in Japan. Adjacent rather than directly competitive in transit routing, but competes for the same in-app mobility intent via Japanese taxi partnerships and multimodal journey planners.
Emerging players
- AMANE Co., Ltd. Japanese location-based services and MaaS data provider focused on regional mobility and municipal deployments. Smaller-scale emerging player with partial overlap to Ekitan's MaaS and regional government business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ekitan social profiles
Digital presenceEkitan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ekitan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Ekitan subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Ekitan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ekitan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ekitan
What does Ekitan do?
Ekitan operates Japan's pioneering mobile and web route search service (駅探★乗換案内) covering all Japanese rail, bus, and air transit, supplemented by enterprise transit ASP/API services, a patented IC-card-based corporate expense management product (駅探BIZ), MaaS platform deployments for municipalities, AI-agent integration via the Ekitan MCP Server, and multilingual inbound-tourism timetable services. The portfolio serves over 10 million monthly unique users on the consumer side and licenses its data and APIs to railway operators, mobile carriers, ERP/workflow vendors, real estate and job portals, and local governments across Japan and selected international markets.
Is Ekitan a public or private company?
Ekitan is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Ekitan founded?
Ekitan was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ekitan based?
Ekitan is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Ekitan make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Consumer Subscription (Mobile/Web) is the primary driver. The others are enterprise ASP / API Services, 駅探BIZ (Business Expense Management), travel Package Sales, advertising, data Sales, member Value Services (駅探バリューDays, 駅探メンバーPass) and ticketless Business Travel (BTM).
Who are Ekitan's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Google Maps (Alphabet) and Apple Maps (Apple Inc.). Willer Inc. is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are NAVITIME JAPAN, Increment P (MapFan), Jorudan Co., Ltd. (ジョルダン) and Yahoo! JAPAN Transit (LY Corporation). Others are East Japan Railway Company (JR East / JREast) and Uber Japan / Uber Technologies. AMANE Co., Ltd. is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ekitan have an API?
Yes. Ekitan provides transit route search and fare calculation APIs for enterprise clients. The 乗換案内ASP service offers route search, fare information, and timetable data via API integration. Additional APIs include ルート計画API for tourist route planning, and N分以内検索ASP for finding stations reachable within specified time. Multi-language support covers 11 languages including Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified/traditional), Korean, Thai, French, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Nepali. APIs are offered as enterprise solutions for railway companies, portal sites, mobile carriers, broadcasting stations, and business applications such as expense management and travel booking systems. Developer documentation is at go.ekitan.com/service/asp/transit.