Traveling in Japan can be much easier with the right smartphone apps. Below is a comprehensive guide to English-language apps that are especially useful for couples and families visiting Japan on a short-term trip. For each app, we note its cost, primary use, why it’s helpful, internet requirements, and when you might not need it. This guide focuses on apps that enhance convenience, navigation, communication, dining, safety, and cultural understanding.
💡 Tip: It’s a good idea to secure an internet connection (renting a pocket Wi-Fi or getting a SIM/eSIM) since many of these apps work best online. However, some offer offline features for when you don’t have service.
📷 If your travels bring you to Kyoto consider booking a tour or photography session with us!
🗺️ Navigation & Transportation Apps
Google Maps
- Price: Free
- Function: Real-time navigation for walking, driving, and public transportation. Shows train/subway lines, schedules, and platform info.
- Why It’s Useful: It works flawlessly in Japan, even in complex cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Live View AR helps in huge stations. Also great for finding restaurants and stores.
- Internet: Needed for live updates. Offline maps can be downloaded, but won’t include train times.
- When to Skip: Rarely skipped unless you use a more specialized transit app or have no data access.
Japan Travel by NAVITIME
- Price: Free (ads; in-app purchases available)
- Function: All-in-one app for trains, buses, flights, and sightseeing routes.
- Why It’s Useful: Especially good for JR Pass users—it can show only JR-covered routes. Offers offline access to saved routes and essentials like ATMs and Wi-Fi spots.
- Internet: Required for full use; limited offline functionality.
- When to Skip: If Google Maps meets all your needs and you won’t use the JR Pass.
SmartEX (Shinkansen Booking)
- Price: Free to download (tickets purchased in-app)
- Function: Reserve and pay for Shinkansen tickets (Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu lines).
- Why It’s Useful: Skip long lines and secure seats for families. English support and early booking discounts.
- Internet: Required for booking. Not needed at boarding if ticket is saved or linked to IC card.
- When to Skip: If using the JR Pass or not planning Shinkansen travel.
Mobile Suica (Digital IC Card)
iOS (New English app)/ Android (Japanese only unfortunately)
- Price: Free (top-up required)
- Function: Digital transit card used for trains, subways, and small payments.
- Why It’s Useful: Tap-and-go on transit. Convenient for avoiding paper tickets. Recommended due to physical card shortages.
- Internet: Needed only for setup and topping up via card. Usable offline.
- When to Skip: If your device isn’t compatible or you prefer physical cards. Or if you have an android and want an English app.
Taxi Apps (Uber / DiDi / GO)
- Price: Free
- Function: Book licensed taxis via app in English.
- Why It’s Useful: Handy with kids, luggage, or after hours. Cashless, stress-free booking with real-time tracking.
- Internet: Required for booking and seeing updates.
- When to Skip: In rural areas, or if relying only on trains. Choose one app; don’t need all three.
🗣️ Language & Communication Apps
Google Translate
- Price: Free
- Function: Text, speech, and camera translation between Japanese and English.
- Why It’s Useful: Accurate for everyday use. Live camera translation is great for menus and signs.
- Internet: Needed for best performance. Download offline Japanese pack as a backup.
- When to Skip: If you speak Japanese or travel with a fluent companion.
DeepL Translate
- Price: Free (premium version available)
- Function: High-quality, natural translations for text and documents.
- Why It’s Useful: More accurate for longer or nuanced sentences. Especially helpful for communicating politely.
- Internet: Required—no offline mode for Japanese.
- When to Skip: If Google Translate works for you, or you need offline support.
VoiceTra (by NICT)
- Price: Free
- Function: Speech translation app focused on travel phrases.
- Why It’s Useful: Made for tourists. Strong accuracy for common travel situations. Government-recommended.
- Internet: Required for real-time translation.
- When to Skip: If Google Translate covers your needs. Still a great backup.
Editor’s Note: If you want a good dictionary app–download Shirabe Jisho (only on iOS). Its entries can be used entirely offline. It doesn’t have a translator for sentences but it was my go-to app for the two years I lived in Japan (more so than Google Translate even).
🍜 Dining & Restaurant Apps
TripAdvisor
- Price: Free
- Function: Reviews of restaurants, attractions, and accommodations.
- Why It’s Useful: Filter by kid-friendly, English menu, or price. Good for couples or families looking for safe bets.
- Internet: Required to browse reviews. Screenshot pages for offline use.
- When to Skip: Is primarily used by foreigners so you may miss some local favorites.
Yelp
- Price: Free
- Function: Review app for restaurants and shops.
- Why It’s Useful: All English. Useful for reservations or delivery. Covers some services like salons.
- Internet: Required.
- When to Skip: If already using TripAdvisor or Japanese apps with translation. Newer, so fewer reviews.
Bonus for Dietary Needs:
💡 HappyCow is a must-have for vegetarians/vegans. Lists veg-friendly restaurants in Japan in English. Very helpful in cities.
🌐 Connectivity & Utility Apps
Japan Wi-Fi auto-connect
- Price: Free
- Function: Automatically logs into public Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Why It’s Useful: Access over 170,000 Wi-Fi spots. Great fallback if you run out of data.
- Internet: Needed for initial setup only.
- When to Skip: If you already have pocket Wi-Fi or unlimited data. Still worth having as a backup.
Ecbo Cloak (Luggage Storage)
- Price: Free (pay per item stored)
- Function: Book short-term luggage storage in shops or hotels.
- Why It’s Useful: Drop bags between check-in/check-out or while sightseeing. Some places can even store strollers.
- Internet: Required for booking. Confirmation saved in-app.
- When to Skip: If you travel light or only visit one city. Still useful to have on hand.
🚨 Safety & Emergency Apps
NERV Disaster Prevention
- Price: Free
- Function: Real-time alerts for earthquakes, typhoons, and more.
- Why It’s Useful: Essential for natural disaster alerts. English support. Official and trusted.
- Internet: Needed to receive updates.
- When to Skip: You probably shouldn’t unless you already have a preferred disaster alert app.
NHK World
- Price: Free
- Function: English-language news and disaster alerts.
- Why It’s Useful: Backup for emergency news. Also great for cultural updates and live TV streaming.
- Internet: Required.
- When to Skip: Optional if you already have Safety Tips or follow other news outlets.
🎟️ Other Handy Apps
Klook (Tours & Tickets)
- Price: Free (you pay for bookings)
- Function: Book activities, tickets, and passes in English.
- Why It’s Useful: Secure hard-to-get attractions like Ghibli Museum or teamLab. Also useful for JR Passes, airport transfer, etc.
- Internet: Needed to book and download e-vouchers.
- When to Skip: If you don’t mind buying tickets in person, but pre-booking saves time.
Disney & USJ Park Apps
- Price: Free
- Function: Required for Tokyo Disney’s Premier Access or USJ’s Nintendo World. Includes ride wait times, maps, and restaurant bookings.
- Why It’s Useful: Indispensable on the day of your visit.
- Internet: Needed (park Wi-Fi may help).
- When to Skip: Skip if you’re not visiting these parks.
🧳 Final Thoughts
You don’t need every app, but the right combination makes your trip smoother, safer, and more fun. For Tokyo-only travelers with rental Wi-Fi: try Google Maps, Translate, Wi-Fi app, and NERV. For multi-city trips with family: add NAVITIME, Klook, and Mobile Suica. By planning smartly, you can focus on enjoying Japan—stress-free.
🎥 For more travel tips and guides on all things Japan check out the PiQtour YouTube channel!
