AI Interviewer: Utsushimi for Inbound

People say what they really think in their own language.

An AI interviewer talks with visitors to Japan in their native language and keeps asking why, and at what price. It adjusts its questions to each answer, so it also picks up things the question list never covered. You receive your guests' own words, which point to ways to raise spend per guest and the value of the experience.

Talk to us See how it works

English
中文（繁・簡）
한국어
ไทย
Other major languages
20–30 min per guest
Answer via QR code, nothing to install

Example: hotel, premium floorEnglish · 12 / 25 min

You chose the premium floor. What made the extra cost feel worth it?

The lounge. We could rest between sightseeing without going back to the room.

If the lounge offered one more thing for about 3,000 yen a night, what would make you say yes?

An early breakfast for my parents. Our tour bus leaves before the restaurant opens.

Captured voiceGuest #018

Profile: From Taiwan, 40s, traveling with parents
Why us: A lounge to rest in between sightseeing
Would pay: +¥3,000 for an early breakfast for parents
Pain point: On tour mornings, the restaurant isn’t open yet

Demo video

In 40 seconds: how guests' answers in a native-language interview are summarized into key points that show why they chose you and what they would pay for.

Are you hearing what your overseas guests really think?

Surveys only tell you satisfaction scores.
Why they chose you and what they’d pay for only come out when you ask in their language.
So plans and prices end up being set on guesswork.

In 2025, Japan welcomed 42.68 million international visitors (up 15.8% year on year), and their spending reached a record ¥9.4549 trillion. Travel spending per visitor, however, was ¥229,000 (up 0.9% year on year), which leaves room to raise spend per guest¹.

1 Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final); JNTO visitor arrival statistics 2025

From interview to insight

01 Ask
The AI interviews overseas guests in their own language
It asks in the guest's native language, such as English, Chinese, Korean or Thai. The Recorder checks which points have been covered. If something hasn't been heard yet, the Strategist picks the next question.
住行政樓層的感覺怎麼樣？How was your stay on the premium floor?
酒廊很好。觀光中間可以回來休息。The lounge was great. We could come back and rest between sightseeing.
Recorder: tracks which topics are covered
Why they chose us● Covered
What they liked● Covered
What they’d pay extra for▲ Not yet
Still missing: what they would pay for, and how much
Strategist: looks ahead to pick the next question
Anything else you liked?
How would you rate the lounge?
For ¥3,000 more, what would you add?Chosen
02 Capture
From the answers, it captures why they chose you and what they would pay for
From the guest's own words, it pulls out their profile, why they chose you, what they would pay for and what bothered them.
讓爸媽能早點吃早餐。我們的旅遊巴士七點就出發了。An earlier breakfast for my parents. Our tour bus leaves at 7.
Captured voiceGuest #018
Profile
From Taiwan, 40s, traveling with parents
Why us
A lounge to rest in between sightseeing
Would pay
+¥3,000 for an early breakfast for parents
Pain point
On tour mornings, the restaurant isn’t open yet
03 Analyze
Each guest’s words side by side, to find what they share
We sort the answers into before, during and after the trip, and set what a survey can also tell you next to what only a conversation reveals. Reports are organized by nationality and language, with every answer in the original language and a Japanese translation.
Before the tripDuring the tripAfter the tripWhat they’d pay
What a survey can also tell youWhat scores and multiple choice show
Reviews and distance from the stationBreakfast varietyWould come againSatisfied with the room rate
What only a conversation revealsUtsushimi’s focus
Not making parents walk farA place to rest between sightseeingComing back for a family celebration+¥3,000 for an early breakfast
INSIGHT
Families traveling with parents pay for an easy morning, more than for the room.
Example planAn “early departure” plan for tour guests (+¥3,000)

Getting started

We handle question design, translation and organizing. Your main task is placing the QR codes and invitation text. It works for any business that welcomes guests from overseas: hotels and ryokan, attractions and experiences, shopping centers and duty-free shops, restaurants, transportation, DMOs and local governments, and more.

01Scoping
We ask
We learn which guests, from which countries, you want to hear from and what you want to ask.
02Question design
We write, your team reviews
We write 20–30 minutes of questions, and you review one draft.
03Setup and responses (1 month)
Your team places QR codes, guests answer
Place the QR codes and invitation text on room cards or at your counter (we prepare the multilingual invitation text). Guests answer in their native language for 20–30 minutes, whenever it suits them.
04Analysis and report
We organize
Within 3–4 weeks after responses close, we deliver a report by nationality and language and hold a debrief.

FAQ

Will guests really spend 20–30 minutes answering?

We offer a thank-you gift, such as a coupon to use on site, and invite guests through cards or a word from your staff. If there aren't enough responses, the response period can be extended.

Can it be used outside hotels?

Yes. It works for attractions, shopping centers, restaurants, transportation, DMOs and local governments. We write the questions for each business.

Which languages are supported?

Major languages including English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean and Thai. Please talk to us separately about how to reach guests from mainland China.

Can we ask only premium-plan guests or other specific guests?

Yes. Invitations can be targeted by plan, floor, booking channel, nationality and so on.

How much does it cost?

We provide a quote based on the size of your business, the target countries and languages, and the number of people.

UtsushimiUtsushimi for Inbound by Simulacra

Utsushimi means "a reflected self" in Japanese. Through conversation, it captures the judgment and values a person has built up over the years, and keeps them in a form others can use.

Simulacra is an AI startup that researches digital twins of people and society, working with the Izumi Laboratory (Kiyoshi Izumi; artificial intelligence and agent-based simulation) at The University of Tokyo. This AI interviewer grew out of research on drawing out a person's values and decision criteria through conversation and building an AI that thinks like that person.

At a major Japanese travel agency, we are running AI interviews with about 20 people (since August 2026).
Shogakukan's DIME magazine, April 2026 issue, featured our work with the interview system.

Other uses