kotovuki.co.jp

What It Is

Kabushikigaisha Kotobuki Shokai is a Japan-based service provider in the Claris FileMaker ecosystem. Its website states that it is a top-tier Claris Partner Platinum member, and it also has Apple Consultants Network and Google Cloud Partner credentials. It is not a standalone SaaS product, but a full-service vendor built around FileMaker, offering custom development, hosting, licensing, training, consulting, and development support tools.

Core Capabilities and Ecosystem

Its main use case is building FileMaker-based business systems for companies, with a particular focus on field operations using iPad/iPhone and FileMaker Go. It supports Mac, Windows, web browsers, iOS devices, and cloud environments, and can coexist with existing systems such as Oracle, SQL Server, APIs, and CSV-based workflows. Its development approach can be collaborative and spiral/iterative, or waterfall-based when required. Its in-house products include Migration Master, KAC, DrawMaster2, and ChatBotMaster. KAC is used to extend Claris Connect’s API and OAuth capabilities, while ChatBotMaster connects to the LINE WORKS Bot API.

Hosting, Pricing, and Support

KBS Cloud for GCP is its FileMaker-focused hosting service, running in Google Cloud’s Tokyo or Osaka regions. Each customer gets a single dedicated instance, with SSL, snapshots, backups, monitoring, and related features. Pricing ranges from ¥6,800/month to ¥59,500/month before tax, with an initial setup fee of ¥50,000. However, FileMaker licenses are not included, and the test/entry-level plans are also noted as not meeting the hardware requirements for FileMaker Server 2025. Training prices, timestamp service pricing, and FileMaker license tier pricing are disclosed in relatively fine detail, while custom development and in-depth consulting still require a quote.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its FileMaker credentials and extensive case experience, along with a service chain that covers development, cloud, licensing, devices, MDM, and Google Workspace. It is well suited to companies that lack dedicated FileMaker/Apple operations expertise. In terms of documentation, the specifications, processes, and FAQs for hosting and timestamp services are fairly complete. The limitations are that the service is clearly oriented toward the Japanese market, so language, contracts, payments, and on-site support may not be convenient for Chinese customers. Some consulting services do not support phone or email inquiries, and the standalone development tools lack deeper public technical documentation.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is best suited to companies operating in Japan that already use or plan to adopt FileMaker, especially in scenarios such as transportation, logistics, construction, manufacturing, and the public sector where iPad-based field work and offline synchronization are needed. The text does not specify access or payment conditions from mainland China, so these should be treated as unknown. For deployments in China, alternatives may include Claris’s official cloud, a self-hosted FileMaker Server, or low-code platforms such as Power Apps, Zoho Creator, Airtable/NocoDB.