VPNs and other tools worth installing before you go, curated for travelers visiting Japan.
Safety tips is the official visitor-focused disaster app developed under Japan Tourism Agency supervision.
Japan's official visitor-focused app for earthquake, tsunami, weather, heat, volcano and civil-protection alerts.
It can push earthquake early warnings, tsunami, volcanic, severe-weather, heat-illness and civil-protection information in multiple languages. It also includes evacuation information, medical-facility links, communication cards and emergency contacts. This is a genuinely useful install because Japan's hazards can develop quickly and local alerts may otherwise arrive only in Japanese. Select the relevant locations, allow notifications, test the app and keep it updated.
Store ratings show reliability and setup complaints, so it must supplement, not replace, official local announcements, station staff, hotel instructions and emergency calls. Keep the phone charged and save information offline because mobile networks can be congested after a major event. Police is 110 and fire or ambulance is 119. JNTO's Japan Visitor Hotline is 050-3816-2787 within Japan and should be rechecked before travel.
If an earthquake occurs, protect yourself from falling objects and follow official evacuation instructions. Move away from the coast immediately when warned of a tsunami. For typhoons, heat, snow and volcanic areas, change plans early rather than trusting a normal map or train schedule. Do not share unverified social-media alerts.
Safety tips is the top-rated utilities app in Japan. Japan's official visitor-focused app for earthquake, tsunami, weather, heat, volcano and civil-protection alerts.
Bento recommends one utilities app in Japan, checked in 2026.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Japan with plans from $0.58 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Set up payments, maps and transport before entering mainland China
Use Octopus to pay, Citymapper to travel, and MyObservatory for official weather warnings
Use Naver Map, visitor-ready taxi and dining apps, and a separate transit balance
Official bus tracking, metered taxis and typhoon alerts for Macau
Cash, a physical EasyCard and a few well-chosen apps cover most trips
