Use Muse in Japan, the First Market Outside North America
A muse is now available in Japan on phone and the web, the first market outside North America, with email, calendar, travel, and shopping services connected at launch and more local services on the way.
What it does
Until this month, a muse only worked in the United States and Canada. People in Japan can set up a muse the same way: give it a task or a larger goal in a plain message, and it builds a plan, opens a browser, fills in forms, and keeps working after the app closes. It asks for approval before it sends an email or buys something. At launch, the connected services include Gmail, Google Calendar, and Instagram, plus Stripe and Shopify for payments and stores, and Trip.com, Agoda, and Klook for travel. The everyday jobs work from day one: reading and sending email, working around a real calendar, and preparing travel bookings.
How to use it
- Download the muse app, or go to the muse website, and create your account.
- Connect one service first, such as Gmail or Google Calendar, and read the permission screen before you approve it.
- Start with a read-only job you can check: "Read today's calendar and tell me what needs a reply in my email."
- For travel, describe the trip in one message, with dates and budget, and review options before approving any order.
- Pay on the booking service's own payment page when the muse hands you there, and keep the confirmation.
What you need
- To be in Japan, with a muse account
- An iPhone or Android phone, or a web browser
- Accounts for any services you want to connect, such as Gmail or a travel service
What to watch for
- Some well-known Japanese services are not connected yet. Mercari, Money Forward ME, and Ticket Pia were named at launch as partnerships in progress, not live connections, so do not plan a job around them until the app shows them as available.
- Many basic features are free, and paid plans exist for heavier use. Prices in yen were not published at launch, so check the price in the app before you subscribe.
- Travel bookings finish on the service's own payment page. The muse prepares the order and brings back the confirmation, but payment stays with that service.
- It is normal if an agent that works after you close the app sounds strange. You can review what it did, change what it remembers, and disconnect any service at any time. The muse prepares, you decide.