A Suica card, whether it’s digital or physical, will be your transportation ticket most of the time in the cities, but not for the bullet train that zips you across Japan. You’ll need a supplemental ticket for those rides, bookable online or available in-person.
ChatGPT
While Google Translate is a popular and solid pick for travelers wanting quick interpretations, I found myself using ChatGPT (Android, iOS) more often for language translation and basic communication as I was getting around Tokyo. I relied on the voice input feature to double-check phrases I wanted to use or ask for a longer translation to be written out. By requesting the chatbot answer with both the kanji characters and the phonetic spelling, I had the option either to read it aloud or show the screen to whoever I was trying to communicate with. When I got a little turned around looking for a station exit in Osaka, having a question pretranslated and ready to go as I walked up to the nearby staff made any potential communication barrier less stressful.
I also found myself asking random questions to the ChatGPT app while exploring. For example, while strolling around neighborhoods, I noticed a pattern of four raised, yellow lines going along many of the routes. Curious why, I pulled out the ChatGPT app, whispered a single voice prompt, and got an answer, with online sources cited, about how these are a sidewalk accessibility feature for people who are blind or have low vision. I also used ChatGPT to learn why the stations play bird call noises over the speakers near stairs; it’s an additional accessibility measure.
Google Maps
Google Maps shows you the names for the train stations. Practice saying these out loud to help you remember the details for your route.
Courtesy of Reece Rogers/Google
I often use Apple Maps when getting around in the United States, but internationally, Google Maps (Android, iOS) is my go-to option. More locations in Japan are fully mapped, and the public transportation information is extensively detailed.
If you’re not a frequent train passenger in your daily life, make sure to pay attention to more in Google Maps than just the station where you enter and what train line you need. Also keep an eye on the platform number where you’ll stand to board the train as well as the station where you’re exiting. The app also shows you a price estimate for how much the trip could cost.
The train routes in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka run often, so if you miss the train you were initially hoping to catch, it’s no biggie. Odds are the next one is coming around soon, and you can check the schedule inside of Google Maps.
The biggest culture shock I faced while riding the trains in Japan is that most passengers treat it almost like a library; not by reading books necessarily, but with an almost reverent silence. This was actually quite a pleasant change from the sometimes buzzy buses of San Francisco.
Go Taxi
Yes, it’s possible to get an Uber ride in Tokyo, but if you’re outside of a major city or would rather take a taxi ride on your trip, there is another good ride-hailing option. The Go Taxi app (Android, iOS) is the most commonly used taxi service in the country. You can download the app before you go, but you will likely have to wait until you arrive in Japan to create an account, due to location gating. Using the Go app, rather than hailing a cab off the street, means few opportunities for miscommunication about where you actually want to go.
Line
Often before I travel outside of the US, I make sure to redownload WhatsApp onto my phone to save contact information and stay in touch with interesting people I may encounter. And while that app was helpful for a past trip to Costa Rica, hardly anyone at all in Japan uses WhatsApp for communication. Instead, the Line app (Android, iOS) is what you want to download before heading out. It’s the most popular messaging platform in Japan. Creating a new account took me less than five minutes. It’s simple to add people to your Line contacts by going to the Home tab, choosing Add friends, and showing them your QR Code to scan.
A Currency Converter
Exchange rates are volatile. An app is more reliable than a memorized equation.
Courtesy of Reece Rogers/Apple
By the end of my week in Japan, I still had only a loose grasp on conversion rates between yen and dollars. Sure, it’s not too hard to spot cheap items versus expensive ones, but if you’re traveling on a budget, keeping a conversion calculator handy is a crucial guard against overspending.
For iPhone owners using the iOS 18 update, basic conversions are now available through one of the preinstalled apps. Open the Calculator, then select the Calculator icon in the bottom left corner. Toggle the Convert option to activate it. Afterwards, you’ll choose the two currencies you would like to compare. The rate is supplied by Yahoo Finance and regularly updated.
AloJapan.com