Tourism in Japan is booming, and you might be considering making the trip. Before going, you’ll likely assemble a thorough packing list of every essential item necessary for a smooth adventure.

But to really be prepared, I think you should consider writing a digital packing list as well. And no, I’m not just talking about downloading a bunch of WIRED podcasts to stream on the plane. If you take the time to download essential apps before leaving, then you’ll spend less time fiddling with your smartphone after arriving and more time focused on exploring the country.

These picks for useful smartphone apps are based on my experience traveling to Tokyo and Osaka in early November, where I got around using an iPhone 12 as my primary device. Think of this roundup as a helpful starting point for getting your device digitally ready. Plus, many of these smartphone apps are not exclusive to Japan and will be helpful for exploring other countries as well. Also, consider packing a couple power banks in your day bag to ensure you’re never caught far from the hotel room with a depleted battery.

An Active eSIM

Ahead of your Japan trip, setting up an eSIM on your phone is potentially the most important piece of digital preparation you can do. Without a connection to the internet, very few of the other apps on this list will work at all. Do it before you leave. Imagine arriving in Japan only to find out that your phone isn’t unlocked for eSIM access—contacting your carrier to fix the situation will likely be a major headache and timesuck.

Before leaving San Francisco on my flight, I went through the entire setup process other than the final activation. As soon as we touched down in Narita, I was able to connect online while waiting on the tarmac for other passengers to gather their luggage from the overhead bins. Landing in a new country, especially for the very first time, can be quite disorienting, and swiftly connecting to the internet meant I had instant access to any crucial information I needed.

I’ve purchased eSIMs from the Airalo app (Android, iOS) a few times and have been satisfied with the quality of the connection. A quick search in the app store will show you plenty of competitor apps too. I got a package with 20 GB of data for $26 from Airalo, and it ended up being way more than I actually needed. After seven days of actively scrolling around on my phone and navigating through the country, more than half of the data was still leftover.

Digital Suica Card

Like many companies in Japan, Suica has a mascot character. In this case, it’s an adorable penguin on the go.

Courtesy of Reece Rogers/Suica

A Suica card can be used to board many (but not all) of the public transport options in Japan, and the digital wallet version is worth checking out. Unfortunately, this option is only easy for travelers with iPhones to use. So, unless you purchased a phone in Japan, using the digital option is not feasible on Android. But no worries, go ahead and skip down a paragraph to the physical “Welcome Suica” option to prepare for riding the trains.

If you’re taking an iPhone with you to Japan, you can add a Suica card to the smartphone wallet while you’re still at home, preloading a little money to save time. Though its primary purpose is for use at fare gates and boarding zones for transit, it can be used to pay for things beyond transportation. More stores than you might expect accept this form of digital payment. During a couple of late-night snack runs, I used tap-to-pay with the card at convenience stores, like FamilyMart and Lawson. When wandering around the Akihabara ward with its bright billboards, I also used the digital card to play games in mega-arcades—even winning a Mario ghost plushie in some claw machine after a few tries.

Are you using an Android device or not really into digital wallets? I also tried out the Welcome Suica card. It’s a physical option designed for tourists, and the card is valid for around a month. You can buy them in the airport and elsewhere in kiosks. Specifically thinking about how rushed I feel getting in and out of train turnstiles, I almost preferred holding the small card in my hand over tapping a phone.

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.

It’s easy to complete conversions on Android phones too, but you do need to pick an app to download. Many different options are available in the Google Play store, like the Currency Converter by Wise (Android, iOS).

Google Lens

This recommendation for Google Lens comes with a caveat: While the app lets you point your camera at a bit of Japanese text and see it translated into English on your screen, be prepared to potentially see a few confusing, wrong translations. Available via the general Google app on iOS and in a stand-alone app for Android, Lens is useful for scanning transportation signs or other posted notices you want to read. Start by opening the Google app, tapping on the camera icon in the right side of the search bar, and choosing the Translate option in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. Then, when you snap a photo, the app will automatically detect the language is Japanese and overlay English text on the image.

This worked just fine for me for transportation, but when I tested out Google Lens on a few restaurant menus, things got a bit dicey. Going from Japanese to English, most of the menu translations by Lens made sense, but a few outliers were nonsensical and clearly off. So this app from Google is good enough to keep in your arsenal, while still being a bit frustrating to use at times.