The right websites and apps for Japan travel can make your trip a lot easier, especially if it’s your first time here. There’s a lot to figure out before you go, from which rail pass to buy to when the autumn leaves will turn in Kyoto, and most of the answers are already online if you know where to look.
Whether you’re looking for the best places to eat, the quickest routes to your next destination, or simply a way to overcome the language barrier, there are many digital tools that can enhance your travel experience in Japan.
Websites to Sort Before You Fly to Japan
A few of these are worth setting up at home, before you’ve even started packing.
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- Visit Japan Web: Visit Japan Web is a free service from Japan’s Digital Agency that lets you fill in your immigration and customs details online before you fly. You then show a QR code with your passport at the airport instead of filling in paper forms on the plane (paper forms are still accepted, though).
- XE Currency: Everyone needs help with currency. XE Currency, best known for its online currency converter application, offers exchange rate information, international money transfers, and other currency-related services via its website, mobile apps, and other online channels. This offers the assistance you will need on your visit to Japan.
Useful Websites for Planning Your Japan Itinerary
Are you planning your first trip to Japan and need some help organising your days? Then these are the useful websites and apps for Japan travel that you will need to plan ahead.
- Google My Maps: Start your trip by planning and mapping the locations you would like to visit. This allows you to keep track of all the things you want to do, the events you wish to attend, the perfect places to eat, and exactly where you dream to be. To plan your entire itinerary, this is what you need.
- Flip Japan Guide’s Blog: Okay, we’re a little biased, but our blog is where we share everything we’ve picked up planning trips around Japan. You’ll find area guides and itineraries, plus seasonal picks for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, so you can work out where to go and when.
- Japan Guide: Explore Japan and find your dream location with the help of this Japan Guide. Whether it’s a two-day trip or a two-week trip, Japan Guide is the place for you to get the guidance you need for cultural, historic, or relaxing destinations.
- Wikivoyage’s Japan Guide: This free guide picks out nine of the cities that matter most to travellers in Japan, with a guide to each one, plus plenty of advice on getting in and getting around.
Websites for Checking the Weather, Seasons, and Holidays
- AccuWeather: AccuWeather is the best place to check out Japan’s weather, both for hourly forecasts and for forecasts up to three months in advance. Find the hourly forecasts particularly helpful in the rainy season and in summer, when there could be a few different weather conditions in one day.
- Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Weathermap: As the cherry blossom festival only lasts a few weeks, you must be obsessed with the cherry blossom blooming schedule to see them. Full bloom is the best time to see the blossoms; however, this period only lasts a few days, making it super tough to plan for! As meticulous as these trackers are, the weather is unpredictable, so you will need to keep track of the blooming schedule up to the day you plan to see the cherry trees.
- Koyo (Autumn Leaves) Forecast: Thankfully, the koyo season is quite a bit longer than the sakura season, spanning one to two months. You also don’t have to worry about “full bloom,” which leaves a lot more breathing room in your travel plans! This is the exact and perfect place to check when and where you can experience the breathtaking fall of the colourful autumn leaves.
- Japan Guide’s List of Japan’s National Holidays: You probably want to avoid Japan when the locals are out to play, so make sure you check out this list of Japanese public holidays! Golden Week, which Japanese news often calls ōgata renkyū (the big run of holidays), is an especially busy time that is highly recommended to avoid due to the many holidays back to back. It runs from late April to early May and is one of Japan’s three busiest holiday seasons, along with New Year and Obon week in summer.
Apps for Getting Around Japanese Cities
To explore and get around Japan without any delay or trouble, these are the websites and apps for Japan travel that you must check out.
Check out our complete guide on how to get around Japan to see how all these fit together.
- Google Maps: Need directions, maps, or information on local businesses? This is the place for you. Offering satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for travelling on foot, by car, or by public transport. Cycling directions only cover some areas of Japan, though.
- Welcome Suica Mobile: Suica is JR East’s prepaid IC card, and Welcome Suica Mobile is its free app version for overseas visitors. It sits in your iPhone’s Apple Wallet, so you can tap through ticket gates and pay in shops, with no deposit and 180 days of validity. You top it up with Apple Pay, and you can even book JR East Shinkansen seats in the app. It’s iPhone only, though, so Android users will need a physical Suica card.
- LUUP: LUUP is an e-bike and e-scooter sharing app that works in English. You find a nearby LUUP port in the app, unlock a bike or scooter, and drop it off at another port near where you’re heading. You don’t need a Japanese driving licence for the e-scooters as long as you’re 16 or over, but you’ll need to verify your age with your passport and pass a short traffic rules test in the app first.
Websites for Trains and Long-Distance Travel
For longer trips between cities, these will help you work out whether the train or the bus makes more sense for your route.
- Japan Rail Pass: The Japan Rail Pass, also known as the JR Pass, is made specifically for overseas visitors who enter Japan as a “Temporary Visitor” for sightseeing. It is valid on JR trains all over Japan, including the Shinkansen and limited express trains, and is offered jointly by the six JR Group companies. Just note that the fastest Nozomi and Mizuho Shinkansen need a special extra ticket on top of the pass.
- Japan Guide’s Complete Guide to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train): This guide has everything you need to know about riding the Shinkansen! Check out our step-by-step Shinkansen guide for beginners on how to book and board.
- Japan Guide’s Complete Guide to Japan’s Highway Buses: Highway buses are a cheap mode of transport, and sometimes a more convenient alternative to taking long, tiring trips, and many longer routes run overnight. Travelling becomes more convenient and cheaper via bus than by train, especially considering heavy luggage. That way you don’t have to carry bags around whilst trying to change trains multiple times!
Translation and Communication Apps for Japan Travel
You can get by in Japan without speaking Japanese, but these make ordering food and asking for directions a lot less stressful.
- Google Translate/Waygo Translator by Translate Abroad (App): Most of you have probably used translation apps and websites such as Google Translate at some point. If you travel to Japan for business, sightseeing, or cultural exploration, it would be great to have a personal interpreter to help you communicate with the locals. However, most of the time, that won’t be available. The good news is that these apps will be perfect for communicating and meeting locals, and Waygo can translate Japanese text through your camera without a data connection!
- LINE: LINE is the messaging app most locals use, so it’s worth downloading before you arrive. Lots of restaurants have their own LINE accounts, and some let you book a table or order from your seat through LINE, so don’t be surprised if a menu or table has a QR code asking you to add them.
Websites and Apps for Finding Events and Things to Do in Japan
If you want your trip to Japan to become an adventure and to have the best time of your life, then these are the useful websites and apps for Japan travel that you must follow for all the events and gigs happening while you’re here.
- Metropolis Japan: Metropolis is a free English-language guide to lifestyle, travel and culture in Japan, and its event listings show what’s on this week and next. It also has restaurant and bar picks, plus regional travel guides from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
- Tokyo Weekender: Tokyo Weekender calls itself Tokyo’s longest-running English lifestyle magazine. Alongside its travel guides and food and drink coverage, it has an events calendar packed with things to do in Tokyo.
- Time Out Tokyo: If you’re spending a few days in Tokyo, Time Out’s things to do guide shows what’s on today, this week, and this month, from festivals and exhibitions to new openings.
- ZAIKO: Want to catch a live show while you’re here? ZAIKO is a Japanese e-ticketing platform used for everything from concerts and club nights to esports and comedy shows, and you can buy your tickets in English, Chinese, or Korean.
Heading out at night? Our guide to Japanese nightlife breaks down the types of bars worth knowing about.
Apps for Finding Food and Restaurants in Japan
You’re new here and you have no idea where to get the food that you’re craving. With the help you need from these guides, you can find absolutely any cuisine right near you.
Check out our ultimate foodie Japan guide for what, where, and when to eat.
- Tabelog: If you want to know where Japanese diners actually rate, Tabelog is the one to check. It’s one of Japan’s biggest restaurant search and reservation sites, with around 890,000 restaurants and over 85 million reviews and photos from local users, and since November 2025 there’s been an app in English, Traditional Chinese, and Korean. You can book plenty of restaurants online straight from the site or the app. Keep in mind, Tabelog ratings work differently from Google: 3 stars is the baseline and anything above is extra. A good score is anything from 3.1 and a great score is from 3.5, which only around 3% of restaurants reach, and anything above 4.0 puts a place in roughly the top 0.07%.
- Rakuten GURUNAVI: One of Japan’s leading gourmet and restaurant guides, here you can quickly search for restaurants by area and cuisine, and restaurant menus are available in English, Chinese, and Korean.
- Japan Guide’s Complete Guide for Food and Drink: Dining out in Japan, dishes and drinks as well as regional food guides. Discover how you can enjoy your favourite cuisine in Japan.
Useful Websites for Finding Accommodation in Japan
Looking for a convenient place to stay by yourself, with your family, or friends? Here are the places you should select your options from!
- Booking.com: As one of the most convenient options, here you can decide where you would like to stay, whether you’re by yourself, with your friends, or your family.
- Trivago: Trivago helps you to search up where you should stay whilst exploring Japan. It has a hotel search with an extensive price comparison, allowing you to decide which option is the best for you.
- Tripadvisor: If you require advice on where to stay, then this is where you should be. Tripadvisor’s traveller reviews help you weigh up your options and find the stay that suits you best.
Staying in Tokyo? Our guide to where to stay for your first time in Tokyo covers the five areas we’d pick.
Useful Websites for Emergencies in Japan
Need medical guidance or finding emergency contacts in a panic? First, read our guide:
- Earthquakes in Japan: What to Do and How to Prepare: It breaks down all the things you need to know about what to do if there is an earthquake and how to prepare, plus English resources for updated information.
Next, check these out for further official information.
- Japan Guide’s Emergencies Page: Here you can find and save the numbers you would need for when something goes wrong, plus advice on what to do in an earthquake or typhoon. The two to remember are 110 for the police and 119 for fire and ambulance.
- JNTO Medical Care Guide: JNTO’s Medical Care Guide is the best place for you if you are looking for medical care and guidance on your tour in Japan. You can search for hospitals and clinics by area and language, and JNTO’s Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787) is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English, Chinese, and Korean.
Ready for Your Japanese Adventure
Travelling to Japan is an exciting experience, and with the right resources, you can ensure that every aspect of your trip is well-planned and enjoyable. The websites and apps for Japan travel mentioned in this guide will help you with everything from planning your itinerary and checking the weather to finding the best places to eat and the most convenient accommodation. Whether you are interested in exploring the vibrant cities, experiencing the beautiful natural landscapes, or immersing yourself in the rich cultural heritage, these tools will make your trip smoother and more memorable.
From securing transportation and navigating the bustling streets to discovering hidden gems and understanding local customs, having access to these essential websites for travelling in Japan can transform your trip from ordinary to extraordinary. With these digital companions, you can travel with confidence, knowing that you have all the information you need at your fingertips. So, get ready to dive into the wonders of Japan, fully prepared to enjoy every moment of your adventure.
If you’re looking for guidance beyond websites and apps for Japan travel, check out the articles below or book a FREE consultation call with one of our expert planners!
