Hitosara

Hitosara is a Japanese gourmet media platform operated by USEN Media Corporation, a subsidiary of USEN Corporation. Launched in July 2012 as a rebranding of the predecessor service "Gourmet GyaO," Hitosara operates under the concept of "seeing the faces of chefs" (料理人の顔が見える). The platform provides restaurant search, online reservation, and gourmet content, focusing on upper-middle-class dining establishments. It distinguishes itself through its "Chef Directory" (料理人名鑑), which features profiles of professional chefs, and its "Chefs' Recommended Restaurants" (シェフがオススメするお店) section, where chefs recommend restaurants they personally endorse. As of December 2021, the Chef Directory listed 15,150 chefs, and the platform had over 20 million monthly users. Hitosara has been recognized by Tokyo Shoko Research as the No.1 gourmet site in terms of number of chefs listed and chef-recommended restaurants. The service has expanded through various partnerships, including integrations with Instagram, Google Reserve, LINE, and d Point. It also operates related services such as SAVOR JAPAN (an inbound gourmet site), Hitosara CHEF'S MALL (an e-commerce platform for chef-prepared meals), and Hitosara MAGAZINE. The platform is known for its human-curated content, emphasizing the value of handmade, editorial-driven recommendations over algorithmic matching.

Hitosara's origins trace back to November 2000, when the restaurant search site "Gurume Pita" (ぐるめピタ) was launched by Yuryo Broad Networks Corporation (now USEN). In April 2006, following the expansion of the video distribution service "GyaO," the site was renamed "Gourmet GyaO" (グルメGyaO) and positioned as a gourmet content of GYAO!. In July 2011, the website was renewed with the new concept "You'll surely find it! A special restaurant." In July 2012, the brand name was changed from "Gourmet GyaO" to "Hitosara," marking the birth of the current service. The concept was "seeing the faces of chefs," connecting users with upper-middle-class restaurants. Following the rebrand, Hitosara expanded its services. In August 2012, smartphone apps for iPhone and Android were released. In November 2012, the website was renewed, adding chef-related content and the ability to search by food photos. In February 2013, the "Chef Directory" (料理人名鑑) was launched, and by November 2013, it listed over 3,000 chefs. In December 2013, "Hitosara Premium" was released, and the first Hitosara Awards "Best Chef & Restaurant" announced 100 restaurants with best chefs. In March 2014, the book "Hitosara MAGAZINE: Seeing the Faces of Chefs" was published. By September 2014, the Chef Directory surpassed 5,000 chefs. In February 2015, the inbound gourmet site "SAVOR JAPAN" was launched, and Hitosara joined the TFT partner program, donating school meals based on reservations. In May 2015, "Chefs' Recommended Restaurants" was launched. In July 2016, the Chef Directory exceeded 10,000 chefs. In July 2017, the gourmet guide "Best Restaurants Tokyo: Chef's Choice" was published. In December 2017, monthly page views exceeded 100 million and monthly unique users exceeded 20 million. In February 2018, the photography service "Oishii Photo" began. In September 2018, "hitosara World" was launched. In April 2019, Hitosara was recognized as the No.1 gourmet media in chef listings by Tokyo Shoko Research, and a joint project with CAMPFIRE began. In February 2020, SAVOR JAPAN partnered with "Japan Travel by NAVITIME." In May 2020, Hitosara integrated with Instagram for takeout orders. In July 2020, Hitosara started online instant reservations via "Google Reserve." In April 2021, Hitosara integrated with Instagram for restaurant reservations. In September 2021, Hitosara partnered with d Point. In October 2021, USEN Media formed a business alliance with NTT Docomo and Good Eat Company. In December 2021, "Hitosara CHEF'S MALL" was released. In January 2022, recipe videos began streaming on U-NEXT. In July 2022, Hitosara celebrated its 10th anniversary. In September 2022, Hitosara integrated with LINE for reservations. Throughout its history, Hitosara has emphasized human-curated content, with an editorial team led by Editor-in-Chief Katsuhiro Konishi. The platform has expanded its reach through various digital partnerships and has maintained a focus on connecting users with professional chefs and high-quality dining experiences.

• Launched as "Gurume Pita" by Yuryo Broad Networks Corporation (now USEN).

• Renamed to "Gourmet GyaO" as part of GyaO service expansion.

• Rebranded to "Hitosara" with the concept of "seeing the faces of chefs."

• Released smartphone apps for iPhone and Android.

• Launched "Chef Directory" (料理人名鑑).

• Released "Hitosara Premium" and held first Hitosara Awards.

• Published book "Hitosara MAGAZINE: Seeing the Faces of Chefs."

• Launched inbound gourmet site "SAVOR JAPAN."

• Launched "Chefs' Recommended Restaurants."

• Chef Directory surpassed 10,000 chefs.

• Monthly page views exceeded 100 million; monthly unique users exceeded 20 million.

• Launched "hitosara World."

• Recognized as No.1 gourmet media in chef listings by Tokyo Shoko Research.

• Integrated with Instagram for takeout orders.

• Started online instant reservations via "Google Reserve."

• Integrated with Instagram for restaurant reservations.

• Partnered with d Point.

• USEN Media formed business alliance with NTT Docomo and Good Eat Company.

• Launched "Hitosara CHEF'S MALL."

• Recipe videos began streaming on U-NEXT.

• Celebrated 10th anniversary.

• Integrated with LINE for reservations.

Upper-middle-class gourmet media with human-curated content, emphasizing chef profiles and editorial recommendations.

• Chef Directory (料理人名鑑)

  A directory of professional chefs with profiles, launched in February 2013. As of December 2021, it listed 15,150 chefs.

• Chefs' Recommended Restaurants (シェフがオススメするお店)

  A section where chefs recommend restaurants they personally endorse. Launched in May 2015, it features over 8,000 restaurants recommended by more than 5,000 chefs.

• Hitosara MAGAZINE

  A gourmet content magazine updated almost daily, covering food trends, health, dating, travel, and more.

• SAVOR JAPAN

  An English-language gourmet site for inbound tourists, launched in February 2015. It supports four languages and had over 1.01 million monthly users as of March 2019.

• Hitosara CHEF'S MALL

  An e-commerce platform launched in December 2021, allowing users to order dishes from famous chefs and restaurants.

• Hitosara Premium

  A premium service for special occasion dining, released in December 2013.

• Oishii Photo

  A photography service by professional photographers meeting Hitosara's quality standards, started in February 2018.

1. 1ヒトサラ - 料理人の顔が見えるグルメメディア｜レストラン情報hitosara.com
2. 2ヒトサラとは | ヒトサラhitosara.com
3. 3Hitosara - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4ヒトサラ - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org