Settling into Tokyo can feel like everyone around you already knows a secret you missed. A landlord asks for your LINE, a restaurant only takes PayPay, a sign at the station is all in kanji, and your phone buzzes with an earthquake alert before you have even unpacked. The reassuring part: a small handful of apps quietly handle most of this. Once they are on your phone, the city gets a lot friendlier. Here are the ones worth setting up first.
The apps that run daily life
- LINE (messaging) - by far the dominant chat app in Japan. Friends, classmates, landlords, clinics and many shops expect to reach you here for free messages and calls, so it is usually the first thing people install.
- Maps and transit - Google Maps is excellent for walking and door-to-door directions and shows train times well. For deeper Japan train and timetable searches, planners like Jorudan (Japan Transit Planner) and NAVITIME are popular and available in English.
- Translation - Google Translate handles text, voice, websites and camera translation (point it at a menu or a sign to read it), while DeepL is loved for natural-sounding text and document translation. Having both covers most situations.
- Disaster and weather - Japan has earthquakes and typhoons, so an alert app matters. The government-backed Safety tips app (from the Japan Tourism Agency) pushes earthquake early warnings and tsunami and weather alerts in many languages; Yahoo! Bosai (防災速報) is a hugely popular Japanese-language alternative. NHK's app (NHK WORLD-JAPAN) is a reliable, English-friendly source for disaster and weather news.
- Payments - PayPay is the most widely seen QR-code pay app and is accepted almost everywhere. A mobile Suica or PASMO card in your phone's wallet lets you tap through ticket gates and pay at the konbini.
- Food delivery - Uber Eats and Demae-can (出前館) bring food (and from some stores, groceries) to your door across Tokyo. Uber Eats offers an English interface; Demae-can is mainly in Japanese but has the widest local coverage.
- Shopping and secondhand - Mercari (メルカリ) is Japan's largest marketplace for buying and selling used items, a budget-saver when you are furnishing a new apartment.
Keep at least one disaster-alert app installed, with notifications turned on, before you ever need it. The Safety tips and Yahoo! Bosai apps send earthquake early warnings that can give you precious seconds to take cover. App features, languages and sign-up requirements change over time, so confirm the current details on each official site below before you rely on them.
- Set up LINE early - many everyday services and people will ask for it, and it is the simplest way to stay reachable.
- Most payment apps (PayPay) and mobile transit cards work best with a Japanese phone number and a Japanese bank account or card, so expect to add them after you settle in rather than on day one.
- Turn on notifications for your disaster app and add your home and workplace as saved locations where the app allows it.
- Download Google Translate's offline language packs for Japanese and English so the camera and text translation still work when you have no signal.
- Some apps and services are easier to set up with a Japanese-language interface; the translation apps above can help you read screens while you get used to them.
- Do I really need LINE?
- Practically speaking, yes. It is the default messaging app in Japan, and friends, landlords and many local services will assume you have it. It is free to install and use for messages and calls.
- Which translation app is best?
- It depends on the task. Google Translate is great for camera and voice translation on the go (reading menus and signs), while DeepL often produces more natural text for emails or documents. Many people keep both.
- Can I add Suica or PASMO to my phone?
- On many phones you can add a Suica or PASMO card to the wallet and tap through stations and shops, topping it up from a registered card. Compatibility and steps depend on your phone, so check the official guide for your device before relying on it.
- Do I need a Japanese phone number for these apps?
- Some, like PayPay and mobile payment setups, generally do need a Japanese phone number and a Japanese bank account or card. Messaging, maps and translation apps usually work without one. Check each official site for current requirements.
If something touches an official procedure - for example reporting a lost residence card or a stolen phone - these apps are not the right place to handle it. Contact the relevant office (such as your local immigration or municipal office, the police, or your embassy) directly. This guide is general orientation, not advice for your specific situation.
