Life in Japan is not easy for foreigners who are not fluent in Japanese. Even after my seven years here, I still struggle to remember the train schedules specially the last train.
Here is my list of helpful websites and mobile apps that will make your life here in Japan a little better.
Google Translate
Google Translate is definitely a must have application if your Japanese language skill is still rusty.
Here are the reasons why I like it:
- Aside from text translations, you can do image and Augmented Reality (AR) translations with the use of your mobile phone’s camera.
- You can type in romaji and it will still try to translate it to your desired language.
- You can download the translation data so you won’t need to be connected to the internet while doing the translation.
Excite Translator
https://www.excite.co.jp/world/english_japanese/
Excite Translator is a translation tool just like Google Translate (with only limited feature). And while they have the same purpose, most of the time, Excite Translator uses more appropriate or more formal translation than Google Translate. This is good when you’re writing emails and messages to your colleagues.
Jorudan – Japan Transit Planner
https://world.jorudan.co.jp/mln/en/?sub_lang=nosub
I know there are a lot of apps and website where you can check train schedule but for me, Jorudan, will always be my go to website for checking train schedule and transfers.
It provides a simple UI to input the starting station and destination station. You can also input the date and time you want to ride from the starting station or arrive in your destination.
Trip.com
Trip.com is my go to website for finding cheap flights. This one saved me a lot of money when I travel for a Philippine vacation.
Our usual round trip flight fare from Tokyo to Manila is around 40-70,000 yen during off peak season but with Trip.com, you can find fare for as low as 20-30,000 yen.
TransferWise
TransferWise is one of the money transfer services I use (aside from MetroBank). TransferWise has the best exchange rate and easy to use and track because they have a mobile application.
There you go. I will update this list every time I find new useful websites and mobile apps.