Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. RouteShare is free to use. However, you need to register an account to post articles and similar content.

Yes. To keep the service sustainable, we are considering offering paid plans or subscriptions for some features in the future. However, we will not put paywalls on how many pieces of content you can create. We plan to keep a useful experience available for free. We will keep our support pages up to date as details are finalized, so please check there for updates.

Yes. You can browse and use RouteShare on a smartphone. If you are on a smartphone, we recommend using the mobile app version.

With an account you can create and edit content, follow other users, give Nice Routes (likes), clone content, and more.

You need an email address or a Google account.

No, there is no upper limit. You can post as many articles as you like.

No. RouteShare works in a web browser, so no download is required. We also offer smartphone apps, and we recommend the app version if you are using a smartphone.

A Quick Post is content you can create quickly and easily. You can post with just text and photos, and optionally attach location information. Use it to share a view you happened to see while traveling, or to jot down your day-to-day thoughts.

A Touring Post is content for introducing routes and spots in more detail. Unlike Quick Posts, attaching location information is required. The text can be freely edited like a blog, with inline images and in-text links, allowing you to build rich, flexible content.

A Gadget Post is content for introducing gear and equipment such as your vehicle, touring gear, or camping equipment. Like a Touring Post, you can compose it with images and text in a blog-like format. You must select a category from the Gadget category set.

A tool for roughly planning and sharing the routes and spots of your upcoming touring on a map. It consists only of a map, a title, and a memo. Plans never appear in search or listings — keep them private or share them only with people who have the share URL. You can also copy the planned geo data into a Quick Post or Touring Post.

The Map Editor lets you add routes (lines), spots (points), and shapes (figures) on a map based on the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) base map. Geographic search is also available.

In addition to entering information on the map, you can write explanations that the map alone cannot express, using text, images, lists, and more, similar to a blog or journal.

Yes, you can upload images. You can attach images to your content for display. Uploaded images are linked to their post, so to remove an image you need to delete the content itself.

Data export is not supported at the moment, but we plan to add it in a future update.

For Touring Posts, you can change the visibility setting. You can share with specific people who know the URL. Note that there is a limit of 10 such shared articles.

This feature combines images attached to Touring Posts or Quick Posts with the location information you have set, to generate stylish map-embedded images. It is handy for sharing on social media.

Teams are a group feature for enjoying RouteShare together with your friends. Create a team and gather members to share posts, discuss touring plans, and use a team-only chat. You switch between your account and the team from the avatar in the header.

A team that is open to the public. Anyone can view the team and its members' posts, and you can grow the team by approving join requests. It is suited for touring communities and clubs sharing their activities.

A closed team for a limited group of members, such as friends. Joining is by invitation only, and nothing is visible to anyone outside the team — including the team's information and the team's or members' posts.

The team's public profile (team name, description, member count), posts made in the team's name, and posts members made in the team are visible to users outside the team. However, touring plans and the team chat are shared only with members, even in a Community team.

For Community teams, send a join request from the team's page and you can join once the owner approves it. You can also join via an invitation from the team (a direct invitation to your user ID or an invitation URL). Private teams can only be joined by invitation.

You can create up to 5 teams per account. As for joining, there is no limit on the number of Community teams, but you can join up to 5 Private teams.

Posts in the team's name are displayed with the team's icon and name, without the name of the individual who created them (available in Community teams, only to the owner or members with permission). Member posts are personal posts with a badge of the team you belong to, and can be made in either type of team.

A group chat exclusive to team members. You can send text and images. Images sent to the chat are kept for 7 days, after which they are no longer displayed.

Your member posts and the touring plans you shared in that team will be deleted. Posts made in the team's name remain with the team. Note that the owner cannot leave a team — to give up a team, the owner must disband it.