Useful apps and websites for Japan visits

These are the apps and websites that are saving my life at the moment.

 Japanese Pro
Japanese Pro by Codegent, free version available called Learn Japanese Phrasebook but I went for the upgrade version which cost $4.99.For the Pro version you get extra topic areas and more phrases under each topic area. There are 20 topics in all.

I have found the general conversation and menu options the most useful but the dating and tongue twister sections are the funniest.

Here is a sample from the dating section:

You click on the phrase you want to say and it will play it for you in Japanese.

I have played a few of the phrases to people at volunteering and at restaurants. It seems to work well but I'm not sure about dating someone via a language app or proposing marriage, apparently you ask someone to marry you by saying "Kekkon shitekuremasenka" handily listed above "Denwa shitekonaide" which means "Stop calling me".

Japan Travel

As I spend a lot of time wandering around by myself or trying to find Chris in tiny craft beer bars, this app has been a lifesaver.

 Also very helpful to find free wif-fi spots, nearby tourist attractions and the like.

If you click on 'Free Wi-Fi Spots' it will show you a list of locations and how far away they are. (There is also free wi-fi at the metro and JR train stations but you will need to register on their site with an email address.)

 If you click on 'Must See' it will show you interesting places nearby and when you select one it will drop a pin on the map to show you where they area.

Or if you are looking for a particular store, click on 'Search Around Me' and boom it will show you the closest convenience stores, train stations, ATM's etc. (Note that only 7 11 stores and Citibank will accept western style bank cards. Japanese banks and ATM's can't process them.)

If you click on 'Transit search' on the blue box on the homepage and enter the stations you want to travel to and from, it will show you the different options, including number of line changes, how long it will take and the cost of the train ticket.

When you click on your preferred option it will also tell you the weather. (I think the umbrella with a sun, means sunny with some showers?)

And if you need to change train lines it will tell you the best carriage to get on to be closest to the correct exit when you need to change lines. For the option below, you should get on carriage 6 on the Hibiya line to be closest to the exit for the JR line you need to switch to at Ebisu station.

All these options are available on the free version. The upgrade version gets you voice navigation, service status notifications and a current station list which tracks which station you are at but it will cost you $7.99 for 7 days, $16.99 for 30 days or $59.99 for a year. The upgrade cost seems a bit of a ripoff considering you can use google maps for voice navigation if you really need it, I guess the catch is you need wifi for google maps whereas you don't need internet connection to use this app, you only need  the GPS switched on through your phone.

Japan-Guide.com

www.japan-guide.com 

Excellent website that has information about everything you could possibly wish to know about travelling & living in Japan. Has been a very helpful reference tool for us when buying sumo tickets, looking up train timetables,festival calenders etc.

Japan - the official guide

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

This website is the Japan National Tourism website, so lots of advertising as you would expect.
But it also has lots of gorgeous photos which I can spend hours pouring over and the suggested itineraries are helpful when planning trips outside of Tokyo.

Time Out Tokyo

http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo

This website is great if you want to check out what is happening on any given week in Tokyo.
I particularly like the 'Things to do this week' section. Very helpful if you have spare time on your hands and want to see something different like an exhibition or a festival.