The Wi-Fi and the internet is now part of the daily life of people. A few years back, the case was not the same. But now, everyone wants to be connected all the time and you would want to make sure that when you travel to Japan you can share your experiences and constantly keep in touch with the online world. Unless one is going to a retreat, travelers nowadays would want to be connected online. Whether it is for social media, personal, or business purposes, the internet is important wherever you are in the world. Besides, Japan is too beautiful not to share online!
Free Japanese Wi-Fi Access Apps
The Japanese are clever enough to make mobile phone applications that compile thousands of hotspots across Japan and make registration streamlined for a hassle free internet life for your travel to Japan. Check out two of the said mobile applications below:
- Japan Connected Free Wi-Fi: Japan Connected Free Wi-Fi is a free smartphone app that unifies the registration process of over 100,000 free tourist hotspots by numerous companies and organizations so that visitors can use them all without having to register for each service individually. Some of your personal data will be asked upon registration. This is a must download app if you want a hassle free internet connection.Th econvinience and reliability of this application is wihtout measure for tourists as it is also available in English language.
- Travel Japan Wi-Fi: this is another awesome app that allows you 14 days or two weeks of free internet access for over 60,000 internet hotspots across Japan. Unlike Japan Connected Free Wi-Fi, registration for Travel Japan Wi-Fi is not required. There is also a premium code option for some of the partners where the number of free hotspots you can have access to is increased to 200,000 from 60,000 initially.
- NAVITIME Travel App: Also, a tourist outside of Japan can get ready to visit the country by downloading the iOS or Android rendition of the NAVITIME for Japan Travel application and get an ID and secret password in advance. The application additionally offers an increased reality mode that visualizes for you photos of the area where an accessible Wi-Fi hotspot can found.
All the above applications mentioned are free and are made available in both iOs and Android phones.
Get Into Free Wi-Fi Hotspots with Your Passport
Other than the use of free applications, Japan has other ways that one can receive free access to the internet. If you do not have enough space on your smartphone to download another application you may opt to get free internet access with your passport (open to foreign nationals only). There is a program propelled by Japan’s biggest telecommunications company, NTT Communications that is intended to serve tourists on the chase for Wi-Fi. At the point when a tourist touches base at a Japanese airport, they can show their passport and enlist for a Wi-Fi card that offers free Wi-Fi scope by across around 45,000 locations in the eastern area of Japan including Tokyo, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, Nagano, Nikko, Hokkaido and Fukushima. This was largely part of the grand scheme of Japan to attract more foreign visitors to their country.
Be that as it may, you can only avail this free for 14 days or 336 hours. Any amount of usage above 14 days will be charged accordingly. Softbank is another internet provider in Japan that offers free passport Wi-FI for 14 days. You are lucky if your local telecommunications company in your home country is associated with Softbank. If it is, your mobile phone will automatically be using the Softbank network upon landing in Japan. You can then call a toll free number that will provide you with a secret passcode, which gives you free internet connection and can be utilized on up to five gadgets. However, you can avail of prepaid data services for a certain fee if you plan to use over two weeks. There are daily, weekly, monthly, and 365-day internet packages. Depending on which terms would best suit your needs there are several data options available offered by different telecommunications companies. Asahi Net and Wimax are some of the other companies aside from NTT and Softbank that provides internet connections in homes, phone devices, and pocket wi-fi.
Be Sure that Your Hotel is has Unlimited Wi-Fi Hotpots
A larger part of lodgings in Japan offer free web in their visitor rooms. A couple of inns, ordinarily some higher end Western chains, require an additional payment for visitors who need an internet connection. The internet connection offered typically comes in either access to wifi within the checked-in room or a LAN connection. Most guides would suggest that this only be availed for emergency situations as generally this would be a waste of your yen and there are many ways to get free wifi. Older and less extravagant hotels or inns might require you to head to a common room or a business center for a wifi connection. Keep in mind that in cases such as these, sometimes there is a limit to the number of devices that can connect to the internet thus in times of a fully booked hotel competition for wifi may emerge.
For those visiting or looking to visit Japan, a ryokan is a wonderful and often recommended experience. These traditional Japanese inns keep the ambiance of the old ways alive and thus most of them might have the most basic of technologies. The initial reaction one might have for the lack of internet connection is shock, as Japan is one of the most modern countries in the world, but it is best to understand that there are many properties in Japan support the ancient way, which does not include wifi.
It is best to inquire you accommodation immediately if they offer Wi-FI connection in the hotel rooms. If not, ask specifically where it is only available so you can assess if this would be amenable to you. Also, you can easily search online for travel guides if the hotel or ryokan offers internet connection. Better yet, check the reviews just to make sure the wifi is reliable!
Starbucks Wi-Fi
Everybody adores free stuff, everybody adores the web, almost everybody adores coffee, and everybody loves free wi-fi with good (although paid) coffee from Starbucks!
Most Starbucks Cafes in Japan offer free Wi-Fi. This may be the obvious choice for coffee lovers and for those who are traveling Japan for a short while, free Wi-Fi in Starbucks would be enough. All you have to do is to connect to the Starbucks launch browser and log-in with any of your social media accounts. You may also opt to log-in through your e-mail but the process is more tedious thus logging-in through social media is the preferred option. Upon logging-in it would give you one hour of continuous connection. Afterwhich, you will be automatically logged out. But do not fret since you can log-in again and get one hour of free continuous Wi-Fi again. Although this would be a problem for those who are watching movies since it will interrupt you in the middle of the viewing. But who can complain if you are sipping through a really good cup of a grande Caramel Frappucino from Starbucks.
Skype Wi-Fi
You may have heard of Skype as the online messaging and video call app. In Japan though, Skype has a unique partnership with a few of Japan's significant Wi-Fi providers, which permits you to utilize the Skype Wi-Fi application to sidestep the Japanese login and pay for web access in your own local money by means of your Skype account. Utilization is charged incrementally and is moderately costly.
Wi-Fi Providers in Japan have Rental Smartphones
A few companies lease cell phones that incorporate boundless information and Wi-Fi tying, successfully transforming them into individual hotspots. This can be an incredible incentive as the gadgets fill in as both a rental telephone and as a methods for associating with the web in a hurry. Both iphone and android models are accessible to lease once a day at real Japanese air terminals. Some wi-fi providers especially the big ones even offer rental smartphones in english. Just make sure that you return the smartphone and not lose it because in the unfortunate event that you accidentally lose the smartphone you will be charged for the full price of the phone. If you would not want to take the risk of losing a rental smartphone, it is suggested that you buy a Japanese sim card instead.
The individuals who wish to utilize their own particular cell phones or tablets to get to the web in Japan can get SIM cards that gives internet access to your smart devices. A wide cluster of arrangements are accessible to vacationers. Plans vary in connection speeds, network utilized and information exchange limits. These data plans are normally accessible for a predefined time limit or for a predetermined data limit. SIM cards are accessible at airports, chosen retailers in Japan, hotels, or you can even have it delivered straight to your doorstep.
Free Portable Wi-Fi Routers with Airbnb Japan
One of the best advantages of Airbnb (aside from lower prices) is free Wi-Fi. And this is not just some sluggish hotel Wi-Fi with the slowest internet speed you can ever get (especially if the hotel is fully booked). One of the most common hotel complaint nowadays, is unreliable internet connections. With Airbnb, you get free Wi-Fi included in your bill. Some even go to great lengths in providing free portable Wi-FI for customers that can accommodate up to five connections! That is really a good deal. Having a pocket Wi-Fi is the most ideal when you want fast unlimited internet access in Japan. Plus, it is portable! You can literally bring it with you everywhere as you explore Japan and share your photos and videos to your loved ones or in your social media pages real time. Should one be travelling with a large group and the complimentary wifi router is found to be insufficient for the group’s needs, it is suggested that the group rent extra portable routers which typically costs around 6000 jpy a week. These come with the standard 3g connection with speeds of 2 - 5 Mbps. For a higher price one may rent the type of portable wifi that is LTE capable, that typically averages at 75 Mbps downloading speed. Some of these providers have a maximum data usage per day thus it is advised that users take necessary steps to stay within the daily limits. It is a good thing that with the rise of HTML5, many videos and websites have been produced specifically for mobile users thus limiting the data that is consumed when visiting these sites.
Wi-Fi is a Necessity
It is understandable that having reliable Internet access enables you to stay in contact with family and companions, complete work at times that you cannot avoid work even if you are in vacation, and make any last minute accommodation changes, car rental, and flight reservations. Also sharing your experience via web-based networking media is like the most normal thing for human beings to do nowadays. You can likewise arrange touring visits and day trips and research more on the place that you are visiting. The accessibility and nature of Internet connection differ significantly from place to place even within Japan. On the off chance that dependable Internet service is crucial to you, do your research early keeping in mind the end goal to make things as agony free as could be expected under the circumstances. This is especially critical if you have to work away at your travel.
Having internet connection with you as you travel is also beneficial even if you are just on vacation. Especially in a country like Japan where there is language barrier being connected to the internet will make your life super easy. You can search for directions online and even use Google Maps real time as you traverse your way from one temple to another. You can also look for simple Japanese translations that can help you explain yourself to locals who do not understand or speak english or your local language very well. You can easily look at reviews of a restaurant if you can’t decide on where to eat. Train, bus, and flight schedules can also be at the palm of your hand if you have good portable internet connection. You can also easily reorganize your itinerary if you have internet connection. There are really many practical advantages to having a reliable Wi-Fi when you travel and in Japan you are open to different networks and options of connectivity.