A new way to explore Japan with AI: Naviu AR Travel Companion for Japan Launches November 1 2026

Patent pending geospatial technology brings 29 language guidance and city scale AR navigation to travelers

TOKYO, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Naviu, a business under TANGLE Inc., offering an AI-powered augmented-reality travel companion for Japan, launches on iOS and Android on November 1. Built on patent-pending geospatial technology, Naviu places AR content and navigation accurately in the real world across entire cities, without requiring a visual positioning system.

Travelers can ask Naviu about anything around them and receive answers in any of 29 languages, grounded in their exact location. A semi-transparent AR path provides turn-by-turn guidance, an AI companion walks with the traveler, and the app reveals side-street cafes, local landmarks, and other places that conventional maps and guidebooks may overlook.

About Naviu

Naviu combines an ask-anything AI guide, city-scale AR navigation, photo recognition, bespoke trip planning, and an optional cultural storytelling companion. Its spatial content network also allows brands, cities, and creators to place interactive 3D and AR content in the real world. AR experiences are already live at landmarks including Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Jingu, and Tokyo Station.

Naviu is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Official site: naviu.app

Key Features

• Ask-anything AI guide: Conversational answers about any place in 29 languages, grounded in precise location data
• Cultural storytelling and guidance: An optional companion mode that guides travelers street by street and narrates local history and stories
• AR navigation: A semi-transparent augmented-reality path overlaid on real streets across entire cities
• Photo recognition: Travelers can point the camera at a temple, sign, or storefront and ask what it is
• Bespoke trip planning: Itineraries built around dietary needs, interests, accessibility, and available time
• Spatial content network: Brands, cities, and creators can place interactive 3D and AR content in the real world

Statement from the Head of Naviu

"The hard part of traveling in Japan isn't getting lost. It's standing in front of something remarkable with no idea what it is. Naviu answers that question in your own language, right where you're standing, so the city opens up instead of staying a backdrop."
Jack Mead
CEO of Ashita Co. and Head of Naviu

About TANGLE Inc

TANGLE Inc. is the Tokyo-based company behind the tour operators TOMOGO! and Untold Japan. Its mission, Make the City Yours, reflects a decade of helping travelers discover Japan beyond the guidebook and now extends that experience into software through Naviu.

SOURCE TANGLE Inc.