Best Apps for Getting Around Japan: Maps, Train Times and Taxis

Apps and navigation

You can plan nearly every trip on your phone: it shows the platform, the fare and the exit. A route planner and a map are the two apps to have, plus a way to get data as soon as you land.

Best for trains

Google Maps or a route planner

Taxi

GO or Uber, in big cities

Data

SIM, eSIM or pocket wifi

The short answer

Google Maps shows train times, platforms and fares for most routes.
Navitime and Jorudan are route planners built for Japan and show alternatives and walking exits.
GO and Uber let you call a taxi and pay by app.
Arrange data before you land, so your maps work from the airport.

Route planners and maps

Google Maps handles most Japanese train trips. It gives departure times, the platform and the fare, and warns you about delays. Navitime and Jorudan have more detail, such as the car that stops closest to the stairs, and a quicker option or a cheaper one.

Check that the route has the train type you want. A faster rapid train that skips your stop will not help, and an app shows which trains stop at your station. Save your hotel in the map app in Japanese, so that you can show it to a driver.

Taxi and ticket apps

GO is the most widely used taxi app in Japan, and Uber works in several large cities. The apps give you a fixed price in many cases, so you know the fare before you ride. Smart EX and the JR apps handle shinkansen reservations.

A translation app helps with menus and station signs. Most can read text through the camera and translate it.

Staying online

Free wifi is limited, so get data before you travel. An eSIM or physical SIM works with an unlocked phone and starts when you land. Pocket wifi is a small portable hotspot that you collect at the airport or have delivered to your hotel, and it suits groups who want to share one connection.

Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM, if you choose one, before you buy. Download an offline map of your city as a backup.

Good to know

Charge your phone at night. A small battery pack is useful on long days.
Screenshot the route in case you lose signal in an underground station.
Save your hotel name and address in Japanese.

Words you will see

乗換案内 norikae annai: route planner, transfer guide
時刻表 jikokuhyō: timetable
遅延 chien: delay
運休 unkyū: service suspended

Handy for your trip

Stay online in Japan

A data SIM or pocket wifi keeps your maps and train apps working.

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✓The short answer