[April 6 is Castle Day] 70% Have Visited, Driven by "History" Over "Instagrammability" - What is the Appeal of Castles? We Asked 8,194 People [First-party Data and Survey Research Services Effective in the SEO/AIO Era]
For "Castle Day," MediaSeek conducted a survey of 8,194 users on its ICONIT app, finding that 70% have visited castles primarily for their history. The company simultaneously highlights its research service for gathering SEO/AIO-effective first-party data.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 4, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 4, 2026 at 12:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 04:24 (399h 54m after Collected)
MediaSeek Inc. operates "ICONIT Research," conducting daily surveys of app users within "ICONIT," a QR/barcode reader app with over 36 million cumulative downloads.
In recent years, due to changes in search results and the spread of generative AI, the evidence backing the reliability of information is emphasized more than ever. Therefore, "first-party data" is drawing attention. First-party data refers to data obtained by a company directly collecting or verifying it, rather than summaries or speculations by others, and includes survey results, user usage data, and verification data.
First-party data enhances the persuasiveness of articles, press releases, and sales materials. It can be used not only for differentiation in SEO but also as evidence that is easily quoted and referenced in AIO/LLMO (AI Optimization).
ICONIT Research accepts survey research contracts for companies and organizations, allowing consultations from question design to collection, aggregation, and report creation.
In this release, we announce the results of an awareness survey on "relationships with castles" conducted among 8,194 people.
## Scope of Commissioned Survey Services
- Collection method: In-app survey within the ICONIT app
- Collection speed: Capable of collecting up to around 10,000 responses per day
- Target: ICONIT users (specification of demographics is negotiable depending on the project)
- Questions: Single choice, multiple choice, etc.
- Delivery: Raw data, simple cross-tabulation, cross-tabulation, graphing, etc. (according to requests)
- Examples of use cases: New product concept verification, ad copy A/B comparison, price perception surveys, purchase reality surveys, brand recall surveys, article/program content creation, etc.
Companies looking to enhance the persuasiveness of articles, videos, SNS posts, press releases, white papers, and sales materials with first-party data at the core can consult with us from question design to collection, aggregation, and reporting.
Click here for the overview of ICONIT Research and the flow of commissioning:
https://www.iconit.jp/iconit-research/
## Survey Result Topics
- The majority, about 70%, have visited a castle before.
- The most common appeal cited was "the ability to feel history."
- Multifaceted ways of enjoying them, such as architectural beauty and scenery, are supported.
(Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding off)
## Survey Results
### Q1: Have you ever visited the castles remaining in various parts of Japan?
- Have been 1-2 times: 40.7%
- Have been many times: 32.4%
- Not particularly interested: 18.6%
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In recent years, due to changes in search results and the spread of generative AI, the evidence backing the reliability of information is emphasized more than ever. Therefore, "first-party data" is drawing attention. First-party data refers to data obtained by a company directly collecting or verifying it, rather than summaries or speculations by others, and includes survey results, user usage data, and verification data.
First-party data enhances the persuasiveness of articles, press releases, and sales materials. It can be used not only for differentiation in SEO but also as evidence that is easily quoted and referenced in AIO/LLMO (AI Optimization).
ICONIT Research accepts survey research contracts for companies and organizations, allowing consultations from question design to collection, aggregation, and report creation.
In this release, we announce the results of an awareness survey on "relationships with castles" conducted among 8,194 people.
## Scope of Commissioned Survey Services
- Collection method: In-app survey within the ICONIT app
- Collection speed: Capable of collecting up to around 10,000 responses per day
- Target: ICONIT users (specification of demographics is negotiable depending on the project)
- Questions: Single choice, multiple choice, etc.
- Delivery: Raw data, simple cross-tabulation, cross-tabulation, graphing, etc. (according to requests)
- Examples of use cases: New product concept verification, ad copy A/B comparison, price perception surveys, purchase reality surveys, brand recall surveys, article/program content creation, etc.
Companies looking to enhance the persuasiveness of articles, videos, SNS posts, press releases, white papers, and sales materials with first-party data at the core can consult with us from question design to collection, aggregation, and reporting.
Click here for the overview of ICONIT Research and the flow of commissioning:
https://www.iconit.jp/iconit-research/
## Survey Result Topics
- The majority, about 70%, have visited a castle before.
- The most common appeal cited was "the ability to feel history."
- Multifaceted ways of enjoying them, such as architectural beauty and scenery, are supported.
(Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding off)
## Survey Results
### Q1: Have you ever visited the castles remaining in various parts of Japan?
- Have been 1-2 times: 40.7%
- Have been many times: 32.4%
- Not particularly interested: 18.6%
- <