JR East Startup, Tokyu, Odakyu Electric Railway, Seibu Holdings, and Cloud Care (out-of-pocket nursing care services) Begin Universal Tourism Demonstration Experiment

Cloud Care Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Junichi Kojima), which operates "Crowd Care," an out-of-pocket home care, home rehabilitation, housekeeping, and lifestyle support service available from 60 minutes per session, announced the start of a universal tourism demonstration experiment. This initiative is in collaboration with JTOS (Japan Tourism Open Innovation System), a cross-railway social implementation consortium formed by four companies: JR East Startup Co., Ltd., Tokyu Corporation, Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd., and Seibu Holdings Inc. By combining the strengths of JTOS member companies' public transportation and barrier-free facilities with Cloud Care's helpers equipped with caregiving skills, the aim is to realize a society where everyone, regardless of age or disability, can travel without giving up.

■ Background of the Initiative

In Japan, due to the progression of a declining birthrate and aging population, the number of people requiring assistance in daily life is increasing year by year. However, many of these individuals are forced to abandon outings and trips due to anxieties about mobility and destinations. For example, they need to individually research the availability of barrier-free facilities, means of transportation to those facilities, and barrier-free accessibility at each tourist spot, which places a significant burden on the trip planning stage. Furthermore, as options for universal tourism are still limited, it is not uncommon for people to give up on travel itself due to psychological considerations such as "I might cause extra trouble by staying there." In fact, data* indicates that the potential market size for universal tourism (accessible tourism) is approximately 880 billion yen, making it a field with significant market potential.

Cloud Care operates a matching platform connecting helpers who provide home care, housekeeping, and lifestyle support with users, and has responded to needs such as travel companionship. However, there remained challenges in creating a seamless system that provides travel, including transportation and accommodation.

Meanwhile, in the railway industry, creating mechanisms for individuals requiring assistance to travel safely and enhancing customer service that caters to their mobility needs have been important themes. However, individual operators face limitations in the areas they can cover and have not been able to fully meet a wide range of travel needs.

To solve these challenges, JTOS, a cross-railway social implementation consortium with extensive networks and barrier-free facilities, has partnered with Cloud Care, which has over 1,800 out-of-pocket care helpers in the Tokyo metropolitan area. By combining their respective strengths, a new system that provides seamless support from mobility to care has been realized.

*"Research Report on Universal Tourism" by the Tourism Industry Division, Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, March 2023

■ Overview of the Demonstration Experiment

・Purpose

In this demonstration experiment, individuals requiring assistance and their families will experience a trip to Hakone. The experiment will verify the elimination of psychological and physical hurdles for users, optimization of operations for the receiving side, improvement of convenience, and the validity of a sustainable business model.

・Implementation Period

Around April to May 2026 (planned)

・Area

Hakone area (utilizing The Prince Hakone Ashinoko, etc.)

・Recruitment of Participants (Public Call)

1. Membership Registration:

Please register as a member (free) for helper services from the official Cloud Care website.

https://www.crowdcare.jp/register/

2. Contact Cloud Care Secretariat for Application:

After completing registration, please contact the Cloud Care secretariat by phone or message function to express your desire to participate in this demonstration experiment. The Cloud Care secretariat will confirm your desired dates, care needs, travel purpose, etc.

*If there are many applicants, selection will be made considering the verification content (care level, etc.).

・Image of Seamless Support (Travel Flow)

A specialized helper will accompany the traveler from home, connecting the infrastructure of each company to create the journey.

[Home] ⇌ [Odoriko train, etc.] ⇌ [Odawara Station] ⇌ [Shuttle bus / Chartered taxi] ⇌ [The Prince Hakone Ashinoko] ⇌ [Moto-Hakone / Lake Ashi area]

・Demonstration Experiment Model Course (1-night, 2-day trip)

・Specific Verification Items

1. Reduction of Users' Psychological Burden:

Analyze to what extent the "psychological and physical hurdles" for assistance during travel and accommodation are resolved by a specialized helper supporting the entire journey, allowing users to enjoy their trip with peace of mind.

2. Co-creation of Hospitality with Receiving Facilities and Organizations:

Verify an environment where on-site staff can maximize customer service tailored to each individual, leveraging their respective areas of expertise, through collaboration between specialized helpers and staff at transportation and accommodation facilities. Through co-creation among professionals, a system will be built where facilities can welcome customers warmly with greater confidence and peace of mind.

3. Verification of a Sustainable Business Model:

Investigate an appropriate price range that users find valuable and are willing to pay continuously, given that helper accompaniment fees are incurred in addition to travel expenses, and verify a sustainable model for future commercialization.

・Participation of JR East Group Employees as Helpers

In this initiative, JR East Group employees with customer service skills and hospitality cultivated through railway operations can register as Cloud Care helpers as a side job, if desired. By applying caregiving experience and skills acquired through side jobs back to their main work, the aim is to enhance customer service skills in both side jobs and main jobs, creating a positive cycle.

■ About the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium "JTOS"

"JTOS" is a cross-railway social implementation consortium launched in September 2023 by the four companies listed in "" below. To overcome various barriers to social implementation surrounding startup companies, each company provides a vast field for demonstration experiments by combining management resources such as stations, railways, and real estate, and information resources from group businesses, to create the future's new normal together with startup companies. This initiative is part of the co-creation in the "WELL-BEING" domain, one of the four themes advocated by JTOS.

URL: https://jtos.jp/

Company Name: JR East Startup Co., Ltd.

Location: TokyoYard Building 7F, 2-21-42 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Yu Shibata, President and CEO

Established: February 2018

Business Activities: Research and discovery of business seeds and advanced technologies, investment in venture companies, and promotion of collaboration with the JR East Group

URL: https://jrestartup.co.jp/

Company Name: Tokyu Corporation

Location: 5-6 Nanpeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Masahiro Horie, President and Representative Director

Established: September 2, 1922

Business Activities: Real estate business, real estate sales, and other businesses

URL: https://www.tokyu.co.jp/index.html

Company Name: Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.

Location: 2-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; 2-2 Megumi-cho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture, ViNA GARDENS OFFICE

Representative: Shigeru Suzuki, President and Representative Director

Established: June 1, 1948 (Odawara Express Railway, its predecessor, was established on May 1, 1923)

Business Activities: Railway business, real estate business, and other businesses

URL: https://www.odakyu.jp/

Company Name: Seibu Holdings Inc.

Location: 1-16-15 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Ryuichiro Nishiyama, President and COO

Established: February 3, 2006

Business Activities: Broad range of businesses centered on three main areas: "Real Estate Business," "Hotel and Leisure Business," and "Urban Transportation and Railway Line Business," as well as sports business, etc.

URL: https://www.seibuholdings.co.jp/

■ About Cloud Care Inc.

With the mission of "bringing happiness to many people through care," Cloud Care has been developing and operating "Crowd Care" since its establishment in 2016. It matches care needs not covered by the long-term care insurance system with helpers, providing out-of-pocket home care, housekeeping, and lifestyle support services. It is a pioneer in skill-sharing type out-of-pocket care services.

"Crowd Care" is a sharing economy (crowdsourcing) type matching platform for out-of-pocket home care, out-of-pocket home rehabilitation, housekeeping, and lifestyle support. It matches helpers for each request, sharing valuable human resources with caregiving skills. By utilizing the sharing economy mechanism and technology, users can access out-of-pocket home care helper services at a low price. Furthermore, not only those currently working in caregiving, but also those who have left the caregiving profession and have a blank period, or even inexperienced individuals, can work as helpers according to their skills and convenience during their spare time.

*Sharing economy refers to a new form of service where individuals provide and share their skills and goods with those who need them, and transactions occur between individuals via the internet.

[Services Offered]

・Home care, housekeeping, and lifestyle support services: 2,750 yen to 3,300 yen per hour (tax included / transportation fees separate)

・Shopping assistance service (shopping代行): 550 yen per location (tax included / transportation fees separate)

・Custom-made services: Quotation provided on a case-by-case basis

・Out-of-pocket home rehabilitation services (Kanto area only): Trial 60 minutes for 10,780 yen ~ (tax included / transportation fees separate)

→Currently, during the campaign period, rehabilitation services are offered at a trial rate of 5,500 yen ~ for 60 minutes (tax included / transportation fees separate).

▼The reason why "Crowd Care," an online home care matching service that changed the norm of care services, was born

https://prtimes.jp/story/detail/ErQgowsXvLB

[Company Overview]

Trade Name: Cloud Care Inc.

Representative: Junichi Kojima, CEO

Location: Tokyo Head Office: COERU Shibuya Dogenzaka 9F, 1-19-14 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043

Osaka Office: Breeze Tower 1F, 2-4-9 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 530-0001

Business Activities: Development and operation of the out-of-pocket home care, out-of-pocket home rehabilitation, housekeeping, and lifestyle support matching platform "Crowd Care"

Planning and operation of the care specialized media "Care Musubi"

Establishment Date: August 2, 2016

Capital: 169.09 million yen (including capital reserve)

URL: https://www.crowdcare.jp/