REICHI DROPS ‘SWITCH UP’ AS UBER JAPAN TURNS UBER EATS USERS INTO TAXI RIDERS

Uber Japan and creative agency Special have launched the latest instalment of their Eater 2 Rider platform with “Switch Up”, an original hip-hop track by Osaka rapper Reichi. The campaign aims to show millions of Uber Eats users that Uber Taxi is already available within the same app, requiring no additional download.

Uber Japan is turning product education into a musical moment with the launch of “Switch Up”, an original hip-hop track written and performed by Osaka-born rapper Reichi as part of the latest chapter of its Eater 2 Rider platform.

Created in partnership with independent creative agency Special, the campaign tackles a challenge familiar to many digital brands in Japan: convincing consumers to adopt yet another app. While ride-hailing services continue to grow, many Japanese consumers still rely on the traditional habit of hailing taxis on the street rather than booking through a smartphone.

Uber’s solution is not to ask users to download something new, but to remind them of something they already have.

Millions of people across Japan regularly use Uber Eats, and many remain unaware that the same application also allows them to book a taxi. A dedicated taxi toggle sits on the app’s home screen, enabling users to switch seamlessly between food delivery and ride-hailing without creating a new account or installing a separate service.

“Most people in Japan already have Uber Eats on their phone, but many don’t realise the Taxi button is sitting right there on the same home screen,” said Jiwon Lee, Head of Marketing for Japan and South Korea Mobility at Uber. “Eater 2 Rider is about showing how little effort it takes: one app, one account, nothing new to download.”

Rather than relying on a conventional advertising approach, Uber and Special looked to music culture to communicate the message. They enlisted Reichi, who has built a substantial following with more than 94,000 Instagram followers and 120,000 monthly Spotify listeners, to create a track inspired by her own everyday use of both services.

A frequent Uber Eats and Uber Taxi customer, Reichi says the platform is woven into her daily routine.

“I think it’s super convenient,” she said. “Especially when I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking, the best part of my day is browsing Eats on my phone in the taxi on the way home.”

Drawing directly from that experience, the artist wrote both the lyrics and the beat for “Switch Up”, creating an infectious track centred on the ease of moving between ordering food and booking transport. The song’s memorable hook, “EatsからTaxi 切り替え楽チン”, translates roughly as “From Eats to Taxi, toggling is a breeze”.

The accompanying 70-second music video, directed by Takuto Shimpo through production company ROBOT, follows Reichi and her friends through a day that moves effortlessly between home, leisure and nightlife. From ordering meals at home to travelling to a sauna, a recording studio and a nightclub, every journey is facilitated through the same app interface.

For Special, the challenge was transforming a straightforward product message into something audiences would genuinely engage with.

“The product message is simple: Eats and Taxi are already in the same app,” said Norio Ichikawa, Executive Creative Director at Special. “The creative challenge was making that worth listening to. ‘Switch Up’ puts the idea into Reichi’s own words and a hook people can remember.”

Launching on 4 November 2026 across Spotify, YouTube, X, Instagram and TikTok, with additional placements within the Uber Eats app, the campaign will run nationwide, with particular focus on the Kanto and Kansai regions. It marks the latest step in Uber and Special’s ongoing effort to build long-term awareness of the company’s integrated food delivery and mobility offering, one switch at a time.