Eight apps,
to install before you go

Routes by train, metro and on foot, with the right platform and the right exit.

Routes, an offline map with free Wi-Fi spots and currency exchange offices. In English.

Point your camera at a menu or a sign: the translation appears on screen.

A taxi in all 47 prefectures, with a foreign phone number and bank card.

Earthquake, tsunami, volcano, weather and heatstroke alerts, from the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Restaurant reviews and bookings. Booking costs 440 ¥ per person.

Restaurant bookings in English; paid “FastPass” slots for some ramen shops.

A Suica or PASMO on iPhone 8 or later. Android phone bought outside Japan: get a physical card.