The Best Smartphone Apps for Living in Japan

Dec 18, 2017

The Best Smartphone Apps for Living in Japan

Moving to Japan is often a difficult adjustment — but the internet has many resources to make things easier, especially when you have the right apps. The following is a compilation of the best free and paid smartphone apps to make your life easier.

OpenRice

Cost: Free
What it does: Finding a new place to eat is easy with OpenRice. For newcomers to Japan (as well as seasoned locals), this is the go-to app to find new tasty meals guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. Find restaurants, order takeaway, reserve a table, and collect Rice Dollars to use for discounts and extra features.
Why it’s great: OpenRice is especially useful in a place of such diverse cuisine as Japan. Although there are other food apps out there, this app is in English, which makes it really great help for navigating all the food choices available. Complete with reviews and prices, each restaurant’s location is on an integrated map along with phone numbers. Another great feature of this app is it has functionality all over Asia (China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and more). If you’re going on an adventure, you’ll be covered when it comes to all the tasty local dishes.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.openrice.android

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/openrice/id310663323

HappyCow Vegan

Cost: Around ¥775

What it does: Finding a good restaurant is not easy when you’re vegan or vegetarian. Happy Cow is a great app that helps animal lovers find plant-based options. There are also listings for macrobiotic eateries along with stores that cater to organic food lovers. It is an incredible resource for both vegetarians and the health conscious looking to discover some great places to eat and meet like-minded folk.
Why it’s great: The app provides great suggestions for numerous restaurants across Japan. Locate options nearby or off the beaten path by following the interactive map with directions and phone numbers to help get you there. There is also website information for the restaurants, cafés, health-food stores, and even vegan hostels in this app’s comprehensive database. An added bonus is the informative user reviews for each restaurant to help make your choice and upload photos of your delicious meals. Store your favorites for future reference or organize restaurants and stores for easy access in time for upcoming trips.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hcceg.veg.compassionfree

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/happycow-vegan-food-near-you/id435871950

Halal Japan

Cost: From ¥1,300

What it does: Muslims may also find it challenging to find food they can eat in Japan. Halal Japan makes it easy to check that products are halal. The app requires a monthly subscription that you can cancel at any time.
Why it’s great: In addition to having a list of products available in Japan that are halal, there’s a search feature and a barcode scanner. You can also add products to your favorites to remind you of things you enjoyed or want to buy in the future.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.conceptuale.productivity.halaljapan&hl=en

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/my/app/halal-japan/id1548302210

Japan Wi-Fi Auto-connect

Cost: Free
What it does: There’s free Wi-Fi all over Japan, but you still need to go to the effort of checking in your phone’s settings for networks and sometimes signing up. Japan Wi-Fi Auto-connect automates the process by connecting you to Wi-Fi spots on public transport, at airports, in cafés, and anywhere else that has a public Wi-Fi connection.
Why it’s great: After registering for the app, it does everything for you. You’ll simply receive a pop-up message that it has connected you to the internet. It also keeps you safe by never connecting to spoofing access points — rogue wireless access points that cybercriminals have set up to mimic legitimate connections.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nttbp.jw2&hl

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/japan-wi-fi-auto-connect/id1461015351

Japan Travel — Route,Map,Guide

Cost: Free
What it does: Receive all the information you need to travel around Japan in one place. As the name suggests, it has route searches, maps (with offline search functionality), and travel guides. The guides are written by foreigners living in Japan and cover topics including food, culture, nightlife, money, shopping, and internet connections.
Why it’s great: It’s suitable for all modes of transport, including planes, trains, subways, taxis, and ferries. The routes include timetables and platform numbers — you can save up to 50 routes at a time for offline use. In addition to the free features, there are some additional features available for a fee, including searching for alternative routes in the case of a disruption, seeing the rankings for the articles, and snow and rain forecasts up to six hours ahead.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navitime.inbound.walk&hl

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/japan-travel-route-map-guide/id686373726

Photo: flickr.com by Kārlis Dambrāns “Apple iPhone 6” (CC BY-SA 2.0)