The apps to download before you go to Japan
Japan is easy with the right four or five apps, and confusing without them. Here's the short list.
Glütty · 14 October 2026
Getting around
Google Maps
Transit directions in Japan include departure times, fares and which station exit to use.
- Best for:
- Almost every journey.
- Watch out:
- Japanese reviewers rate harshly, so restaurant scores often look lower than at home.
- Platforms:
- iPhone, Android
- Price:
- Free
Welcome Suica Mobile
JR East's visitor app for a Suica card on your iPhone. Tap through ticket gates and pay in shops.
- Best for:
- iPhone users who want to skip ticket machines.
- Watch out:
- iPhone only. Android visitors need a physical card for now.
- Platforms:
- iPhone
- Price:
- Free app; you top up the balance
Japan Travel by NAVITIME
Rail planning with pass filters for complicated train journeys.
- Best for:
- Long-distance and rail-pass trips.
- Watch out:
- Overkill for city-only trips.
- Platforms:
- iPhone, Android
- Price:
- Free with paid extras
Eating
Tabelog
Japan's biggest restaurant review site, with an English version.
- Best for:
- Finding where locals actually eat.
- Watch out:
- Scores run low; a 3.5 is good.
- Platforms:
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Price:
- Free
Google Translate (camera)
Point at printed text and see a translation over the top.
- Best for:
- Signs and printed menus.
- Watch out:
- Gives you words, not what the dish is. Handwritten menus are hard.
- Platforms:
- iPhone, Android
- Price:
- Free
Glütty
Scan, upload or paste a link to any menu. Every dish is translated into your language, explained in plain words, and can be shown as a picture. Members also get a match score for each dish based on their own taste profile, plus dietary flags.
- Best for:
- Menus in Japanese. Glütty reads vertical columns, keeps prices in yen, shows the translated dish name with the Japanese underneath to point at, and explains what each dish is.
- Watch out:
- Free accounts get three menu scans a month. Match scores, taste memory and unlimited scans need the £8.99/month membership.
- Platforms:
- Web app, works in any phone browser
- Price:
- Free tier; membership £8.99/month
What's different about Japan
Many small restaurants have Japanese-only menus, sometimes handwritten, often with dish names that don't translate word for word. A literal translation of 親子丼 gives you "parent and child bowl". You need to know it's chicken and egg over rice. See Google Translate alternatives for menus.
