Our Story｜Odekake Note

Before introducing why I built this app, let me briefly introduce myself.

About Me

I've worked at an infrastructure-focused venture company since my senior year of university, and this is my third year as a working engineer. As a student, I loved coffee and snacks so much that I visited cafes around 200 times a year, and thanks to that connection, I still work as cafe staff today. I also enjoy drinking — wine, sake, whisky, you name it — and I love good food, whether Japanese or Western.

Writing this out, I realize I just really love "eating," and it's become a big part of what makes life worth living for me. Whenever I browse social media, I inevitably end up searching for places to eat.

What Led Me to Build This App

People often said things to me like, "You always go to such nice places," "How do you find them?", "Find us the perfect spot for a date," and "You're really good at planning too."

Around that time, I started vaguely dreaming of someday making an app that could recommend great shops, an app for sharing tips on finding great places, or an app for putting together a day's plan. Seeing an influencer I'd followed since junior high posting videos for people who struggle to decide where to eat also made me realize just how many people out there face the same struggle — that was another big part of what pushed me toward this.

The Road of Development

One day, I thought, "Why not try building and releasing a mobile app?" It would be a good way to learn app development and actually experience the full development process. I'd always had an interest in programming that I never got to use at work, and I'd previously built web apps for fun — a to-do list, a recommended-shops app — so I figured, "If I use AI, maybe I can actually pull this off." That's how development of "Odekake Note" began, building on an app I'd made in the past.

I'd deliberately avoided using AI up until then, wanting to improve my own programming skills, so I was amazed at how quickly it could write code, and development went smoothly at first. But as I kept going, every time I added a feature I thought would be nice to have, a bug would appear — and fixing it would cause a bug somewhere else. I fell into that vicious cycle more than a few times, and there were moments I nearly gave up.

Even so, I felt that combining my cloud and security knowledge as an infrastructure engineer with my own criteria for picking good places to eat could result in an app many people would find useful. Above all, with the motivation of completing "an app I myself wanted to use," I kept developing it — checking and revising the code myself while working closely with AI.

Now that it's taken shape, I'm filled with a real sense of accomplishment and joy.

On Offering It for Free

At first, given the various costs involved — servers, AI, API usage, and more — I was planning to charge for the app. But after hearing feedback that people would be happier if it were free, I reconsidered, and realized something obvious: "Unlike a well-known company, there's no way people would just pay for an app made by some unknown individual." So I made it as free as possible.

I truly believe that managing your plans and household budget together — one of the app's core features — makes everyday life richer, and I think the household budget sharing feature is a perfect fit for couples living together or married couples.

There are other features I'm considering, but I haven't been able to get to everything yet, so I plan to keep updating the app over time. Someday, I'd love it if this app became widely used, and maybe I could even build a way to share my own favorite shops through it.

The Advantage of Developing Solo

Because I'm developing this app on my own, I think there's a real advantage in how quickly I can act on feedback from users. If you have a request, please don't hesitate to let me know — I'll consider it as promptly as I can.

On the other hand, being a solo developer also means that, despite thorough testing, there may still be unexpected bugs. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and I'd be grateful if you could let me know via the support email.

In Closing

Honestly, unless more people use the app, it's a financial loss. Even so, when I think about the development experience I gained — something I could never get through my day job — and above all, the fact that I now have an app I use in my own daily life, I feel like what I've gained is truly significant.

I hope this app can make even a small part of your life a little richer.

If you find this app even a little bit good, an App Store review or telling people around you about it would mean a lot and keep me motivated. The more people who use it, the more I'll be able to take on features I've currently had to set aside, and grow it into an even better app.