NAVER is enhancing the local dining search experience by integrating data from Japan’s leading restaurant information platform into its service. Japan Restaurant Search 

On August 1, NAVER Corporation (CEO Choi Soo-yeon) announced its partnership with Tabelog, Japan’s largest restaurant information platform, to offer Japanese dining information via NAVER Place through a new data integration effort. As part of the initiative, select restaurants will also support direct reservations from users.

Tabelog is a restaurant review platform that provides information on approximately 880,000 dining establishments across Japan. It offers detailed content such as interior photos, images of actual menu items, and thorough reviews posted by local users. With features that allow convenient search by region, cuisine, popularity, and ratings, Tabelog has become the most widely used restaurant search platform among locals and travelers alike in Japan.

By integrating Tabelog’s vast data, NAVER Place now offers information on Japanese restaurants. Users can search for dining spots in major tourist destinations by looking up “Osaka restaurants,” for instance, or find a specific restaurant by name to view details such as the location, menu, price range, photos, business hours, payment methods, and available facilities. In addition, hard-to-find information like whether children are allowed or mobile payment is supported is also available in Korean, significantly improving travel convenience.

For restaurants that support reservations via Tabelog, users can click the “Make a Reservation” button to be redirected to Tabelog’s reservation page, where they can book directly. This reservation feature will be available for select popular restaurants in key regions such as Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, and Fukuoka during the initial stage and will gradually expand to more restaurants through the end of the year.

The integrated Japanese restaurant information will appear not only on NAVER’s travel services but also across all related keyword search results for Japan travel. A “Recommendation Block” will also appear below individual restaurant search results, offering nearby tourist attractions or similar dining options. For instance, users searching for a Japanese restaurant on NAVER can seamlessly transition to related blog content, helping them refine dining plans and enhancing the overall experience with a more complete and connected travel journey.

Choi Ji-hoon, Leader of NAVER Place Search&Contents, stated,

“Our partnership with Tabelog is a strategic move aimed at enhancing the search experience of users traveling in Japan.” He added,

“We will continue to improve NAVER Search and Place services so that users can explore a wide range of Japanese restaurants easily and in detail, ultimately enjoying a more optimized travel experience.”

Meanwhile, NAVER has been strengthening its content offerings to provide users with more local travel information. In December last year, the company linked blog and clip content to its overseas landmark travel service using AI technology, allowing users to access more diverse local insights. In March, NAVER introduced AI-generated travel briefings for 14 popular Japanese destinations, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. A total of 22 smaller cities, such as Matsuyama, Kitakyushu, Otaru, Beppu, and Tsushima Island, were later added in July, further enhancing the experience with summarized travel insights through AI.