おてつたび
12 known investors
A platform connecting travelers with local communities across Japan, offering work-exchange opportunities where participants perform tasks for local residents in exchange for lodging and compensation at or above minimum wage. The service enables travelers to explore regional areas while helping address local labor shortages.
Also known as Otetsutabi · otetsutabi Co., Ltd. · おてつたび · 株式会社おてつたび
Investors · 12
Also in the syndicate · 6
Company profile
researched Aug 2026株式会社おてつたび (otetsutabi Co., Ltd.) operates "おてつたび", a web platform that matches regional businesses facing short-term or seasonal labor shortages — inns and hotels, farms, local events and shops — with people from outside the area who want to travel while working. Tasks include cooking assistance, cleaning, carrying goods and packing/shipping agricultural produce. Participants receive wages at or above the legal minimum and are generally provided free lodging arranged by the local host, while paying their own transport costs to the site; the earnings offset the cost of the trip.
The company frames the service around "関係人口" (populations with an ongoing relationship to a region rather than residence): by helping with local problems, participants build relationships with residents and often return to the same area. Alongside the marketplace, the company runs an owned media property "おてつなぎ" carrying interviews with participants and host businesses, and publishes participant and staff interviews on note. Its stated vision is to create a world where the good people, goods and regions across Japan are properly valued, with missions of creating a "special region" for each person and eliminating the opportunity loss of simply not knowing about a place.
The company is headquartered in Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo, with a Shizuoka office in Hamamatsu noted in 2025, holds a paid employment placement licence (13-ユ-313380), and belongs to the Impact Startup Association, Startup Association and Sharing Economy Association.
Founding story
CEO Rina Nagaoka is from Owase City, Mie Prefecture. In previous roles — planning and operations at a large event company, work on Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries-related projects, and freelance work — she traveled across Japan and concluded that "there is no region without appeal." Seeing population decline and struggling businesses in her hometown, she sought to change the structure of access to regional attractions and work opportunities, founding the company in 2018.
Business model
Two-sided matching marketplace: regional host businesses (accommodation providers, farms, event operators, shops) post short-term work needs and are matched with travelers who apply through the platform; the company holds a paid employment placement (有料職業紹介) licence. Participants earn wages from hosts at or above minimum wage and are typically given free accommodation, while paying their own travel to the location.
Traction
Service launched January 2019 after pilot experiments in the Hida area. As of April 2025 the company reported more than 1,900 host locations across Japan and over 70,000 registered users, with about half of participants from Gen Z. A June 2026 release announced passing 100,000 registered users and the first "おてつたび Award" for host businesses. July 2026 figures reported applications from users aged 50 and over at 2.1x the prior-year month, and August 2026 figures reported summer applications from users in their teens at 9.7x the prior-year period. Headcount is listed at up to 50 as of August 2026.
Latest developments
In April 2025 the company closed the first tranche of a JPY 200 million Series A round and announced capital-and-business collaboration with KDDI and ANA Holdings, plus the appointment of former Makuake CTO Yohei Ikunai as product strategy advisor; proceeds are directed at expanding host businesses and hiring for product improvement. Subsequent activity includes a June 2026 business partnership with ことろど and the Kyushu inter-regional cooperation organization, a video collaboration with JR East's "大人の休日倶楽部" targeting seniors, certification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for contributions to rural revitalization (March 2026), the EY Innovative Startup 2026 award, passing 100,000 registered users, and the launch of its first disaster-recovery volunteer recruitment support for businesses hit by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake in August 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as the "travel version" of Japan's fast-growing spot-work (short-term/single-shift) labor matching market, competing with staffing agencies, part-time job listing sites and region-specific dispatch firms; differentiation is claimed via combining travel experience with short-term work to create ongoing regional relationships rather than one-off placements. By April 2025 the platform reported over 1,900 host locations nationwide and more than 70,000 registered users, later reporting a milestone of 100,000 registered users.
Combines paid short-term work with travel and host-provided free lodging, so participants offset trip costs while forming relationships with residents; the company contrasts this with traditional resort part-time work and seasonal farm labor, which it describes as involving fixed intermediary matching, long commitments and mismatch risk. Emphasis on repeat visits and relationship-building (関係人口) rather than pure labor supply.
Technology
Web platform where users register a profile with a self-introduction and skills, browse and apply to listings by date or region, and are confirmed via a matching process before departure. In 2025 the company appointed Yohei Ikunai, former CTO and board member of Makuake, as product strategy advisor to strengthen product development and UX.
Go-to-market
Direct acquisition of host businesses nationwide, supplemented by tie-ups with local financial institutions (Suwa Shinkin Bank, Hyakugo Bank, Shichito Credit Union), regional bodies and municipalities, and corporate partners such as ゆこゆこ and JR East's "大人の休日倶楽部". Corporate investors KDDI and ANA Holdings support host-business development via municipal networks and ANA's 33 domestic branch offices. Demand-side marketing runs through press releases, owned media (おてつなぎ), note interviews, official SNS accounts, and regional meetup events with prefectures and cities.
Supply side: regional businesses in Japan with seasonal or short-term labor shortages, especially inns, hotels and farms, plus local events and shops. Demand side: travelers willing to work short stints; roughly half of participants are Gen Z, with growing use by 40-60s and seniors considering second careers.
Geography
Japan-wide operations across regional areas, with a Tokyo head office in Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa (an earlier 2025 release listed a Yoyogi, Shibuya address) and a Shizuoka office in Hamamatsu. Partnerships and programs span prefectures and municipalities including Nagano, Kochi, Ishikawa, Mie, Aichi, Tokushima (Naruto City), Sendai/Tohoku, Kyushu and the Izu islands.
History
Founded 18 July 2018 by Rina Nagaoka; the おてつたび service launched at the end of January 2019 following pilot projects in the Hida region. A third-party allotment raise of several tens of millions of yen was reported in October 2019, followed by an undisclosed pre-Series A in December 2020 and a JPY 200 million Series A first close announced in April 2025 with KDDI, ANA Holdings, Global Brain-managed funds and a Japan Post Bank-linked Spiral fund. The company graduated from accelerators including SUSANOO (5th cohort), Tokyo's Aoyama Startup Acceleration Center (5th cohort) and Rakuten Social Accelerator (1st cohort), and has won awards such as the Nikkei Social Business Contest (excellence prize), Seino Holdings' regional revitalization business plan contest (grand prize), the Japan Tourism Award startup and student-choice prizes, Plug and Play Japan SmartCity Demo Day (top prize) and EY Innovative Startup 2026. Capital stock was JPY 70,286,500 at the time of the April 2025 release and is listed as JPY 100,000,000 on the corporate page.
Risks & controversies
The company operates in a market where established staffing agencies, part-time job sites and regional dispatch firms compete, and it notes it must continue watching this competitive dynamic. Regional revitalization work is described by the CEO as involving complex, intertwined problems and low scale efficiency compared with urban-focused models. Operations are exposed to natural disasters and safety issues affecting host regions: the company issued notices on the July 2026 Kumamoto earthquake (maximum seismic intensity 7) affecting placements and on heatstroke and bear safety precautions for participants. Participants bear their own transport costs, and free lodging has stated exceptions.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 14
launches, deals, and filingsLaunched support for recruiting recovery volunteers for businesses affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, its first disaster-recovery initiative.
Partnership to work with municipalities and regional businesses to create new flows of people through help-based travel.
Joint video project presenting "movement x helping out" travel for seniors, aimed at easing regional labor shortages.
Obtained the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' certification for activities contributing to rural and fishing village revitalization, recognizing relationship-population and migration results in Naruto City, Tokushima.
Raised a total of JPY 200 million via third-party allotment in the first close of its Series A round, with funds managed by Global Brain (KDDI Regional Initiatives Fund 1, Shinhan-GB Future Flow, AH-GB Mirai Sozo) and Spiral Innovation Partners' Japan Post Bank-linked fund; KDDI and ANA Holdings also agreed to business collaboration.
Former Makuake CTO and board member Yohei Ikunai joined as product strategy advisor to strengthen product development.
KDDI to support host-business development through municipal networks and its assets for relationship-population creation; ANA to leverage its domestic air network, 40 million customer base and 33 regional branches to promote dual-residence and regional business development.
Tie-up aimed at easing labor shortages on the islands and creating relationship populations.
Tie-up targeting labor shortages and relationship-population creation in Mie and Aichi prefectures.
Partnership to address labor shortages at accommodation facilities and expand regional relationship populations.
Tie-up to address labor shortages and create relationship populations in the Suwa area.
Platform service began in January 2019 after pilot experiments in the Hida area.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- おてつたびとは？ | 旅で出会う、新しいカタチの仕事otetsutabi.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does おてつたび do?
- Japanese platform matching travelers with short-term work at labor-short rural businesses, letting them earn while touring regions.
- Who are おてつたび's investors?
- おてつたび's investors include Global Brain, Hiroshima Venture Capital Co. Ltd., Iyogin Capital, NOW Japan, Seibu Shinkin Capital, Spiral Innovation Partners.