[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] The number of users seeking to find and make reservations at local restaurants in Japan through Naver (NAVER(035420)) has increased 5.8-fold over the past year. Naver plans to expand the search and reservation features for popular Japanese restaurants—currently available on Naver Places—to Naver Maps, creating an environment where users can find and book nearby restaurants just as easily as they do in Korea.

Naver announced on the 22nd that, as of August of this year, the number of users who clicked the “Tabelog Reservation” button displayed alongside Japanese restaurant listings on Naver Places had increased by approximately 482% compared to August of last year.

Naver partnered with Tabelog, a Japanese restaurant information platform, last year and now provides information on approximately 750,000 restaurants in major Japanese cities on Naver Places. Some of these restaurants link to the Tabelog reservation page, supporting real-time reservations.

Tabelog is a restaurant search and reservation service that provides interior photos and food images of restaurants nationwide in Japan, as well as approximately 85 million reviews left by local users.

Reservation Clicks Surge During Peak Travel Seasons to Japan

Reservation usage has also surged significantly during periods of increased demand for travel to Japan. In December of last year, during the Christmas and winter break period, the number of reservation clicks increased by 111% compared to the previous month, and during this year’s Golden Week holiday in May, it rose by 50% compared to the previous month.

Usage patterns are also changing. In the early days of the Tabelog integration, most users found restaurants through Naver’s unified search and then clicked the reservation button; however, last month, 76% of reservations were made by clicking the reservation button after viewing a Place detail page.

Naver explained that a usage pattern is emerging in Japan where users directly search for nearby restaurants, check detailed information, and proceed to make a reservation.

Naver continues to expand the scope of its restaurant reservation integration in Japan. As of September, approximately 75,000 local Japanese restaurants link to reservation pages via Tabelog, a 12.7% increase from the beginning of this year.

Naver is also discussing plans to further integrate restaurant information and reservation services with local companies, including “Gurunavi,” another major Japanese restaurant platform.

Find and Book Japanese Restaurants on Naver Maps

Naver is considering a beta test to expand the scope of its Place information integration so that users can explore local restaurants in Japan via Naver Maps by the end of the year.

Users will be able to browse Japanese regions on the map just as they would domestic areas, view restaurant information linked to Tabelog, and, for some restaurants, make reservations directly.

Naver has previously expanded the scope of its service by introducing global map features through the “Lab” section of its Maps app, allowing users to check information on locations not only in Korea but also overseas. Once this feature is implemented, users traveling in Japan will be able to find nearby restaurants on Naver Maps, check detailed information such as menus and reviews, and proceed to make a reservation.

Choi Ji-hoon, Head of Naver Places Search, said, “As demand for travel to Japan increases, so does the need for users to explore local travel information in Japan through Naver.” He added, “Going forward, we will continue to enhance our features for exploring local attractions and making reservations in Japan so that users can comfortably enjoy their trips there—just as they do when traveling domestically—using only Naver.”