Launch date and platforms
Naviu, a business under Tokyo-based TANGLE Inc., will release its AI and augmented-reality travel companion for Japan on iOS and Android on November 1, 2026, the company said. It will be listed on the App Store and Google Play.
What travellers get
Users can ask the app about anything around them and receive answers in any of 29 languages, based on their exact location. A semi-transparent AR path provides turn-by-turn guidance, an AI companion walks with the traveller, and the app surfaces side-street cafes, local landmarks and other places that it says conventional maps and guidebooks may overlook.
It also offers photo recognition, so a camera pointed at a temple, sign or storefront can be asked what it is, and itineraries built around dietary needs, interests, accessibility and available time.
Technology and live sites
The app is built on patent-pending geospatial technology that places AR content and navigation accurately in the real world across whole cities without a visual positioning system, according to the company. AR experiences are already running at Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Jingu and Tokyo Station, and a spatial content network allows brands, cities and creators to place interactive 3D and AR content in the real world.
The company behind it
TANGLE Inc. also operates the tour businesses TOMOGO! and Untold Japan, and Kengo Goto is its representative director. Jack Mead, chief executive of Ashita Co. and head of Naviu, said the difficult part of travelling in Japan is not getting lost but standing in front of something remarkable without knowing what it is, and that the app answers that question in the traveller's own language where they are standing. The app's official site is naviu.app.
