Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Naver partners with Tabelog to offer restaurant search in Japan
Pages providing information on a Japanese restaurant on Naver / Courtesy of Naver
By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver has partnered with Tabelog, Japan’s leading restaurant review and reservation platform, to offer a deeper local gourmet experience.
The internet giant announced Friday that the two companies signed an agreement to integrate Tabelog’s database into the Naver Place service, offering restaurant information in Japan and a direct reservation system for some of these restaurants.
Tabelog provides information on approximately 880,000 establishments across Japan, including reviews and ratings from customers.
Naver will use Tabelog’s extensive database to allow users to search for lists of restaurants in major travel destinations or for a specific restaurant by name to view detailed information, including location, hours, menu, price and photos. It will also offer information that is typically hard to find, such as mobile payment availability, in Korean.
“This partnership with Tabelog is a strategic move to strengthen the Place search experience while traveling in Japan,” Choi Ji-hoon, Naver Place search and contents head, said in a press release.
“We will continue to enhance the service so that users can conveniently and thoroughly explore various Japanese restaurant options and enjoy optimized travel experiences through Naver search and Place service.”
For some restaurants, Naver will offer a reservation option, which will redirect users to Tabelog’s reservation page for the booking process. The booking system will be offered mostly for popular restaurants in major cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo and Fukuoka, but will expand by the end of this year.
The company will also provide suggestions for nearby tourist spots or similar restaurants at the bottom of each restaurant for users to explore more travel content related to their search.
Naver has actively strengthened its content to offer users better local travel information. Last December, it enhanced its travel spot services by integrating AI-powered blog and video content.
In March, it began offering travel information curated by artificial intelligence for 14 major Japanese cities, and expanded to 22 smaller cities, including Matsuyama, Kitakyushu and Tsushima, by July.