There are many WiFi hotspots that you can normally join free of charge for a short period of time. Some common places with free WiFi include: JR stations, riding on a bullet train, hotels, and some pockets of major downtown areas.

For remote or constant use, don’t forget to purchase a travel e-Sim card or rent a pocket WiFi at the airport or have it sent to your hotel. I have never used a pocket WiFi before as travel e-Sim cards are pretty convenient now a days and you can turn it on as soon as you arrive instead of using your home carrier’s roam feature which are expensive.

There is an app for everything these days but the most useful one is going to be your rail app. Rail apps in Japan are on the next level as it will effortless tell you how to get anywhere, at anytime, on any day, now, or in the future, by: cost, arrival time, departure time, number of transfers, and with or without a JR Pass.

If you are using your cell phone as your virtual tour guide, make sure to keep your cell phone fully charged before heading out. If you don’t have an external power bank handy, you can buy one at one of the electronic giants: Yodobashi Camera or BiC Camera.

Both are useful to finding the way around Japan. My personal experience is that I sometimes find them to be less accurate then dedicated transit apps for how to get somewhere.

Also, I find constant using of the maps applications a drain on the battery of my phone so I try to use sparingly. Keep a battery bank handy. Also, many places have signage around tourist friendly areas in English to help point the way to famous landmarks.