Sites That Match You with Visitors to Japan: 6 Platforms for Guides and Interpreters Compared

Key points

Sites that match you with visitors to Japan fall into three groups: sites for local tours and experiences, booking sites where businesses sell tours, and sites for purpose-driven requests such as interpreting, business visits, property viewings and buying.
NaviMe, TraviU and VANCHA TRIP are Japanese matching services for individuals who show visitors around their area. Airbnb Experiences lets you offer an experience to travelers worldwide. Viator is a booking site used mainly by tour companies and other businesses.
jpwork hub covers more than sightseeing: business interpreting, site-visit support, property viewings and buying on behalf of clients, where your work experience counts.
If you are not a Japanese national, check that your status of residence allows paid side work before you start.

What is a matching site for visitors to Japan?

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 42,683,301 international visitors came to Japan in 2025, a record high (JNTO visitor statistics). More of them want help from someone who lives locally rather than a packaged tour.

Matching sites connect these visitors with people who live in Japan. You publish a plan or profile, receive bookings or requests, and get paid through the site. The sites differ a lot in the kind of work, the fees and who can join. Below we compare six of them, based on their official information.

Six sites compared

1. NaviMe

What it is: an iPhone app that connects visitors to Japan with Japanese guides (ONESCENE, K.K.).
Work: sightseeing, on-the-spot interpreting and help with reservations, offered as guide plans.
Who can join: the app listing says no special qualifications are needed and highlights that you can use it without strong English. It is aimed at Japanese guides.
Fees: the app listing does not state a guide fee.

2. TraviU

What it is: a service connecting visitors with guides, announced to start on September 1, 2026.
Work: "sightseeing guides" for landmarks and food, and "assistant guides" for meeting visitors at the airport, accompanying visitors to hospitals or city offices, and everyday interpreting.
Who can join: free to register; the National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter qualification is not required.
Fees: guides receive 40–50% of the price after system and payment fees, depending on their rank.

3. VANCHA TRIP

What it is: a service connecting visitors with local hosts across Japan; the full version launched on July 27, 2026.
Work: everyday local experiences such as favorite local restaurants, fishing, traditional crafts and food culture.
Who can join: plans are free to create with no limit and are reviewed before they go live. The host pages are in Japanese.
Fees: the host page does not state a fee rate.

4. Airbnb Experiences

What it is: Airbnb's booking service for experiences. It reopened to new hosts as the new "Airbnb Experiences" in May 2025.
Work: experiences you design yourself, such as cooking classes or walking tours, offered to travelers worldwide.
Who can join: each experience goes through Airbnb's review.
Fees: Airbnb's help center says it typically charges experience hosts a 20% service fee. Hosts set their own prices.

5. Viator

What it is: a Tripadvisor company that sells tours and activities to travelers worldwide.
Work: listings come mainly from tour companies and guiding businesses, so it suits people running guiding as a business rather than a side job.
Who can join and fees: check Viator's official supplier pages.

6. jpwork hub

What it is: a service connecting people and companies coming to Japan with vetted partners who live in Japan.
Work: five categories — business attendance and coordination, interpreting and translation, real estate and relocation support, buying on behalf of collectors, and food and sake guiding. Beyond sightseeing, you can take purpose-driven requests such as factory visits or trade-show interpreting, and you can also send proposals to open requests posted by clients.
Who can join: 20 years or older, with screening by the operator. You can register with English, Chinese, Korean and many other languages, so your native language is a strength.
Fees: a 30% or 35% fee, depending on the category, is included in the price. There are no registration or monthly fees, and you set your own prices. A campaign currently sets the fee to 0% for the first 10 partners, until February 28, 2027 (see the Become a Partner page for details).

How to choose

You want to show visitors your area: NaviMe, TraviU and VANCHA TRIP. Note that their guide and host pages are in Japanese.
You want to offer an experience you designed to the world: Airbnb Experiences.
You want to sell tours as a business: booking sites such as Viator.
You want to use your work experience, specialist knowledge or native language: jpwork hub. Business interpreting, factory and property visits, and buying on behalf of clients reward the experience you built in your career.

You can join more than one site to widen the work you receive, but check each site's terms. jpwork hub does not allow you to deal with a client you met on the site outside the site.

Before you start

Your status of residence

If you are not a Japanese national, paid side work depends on your status of residence. Permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals have no work restrictions, while students and holders of work statuses such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services may need permission to engage in activities outside their status. See how foreign residents can work as a guide or interpreter.

Qualifications

Since the revised Guide Interpreter Act took effect in January 2018, anyone can work as a paid guide interpreter without a license. Only licensed people may use the title "National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter" (Japan Tourism Agency, in Japanese). See do you need a license to be a tour guide in Japan?

Transport, accommodation and driving

Guiding itself needs no travel agency registration, but arranging transport or accommodation and collecting payment for it may. Driving visitors in your own car for payment is prohibited under any name. See travel agency rules and unlicensed taxis.

Tax

If you are an employee and your side income exceeds 200,000 yen a year, you generally need to file a tax return. See side-job tax returns in Japan.

Frequently asked questions

Can I guide visitors to Japan without a license?

Yes. Since 2018, a license is not required for paid guiding. Only licensed people may use the title "National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter".

Can foreign residents register on these sites?

It depends on the site and on your status of residence. jpwork hub welcomes foreign residents and asks you to confirm that your status of residence allows the paid activity. Some Japanese services are designed for Japanese guides and run only in Japanese.

How much are the fees?

From official information: Airbnb Experiences typically charges a 20% service fee, and jpwork hub's fee is 30% or 35%, included in the price. TraviU guides receive 40–50% of the price after system and payment fees. NaviMe and VANCHA TRIP do not state a fee rate on their public pages.

Can I join more than one site?

It depends on each site's terms. In particular, check the rules on dealing with clients outside the site. jpwork hub does not allow it.

Sources: NaviMe (App Store), TraviU guide recruitment, VANCHA TRIP launch (PR TIMES), VANCHA TRIP host page, Airbnb service fees, TRAVEL VOICE, JNTO, Japan Tourism Agency (some in Japanese). Service details are based on official information as of November 8, 2026 and may change. Check each service's official pages before you register. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.