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Japan Toolbox

Apps for living in and visiting Japan

Find apps and official services for daily life and travel in Japan, with confirmed details on English support, signup and cost.

Living in Japan

Banking & payments

  • Wise

    Multi-currency account and international transfers, popular with residents sending money home.

    Works in English
    Yes
    My Number or residence card
    Yes (for Japan verification)

  • PayPay

    Japan's widely used QR code payment app.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Japanese phone number
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

Phone & SIM

  • Rakuten Mobile

    Japanese mobile carrier with an English site, for residents who want a local phone contract.

    Works in English
    Partly (website)
    Cost
    Paid

  • Sakura Mobile

    eSIM, SIM cards, pocket wifi and home internet in Japan, for visitors and residents.

    Cost
    Paid

  • Mobal

    Japan SIM cards, eSIMs and pocket wifi rental.

    Cost
    Paid

Transport

  • Google Maps

    Maps, walking directions and train routes, with good coverage of Japanese stations.

    Cost
    Free

  • Smart EX

    Book seats on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen online.

    Works in English
    Yes

  • GO

    Taxi-hailing app used across Japan's big cities.

    Works in English
    Partly
    Japanese phone number
    No

Government & My Number

  • Daruma

    Organizes moving-to-Japan paperwork with a tailored checklist, an iPhone app and free web guides. Android is planned.

  • Immigration Services Agency

    Official source for residence status, visa extensions and residence card procedures.

    Cost
    Free

  • National Tax Agency

    English pages from Japan's tax office on income tax and filing.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Pension Service

    Pension information in other languages, including the lump-sum withdrawal when you leave Japan.

    Cost
    Free

Housing

  • Real Estate Japan

    Apartments and houses for rent or sale in Japan, listed in English.

    Works in English
    Yes

  • GaijinPot Apartments

    Apartment listings for rent in Japan, in English.

    Works in English
    Yes

  • Oakhouse

    Share houses and furnished private apartments in Japan.

  • Sakura House

    Furnished dormitories, apartments and share houses for rent in Tokyo and nearby.

Translation & Japanese

  • Google Translate

    Text, voice and camera translation between Japanese and many other languages.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • DeepL

    Text and document translation to and from Japanese, with a free tier.

    Cost
    Free tier, paid options

  • VoiceTra

    Speech translation app from Japan's national research institute NICT.

    Cost
    Free

  • Jisho

    Fast Japanese-English dictionary in the browser, with kanji and example sentences.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • Takoboto

    Japanese dictionary and study tool with kanji lookup.

    Cost
    Free

  • WaniKani

    Kanji and vocabulary learning with spaced repetition, by Tofugu.

    Cost
    Free tier, paid options

Food delivery & dining

  • Tabelog

    Japan's big restaurant review site, with an English version for travellers.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Food Allergy & Celiac

    Japanese allergy and diet cards to show restaurant staff, with Japanese audio and tap-to-answer replies.

    Cost
    Free tier, paid options

  • HappyCow

    Finder for vegan and vegetarian restaurants, with listings across Japan.

  • Halal Gourmet Japan

    Find halal restaurants and food in Japan.

Health

Messaging & mail

  • LINE

    The messaging app most people in Japan use. Many shops and services use it too.

    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Post

    Japan's postal service in English: sending mail and parcels, and tracking.

    Works in English
    Yes

Find a job

  • GaijinPot Jobs

    Job board for English speakers in Japan.

    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Dev

    Software developer jobs at companies in Japan.

    Cost
    Free

  • TokyoDev

    Software developer jobs in Japan for English speakers.

    Cost
    Free

Local news & weather

  • NHK WORLD-JAPAN

    Japan's public broadcaster in English: news and disaster updates.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Meteorological Agency

    Official weather, earthquake, tsunami and volcano information.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

  • Tokyo Weekender

    English lifestyle magazine about Tokyo and Japan: events, food and culture.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

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Visiting Japan

Arrival forms

  • Visit Japan Web

    The government site for registering immigration and customs details before you arrive.

    Works in English
    Yes
    Cost
    Free

Travel eSIM & Wi-Fi

  • Airalo

    Prepaid Japan eSIM data plans you can buy and install before you land.

    Cost
    Paid

  • Ubigi

    Travel eSIM data plans that cover Japan along with many other countries.

    Cost
    Paid

  • Holafly

    Japan eSIM plans with unlimited data.

    Cost
    Paid

  • Japan Wireless

    Pocket wifi rental and eSIMs for trips to Japan.

    Cost
    Paid

Trains, taxis & offline maps

For everyday route planning and taxi apps, see Transport above.

  • Japan Rail Pass

    The official site for the JR Pass, the multi-day rail pass for visitors.

    Cost
    Paid

  • Organic Maps

    Offline maps for walking, hiking and cycling, built on OpenStreetMap.

    Cost
    Free

Book a stay

  • Japanican

    Hotel, ryokan and tour booking for Japan.

Find ramen

  • Japan Ramen Guide

    Map of 1,450+ curated ramen shops across Japan, filterable by city, broth style, price and English menu.

    Cost
    Free

Shopping & yen conversion

  • YenPocket

    Yen converter that reads Japanese price tags, shows if tax is included and tracks the tax-free minimum.

    Cost
    Free tier, paid options

Travel & emergency alerts

  • Safety tips

    JNTO's app that sends earthquake, tsunami and weather alerts to visitors.

    Cost
    Free

  • Japan Lookout

    Rule changes, fees, closures and transport changes for travellers in Japan, checked against official sources.

    Cost
    Free

Plan where to go

  • JNTO Japan travel guide

    Japan's official tourism guide: destinations, seasons and travel basics.

    Cost
    Free

  • japan-guide.com

    Long-running travel and living guide covering every region of Japan.

    Cost
    Free

  • Tokyo Cheapo

    Guides and deals for doing Tokyo on a budget.

    Cost
    Free

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