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Country guide · Japan

Japan travel apps and what you need before you go

Many passports, including US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian, can visit Japan visa-free for short stays, and you can fill in Visit Japan Web before you fly to get immigration and customs QR codes. On your phone, set up a Suica (Apple Wallet or the Welcome Suica Mobile app on iPhone), Google Maps or Japan Travel by NAVITIME for routes, GO or Uber for taxis, smartEX for the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen, and the official Safety tips app for earthquake alerts. From 1 November 2026 tax-free shopping works as a refund at departure, so keep your purchases with you until the airport check.

Checked against official sources on 22 October 202612 apps · 9 to set up at home
Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto among red autumn maples
Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0

What you need to enter Japan

Entry rules depend on your passport, so check Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa exemption list for your nationality before booking.

Visa or visa exemption

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the countries whose citizens can enter for short stays without a visa, including the US, Canada, Australia and EU member states, usually for up to 90 days. UK, Irish, German, Austrian, Swiss, Liechtenstein and Mexican citizens are permitted stays of up to six months, but anything beyond 90 days needs an extension application to immigration before the 90 days run out. Some nationalities on the list need an ePassport or machine-readable passport, so read the notes next to your country.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Visa exemption arrangements

Passport

Travel on a valid passport that meets any ePassport or machine-readable requirement shown for your nationality on the MOFA list. Japan's official visa exemption page does not state a fixed minimum validity, so make sure your passport covers your whole stay and check your airline's rules too.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Visa exemption arrangements

Visit Japan Web (immigration and customs QR codes)

Visit Japan Web is the Digital Agency's free online service for arrival procedures. Register before your flight, enter your trip and customs details, and it gives you QR codes to show at immigration and customs on arrival. It is also used for the new tax-free departure check at major airports.

Source: Digital Agency: Visit Japan Web · Visit Japan Web

JESTA (coming, not yet required)

Japan is creating an electronic travel authorisation called JESTA for visa-exempt short-stay visitors. It is planned to start in fiscal 2028 and is not required for trips today. Once it starts, you will apply online before departure and pay a fee, and airlines will be able to refuse boarding without approval.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (JESTA outline) · The Standard (Hong Kong): Japan approves JESTA bill

Tax-free shopping is now a refund at departure

For purchases on or after 1 November 2026, you pay the full price including consumption tax in the shop, show your passport, and claim the tax back when you leave Japan. Before checking in your bags, use a customs terminal in the departure lobby (or Visit Japan Web at Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha) with all the goods on you; green means done, red means customs inspection. The minimum is 5,000 yen before tax per shop per day, goods must leave within 90 days of purchase, and the shop or its refund agent pays the refund.

Source: Japan Tourism Agency: Tax-free refund method

Before you fly: 8 steps

  1. Check the MOFA visa exemption list for your passport and note your permitted stay.
  2. Register on Visit Japan Web and complete the immigration and customs details for your trip.
  3. On iPhone, add a Suica, PASMO or ICOCA in Wallet or install Welcome Suica Mobile; on Android, plan to buy a physical IC card on arrival.
  4. Install GO, sign in to Uber, and register smartEX with a 3D Secure credit card if you will ride the Tokaido or Sanyo Shinkansen.
  5. Install Safety tips and turn on notifications.
  6. Download offline Google Maps areas and the Japanese pack in Google Translate.
  7. Set up LINE with your home number and buy a tourist eSIM.
  8. Bring some yen in cash and leave room in your hand luggage for tax-free purchases.

The apps that matter in Japan

Grouped by the job they do. Set up at home means install it and sign in before you fly, while you still have your home number and Wi-Fi.

Entry and official apps

Visit Japan Web

The government's online arrival service that turns your immigration and customs details into QR codes.

Set up at home

Create an account and fill in your trip a few days before you fly, then screenshot the QR codes in case the airport Wi-Fi is slow. From November 2026 it can also handle the tax-free departure check at the big airports.

Official siteSource: Digital Agency: Visit Japan Web · Japan Tourism Agency: Tax-free refund method

Safety tips

The Japan Tourism Agency's free app that pushes earthquake, tsunami and weather warnings in English and other languages.

Set up at home

Install it before you go and allow notifications. The Japan Official Travel App from JNTO sends the same alerts if you prefer one app for both.

Official siteSource: Japan Tourism Agency: Safety information for visitors

Taxis and ride hailing

GO

Japan's big taxi-hailing app, connecting you with licensed taxis in many cities.

Set up at home

It works in English, accepts international phone numbers for the SMS code, and lets you add an overseas credit card or Apple Pay so you pay in the app. Useful outside Tokyo too, where Uber has fewer cars.

Official siteSource: FUN! JAPAN: GO taxi app guide (Aug 2025)

Uber

Your home Uber account, which in Japan books licensed taxis and premium hire cars rather than private drivers.

No new sign-up needed, and your saved card works. It covers all 47 prefectures and the main airports, but cars can be thin in rural areas, so keep GO as a backup.

Official siteSource: Sakura Mobile: Uber in Japan (Jun 2026)

Metro, buses and city transport

Welcome Suica Mobile

JR East's English app for visitors that issues a Suica on your iPhone without membership or personal details.

Set up at homeLimited for visitors

iPhone and Apple Watch only for now, topped up with a card in Apple Pay. The Suica works on trains, buses and in shops showing the IC mark across Japan, and lets you tap through to non-reserved seats on JR East Shinkansen. Issuing or topping up is blocked in some countries, so if it fails at home, try again after you land.

Official siteSource: JR East: Welcome Suica Mobile · JR East press release (Feb 2025)

Japan Travel by NAVITIME

A route planner built for visitors, with train, bus and walking directions in English plus travel information.

Handy as a second opinion to Google Maps for rail routes and for checking which trains a rail pass covers. Some features sit behind a paid tier, so stick to the free route search unless you need more.

Official siteSource: ANA Japan Travel Planner: Navigation app (NAVITIME)

Trains and long-distance travel

smartEX

JR Central and JR West's booking app for the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, including Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka.

Set up at home

Register with an email address and a credit card that supports 3D Secure; some debit and prepaid cards are declined. Book early in peak seasons, and keep the confirmation email handy at the station.

Official siteSource: smartEX: How to register · Japan Today: Shinkansen reservations from overseas

Maps

Google Maps

Walking directions and train, subway and bus routes with platform-level detail in big cities.

Set up at home

Download offline maps of the cities you will visit before you fly. For long rail journeys, double-check the train type, since rapid and local trains on the same line stop at different stations.

Official siteSource: Google Maps

Paying

Suica, PASMO or ICOCA in Apple Wallet

A tap-to-ride IC card created right inside the Wallet app, used for trains, buses, vending machines and convenience stores.

Set up at homeLimited for visitors

On iPhone 8 or later, open Wallet, tap +, choose Transit Card and add a new Suica, PASMO or ICOCA, then load it from a card in Apple Pay; Express Mode switches on so you can tap without opening the phone. Android is harder: most phones sold outside Japan cannot add these cards, and JR East says Welcome Suica Mobile for Samsung Galaxy phones is planned for the first half of 2027, so Android users should plan to buy a physical IC card such as the Welcome Suica on arrival.

Official siteSource: Apple Support: Add a transit card to Apple Wallet in Japan · JR East press release on Samsung Galaxy support (Apr 2026)

Messaging and calls

LINE

Japan's everyday messaging app, used by hosts, guides and some restaurants for bookings and updates.

Set up at home

Sign up at home with your own number so the SMS code arrives before you land. WhatsApp is far less common in Japan.

Official siteSource: LINE

Food and delivery

Tabelog

Japan's main restaurant review site, now with a multilingual app for map search and online table bookings.

The English app lets you book a date, time and party size without phoning. Scores run lower than on Western sites, so compare places against each other rather than by the raw number.

Official siteSource: Kakaku.com via Business Wire: Tabelog multilingual app (Dec 2025)

Translation

Google Translate

Camera translation for menus, signs and ticket machines, plus voice conversation mode.

Set up at home

Download the Japanese offline pack before you fly. VoiceTra, a free speech translator from Japan's NICT research institute, is a good second option; update it to the latest version, as an older build was briefly suspended in August 2026 for a security fix.

Official siteSource: Google Translate · NICT: VoiceTra service update (Aug 2026) · VoiceTra

Money: Japanese yen (JPY)

Cards and IC cards like Suica are accepted in most chains, stations and city shops, and a growing number of rail lines let you tap a contactless bank card at the gates. Cash is still common at small restaurants, shrines, markets and rural spots, so carry some yen. Tipping is not part of Japanese culture, and good service is simply expected.

Practical things to know

Plugs
Types A and B (flat two-pin, the North American style); 100 V everywhere, at 50 Hz in eastern Japan and 60 Hz in the west including Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. Dual-voltage chargers work fine.
Emergency numbers
Police 110; ambulance and fire 119. The Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, answers 24 hours a day for travellers who need help.
Mobile data
Tourist eSIMs, airport SIM cards and pocket Wi-Fi are all easy to get. JR East has advertised up to 5GB of free monthly data via povo at some JR East Shinkansen stations and all Yamanote Line stations from 9 June 2026; check the Welcome Suica Mobile page for current terms.
Tax-free shopping
From 1 November 2026 you pay tax in the shop and claim it back at the airport before check-in. Keep every item from each receipt in your hand luggage until the customs check.
Tipping
Not expected anywhere, including taxis, restaurants and hotels.

Questions travelers ask

Do I need a visa for Japan?

Many passports, including US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian, can visit visa-free for short stays, usually up to 90 days. Rules depend on nationality, so check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa exemption list.

Do I need JESTA to visit Japan now?

No. JESTA is planned to start in fiscal 2028. Until then, visa-exempt visitors do not apply for any travel authorisation in advance.

Is Visit Japan Web mandatory?

It is the official online way to complete immigration and customs procedures in advance and makes arrival faster with QR codes. Japan's Digital Agency page does not describe it as compulsory, but filling it in before you fly is the easiest option.

Can I add Suica to my phone if I am a tourist?

Yes on iPhone 8 or later, through Apple Wallet or JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile app. Most Android phones bought outside Japan cannot, so Android users should buy a physical IC card.

How does tax-free shopping work in Japan from November 2026?

You pay the tax-inclusive price, then claim a refund when you leave Japan by passing a customs terminal or Visit Japan Web check before check-in with all the goods. The shop or its refund agent pays you back.

Does Uber work in Japan?

Yes, but it books licensed taxis and premium cars, not private drivers. GO is the local taxi app and accepts foreign phone numbers and cards.

Sources

Checked on 22 October 2026. Entry rules change, so confirm with the official links before you travel.

Found a mistake? Report a correction and we’ll check it against the source.

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