There’s that moment when you land in Japan for the first time, get through the baggage claim and ride the train into the big city. Maybe you stand in the middle of Shibuya’s “Scramble Crossing“, delaying traffic while you take […]
Arriving in Tokyo, you may be excited to see all the cool high-tech stuff that’s just a part of everyday life here in the eastern capital. But then when you stop in at a café and pull out your phone […]
New to Tokyo Cheapo? Read this. We’ve put together a Tokyo for Beginners introductory guide that will help you use our (invaluable) resources to get the most out of Tokyo on a budget. From reasonable ramen to inexpensive ways of […]
Getting online isn’t always as easy as you might think in a super-tech country like Japan, but it’s getting better. With the run-up to the Olympics, the government and the tourism industry are scrambling to make the country more connected and tourist-friendly. And getting cheap – and even free – internet access is totally possible if you know where to look.
For getting online in Japan, you can now order mobile routers and data sim cards online before you arrive, plus you can also buy “tourist” data sims at some electronic stores like BIC Camera. Cafés with wi-fi, still aren’t quite as ubiquitous as you may be used to in other countries, but the situation is improving. Also many convenience stores and train lines have complimentary free wifi, usually with some sort of (not too difficult) registration process required.
We also cover topics like VPNs, and we even explain how to sleep surrounded by the sweet sweet embrace of internet in the glow of a dozen computer screens at a manga café. And we’ve got tips and interviews for entrepreneurs, too.
Finally, popular applications for Tokyoites include Line and Vine – but those will probably be out of date by the time we hit “publish.”
Image Credit Michael Himbeault used under CC license
Investigating Japan SIM cards? If you balk at the enormous monthly fees and hidden charges of the big mobile players like NTT DoCoMo, Softbank and AU, you might have contemplated going the “SIM-free” route—ditching your locked cellphone for an unlocked […]
If you’re wondering how best to stay connected while you’re traveling through Japan, a wifi router might be the solution. Easier to set up than SIM cards, especially useful if you have multiple devices (e.g. two phones, a tablet, laptop […]
This post by Kyle Mullin was originally published on Tokyo Weekender. Doesn’t the prospect of scaling Japan’s most famous peak make you think about Wifi access? It may be a towering, world famous summit—and one way to climb above the […]
When you’re in Tokyo and your gadgets break down, it can be difficult to get by when you don’t know any Japanese. The necessary technical terms and explanations can already be incomprehensible in English, let alone in Japanese. Moreover, repair […]
Free Wi-Fi in Tokyo is notoriously hard to find. Most first time visitors to the city are shocked at how scarce it is. After all, Tokyo is one of the world’s most modern cities, right? If you’re just looking to […]
For somewhere that has such an over abundance of fast wireless internet options, it can be quite difficult to cheaply get on the net when visiting or staying short term in Tokyo. Unless someone else is paying the bill (ie. […]
