An extension of your team, not another agency invoice.

Birubi started out of frustration. Before the agency, our founder ran ecommerce brands himself. He knew what it was like to hit a wall with a store that should be selling more, and to pay an agency for months and still wonder what they actually did.

So we set Birubi up to work the other way. We work hands-on, as an extension of your team: the people who plan the strategy are the people who do the work, and every month you can see exactly what we did and what changed.

You won’t be passed to someone you’ve never met. You talk directly to the specialists doing the work, in English or Japanese, and we measure ourselves on your sales, not on how many hours we log.

The people you’ll work with.

No account managers in between. The people you meet on your first call are the specialists who plan the work and do it.

Jonathan Senior, founder of Birubi

Jonathan Senior

Founder

“I built Birubi out of frustration. I’ve run brands myself, so I know what it’s like to hit a wall, or to pay an agency for months and still wonder what they actually did. We’re hands-on, and we work as part of your team.”

Australian, based in Chiba. Jonathan has spent more than 10 years in digital and ecommerce with Japanese, Australian and international businesses, from store builds and email to the systems behind them. He has led ecommerce for brands selling in several countries, and has brought overseas products into Japan and adapted them for Japanese customers.

LinkedIn →
Satomi Kidokoro, Brand and Localisation at Birubi

Satomi Kidokoro(城所里美)

Brand & Localisation

A native Japanese speaker, Satomi looks after brand voice and localisation. She makes sure every store, email and LINE message reads as if it was written for Japanese customers from the start, not translated from English.

She also runs client projects day to day, so Japanese-speaking teams always have someone to talk to in their own language.

LinkedIn →

Why brands choose Birubi.

Ecommerce strategy, design, development and email in one team, tied to what you sell. Here’s how that compares with the usual options.

BirubiTraditional agencyIn-house team
Ecommerce strategy & platform depth✓PartialRarely
Japan + global market capability✓RarelyPartial
Conversion design & A/B testing as core practice✓PartialPartial
UX tied directly to revenue outcomes✓PartialPartial
You work directly with the founder✓✕✓
Ecommerce lifecycle & retention systems✓PartialRarely
Immediate access (no hiring overhead)✓✓✕

Marketing Managers & CMOs

You own the growth numbers, and they’re not where they should be. You want a partner who cares about sales, not just code.

CEOs of Ecommerce Brands

The product sells. Now the store needs to keep up.

Brands Expanding Globally

You need consistent performance across markets, including Japan. Multi-market ecommerce requires a partner who understands both the technical and commercial complexity.

Bilingual, and it works both ways.

Most agencies help in one direction. We work in both, in English or Japanese, so nothing gets lost between your head office and your customers.

Overseas brands entering Japan

Your brand sells well at home and you want Japanese customers to buy it too. We adapt your store, messaging and marketing for Japan, written for Japanese customers rather than translated word for word.

  • Market entry planning
  • Localisation (EN ⇄ JP)
  • LINE for Japanese customers
  • Local payments and shipping
  • Age checks for regulated products such as alcohol

Japanese brands going overseas

People in Japan already love what you make, and you want to sell it abroad. We build overseas stores, write English copy that sounds natural to local customers and plan marketing for each market.

  • Overseas stores
  • English websites and copy
  • Languages, currencies and domains
  • Marketing for each market

See how this fits with the rest of what we do. Our services →

“Birubi”: View of the Southern Cross.

Most ecommerce brands aren’t short on effort. They’re short on direction.

Navigators used the Southern Cross to find their way. We want to be that fixed point for your business.

“Birubi” is the Gathang word for the Southern Cross, the constellation used for centuries to navigate the southern hemisphere. Our founder grew up in Australia under the same stars, and brought the name with him to Japan.

An independent digital agency in Chiba, working with clients in Japan and worldwide.

Our office is in Chiba. We work with clients across Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa in person or online, with the rest of Japan online, and remotely with brands in APAC, the UK, EU and US that want to launch in Japan or grow sales wherever they sell.

Chiba

Our home base. Togane, Chiba City, Makuhari and the Makuhari Messe business district.

Tokyo

Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Minato, Roppongi, Ginza, Marunouchi, Meguro, Shinagawa and Setagaya.

Kanagawa

Yokohama, Kamakura, Hayama, Chigasaki, Fujisawa and the wider Shonan coast.

Japan & international

Online across Japan. Remote for clients in APAC, the UK, EU and US, working across time zones.

Company details.

Company name

株式会社Birubi (Birubi Inc.)

Office

Esukeishon 211, 26-1 Kawaba, Togane, Chiba 283-0064, Japan

Areas we serve

In person across Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa. Online everywhere else in Japan and overseas.

Founder

Jonathan Senior

Languages

English or Japanese, whichever suits your team.

What we do

Shopify development and web design, email marketing and retention, ecommerce systems, branding and digital marketing, and Japan market entry.

See our services →

Contact

hello@birubi.co

Start a project →

Questions about Birubi.

Who is behind Birubi?

Birubi was founded by Jonathan Senior, an Australian based in Chiba with more than 10 years in digital and ecommerce. Satomi Kidokoro leads brand and localisation. You work directly with the specialists who plan and do the work.

Do you work in English or Japanese?

Both, whichever suits your team. Copy for Japanese customers is written by a native Japanese speaker, and English copy by a native English speaker, so it reads naturally in each market.

Where are you based?

Our office is in Togane, Chiba. We work with brands in Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa in person or online, with the rest of Japan online, and with international clients remotely across APAC, UK, EU and US time zones.

Do you work with brands outside Japan?

Yes. We’ve built stores for brands in Japan, Australia and the UK, and we help overseas brands launch in Japan as well as Japanese brands selling abroad. You can see some of that on our work page.

Tell us what you’re trying to launch, improve or untangle.

We’ll help you work out what to tackle first. Your first call is with the people who would do the work.

Prefer to email? hello@birubi.co