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Tokyo Street Photos That I Love: #Akihabara (#秋葉原)

You might have already known that I, a blogger of LightPocket, am a photographer specializing in Tokyo, and taking pics of this city for years. In this “Tokyo Street Photos” series, I’ve curated great pictures of Tokyo by the photographers/strollers I come across through everyday netsurfin.   This time, photos I’ve […]

Tokyo Street Photos That I Love: #Shibuya

You might have already known that I, a blogger of LightPocket, am a photographer specializing in Tokyo, and taking pics of this city for years. In this “Tokyo Street Photos” series, I’ve curated great pictures of Tokyo by the photographers/strollers I come across through everyday netsurfin.   This time, photos I’ve […]

Tokyo Street Photos That I Love: #Shinjuku

You might have already known that, I, a blogger of LightPocket, am a photographer specializing in Tokyo, and taking pics of this city for years. In this “Tokyo Street Photos” series, I’ve curated great pictures of Tokyo by the photographers/strollers I come across through everyday netsurfing.   This time, photos I’ve […]

Tokyo Street Photos That I Love: #Asakusa

You might have already known that, I, a blogger of LightPocket, am a photographer specializing in Tokyo, and taking pics of this city for years. In this “Tokyo Street Photos” series, I’ve curated great pictures of Tokyo by the photographers/strollers I come across through everyday netsurfing.   Photos I’ve selected for […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 9: Lake Akan (Kushiro, Hokkaido)

Today’s LightPocket blog starts with a breathtaking video, which contains beautiful scenes of Lake Akan, this blog post’s topic.     Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially when you travel abroad. But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity […]

Are You a First-Time Traveler to Japan? Then, Using an Airport Bus is the Most Smart Transportation to City For You

For a first time traveler to Japan, it is difficult to get straight to the place you want to go by train as you need to get accustomed with (a little) complicated train routes in Japan. And this may fit not only beginners but veterans because even I, a Japanese […]

Which Is The Best Option to Rent A Pocket WiFi at Narita Airport (Chiba)?

You can rent a pocket WiFi router at the Narita Airport, and can rent it once after arriving as Narita Airport has counters specializing in renting pocket WiFi routers. What kind of a rental service is the best for people who has a plan to rent a pocket WiFi router […]

[Bookmark Recommended] Basic Knowledge That Helps When You are in Emergency in Japan

2018 is closing . . . in this year, Japan has experienced several severe natural disasters. If you are a Japan-travel-conscious people, you might easily be able to remind of Osaka earthquake (June 18th) and Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake (September 6th), which deeply affected not only people living in Japanese, but […]

Which Is The Best Option to Rent A Pocket WiFi at New Chitose Airport (Hokkaido)?

You can rent a pocket WiFi router at the New Chitose Airport, and can rent it once after arriving as New Chitose Airport has counters specializing in renting pocket WiFi routers. What kind of a rental service is the best for people who has a plan to rent a pocket […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 8: The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses (Gifu)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially when you travel abroad. But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand? Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), and SoftBank […]

4 Japan Proxy Shopping Services To Get Must-buy/Exclusive Items Sold in Japan *OCT 2 Updated!

One day, I came across a post on reddit in which people talking about a very interesting topic: Reddit / What did you wish you bought in Japan or Japan exclusive items to bring home? (self.JapanTravel) Happily (or . . . worse?), the original poster hasn’t been to Japan yet. Seemingly he/she […]

Can Your Pocket WiFi Work Fine on Popular Zoos and Aquariums in Japan? Along with Latest Ranking by TripAdvisor Ranking

TripAdvisor has announced on September 20 that the latest ranking of Zoos and Aquariums, named “旅好きが選ぶ！日本の動物園・水族館ランキング2018” or “Selected by Travelphiles! Top Ranking of Zoos and Aquariums in Japan 2018.”   This chart is based on online reviews in Japanese posted on TripAdvisor website for past a year. Although (or . […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 7: Shiratani Unsuikyo Valley (Kagoshima)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially when you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), […]

Traveling to Japan? Then take a look at benefits of WiFi rental service

Are you looking forward to travel to Japan anytime soon? Are you worried about staying connected to the internet during your stay? Then you must take a look at the pocket Wi-Fi service offered by LightPocket. What is the pocket Wi-Fi rental service? Pocket WiFi router is a small device […]

Comprehensive Lists of Prepaid SIM Cards Sold at Convenience Stores at Narita Airport (2018 April Edition)

A number of foreign travelers to Japan is increasing every year, and you might have already known, that number is dramatically increasing especially recently. To meet the high demand of the internet connection by such people, Narita airport, the most used airport as a gateway to Japan, has lots of […]

Which Is The Best Option to Rent A Pocket WiFi at Kansai Airport (Osaka)?

You can rent a pocket WiFi router at the Kansai airport, and can rent it once after arriving as Kansai airport has counters specializing in renting pocket WiFi routers. What kind of a rental service is the best for people who has a plan to rent a pocket WiFi router […]

Fuji-Q Highland Admission Fee Will Be Free & Practically Be User Friendly

All lovers of Japanese amusement parks must check: The Price of the entrance ticket of Fuji-Q Highland (1,500YEN/Adult) will be free parmanently from this summer.   If you are very cautious, you might think that there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. That’s, partially, right.   Along with […]

3 Recommended Websites To Learn Japanese More Faster, Smarter, and Enjoyable

Imagine that — when you get around Japan –, you could speak and read Japanese fluently same as people living in Japan. You can easily assume that you might be able to get a lot from Japan far more than you cannot.   But, learning Japanese is easy? Unfortunately, I […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 6: The Hakone Open-Air Museum (Kanagawa)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), and […]

Japan Travel Answer & Solution: What’s The Difference Between “Standard” & “Premium” Pocket WiFi Plans?

  I received a very interesting inquiry from an international visitor to Japan, asking At some websites of portable WiFi device, they offer some premium models for Hokkaido or rural places. If I rent standard WiFi device and just go to cities like Sapporo, Asahikawa, Abashiri, etc., can’t I use […]

Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba

Unicorn Gundam landed in Odaiba in Autumn 2017. It is one of the recommended places to visit in Tokyo. I went to Odaiba last weekend and stopped by in front of Unicorn Gundam. There were so many people taking pictures. The highlight of the new statue exhibition is the transformation […]

Differences Between Prepaid SIM Card and Rental SIM Card

SIM Cards for Visitors from Outside of Japan All the SIM cards for visitors from outside of Japan can be categorized in two types: Prepaid SIM or Rental SIM. Most of them use the same network from NTT Docomo, one of the largest mobile phone operators in Japan. Their network […]

5 Must-Have Apps to Get Around Japan

In this article, I will introduce five essential apps to get around Japan in order of priority. You might have known some of these already as they are basics. Yet, basics deserve to be introduced as many times as they are needed. All of their basic functionalities are provided for […]

Japan Travel Answer & Solution: Why Slow Internet Speed in Certain Period of Time?

  I received a very interesting inquiry from a visitor to Japan, asking In Japan, why is the data communication speed limited for 30 minutes from 12:15 to 12:45? Is it a technical reason, or a cultural one? This is seemingly easy question to answer, but actually, it can be […]

Japan Prepaid SIM Cards / Rental Pocket WiFi Routers Comprehensive Comparison Lists

As many countries have, Japan also has a lot of companies offering prepaid SIM cards or rental pocket WiFi routers. Actually, there are a little too much to choose the best one for your travel out of them. Today I’ll introduce to you several “God” web sites, each listing a […]

Japan Pocket WiFi Rental Best Solution: Pre-order It!

If you are going to rent a pocket WiFi router in your travel in Japan, I strongly recommend that you pre-order it, not order it. In this blog post, I will write the reason why you had better pre-order a pocket WiFi. *If you are still searching which ways you should take […]

Farewell, Free WiFi Paradise in Japan

This might be not a good news for international travelers to Japan, but perhaps it should have come at some point to 2020. Free WiFi spots in Japan are highly likely to be regulated in the near future. The Japan government Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) firmed up […]

In 2018, WiFi Situation On Shinkansen Will Be Changed Dramatically

Good news about Japan travel should be sent to everyone having a plan to visit Japan as soon as possible. Shinkansen, or bullet trains in Japan, will approach on our side next year. JR East & JR West officially announced simultaneously last week that they are starting offering public wireless LAN […]

Prepaid SIM or Pocket WiFi? Try Easy Checker for Your Best Internet Connection in Your Japan Travel

Every week, somewhere in forums regarding Japan travel, almost the same topics are posted repeatedly, one after another. That is, “During my trip to Japan, can I get connected with the internet?” Some of them, who posted such topic, even might not know differences between SIM cards and pocket WiFi […]

Useful Websites to Get Around Japan: Guide Websites Part.2

This is the second part of “Useful Websites to Get Around Japan: Guide Websites.” Although we’ve carefully curated, there are so many services which should be spread out and must help international travelers to Japan. Let’s roll out our second installment.   1.POCKET CONCIERGE Pocket Concierge is an online restaurant […]

Transportation Route Guides All Over Japan: Railway Services w/ Recommended Spots

According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s report, one of the biggest concerns about Japan travel is how to get information about a public transportation route to a destination in Japan. Japan has a well-developed and large network of public transportation, in which a tremendous number of routes by rails, buses, […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 5: Koyasan Okunoin w/ English Website Link

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), and […]

Japan Travel Tips: Luggage Transfer & Storage Service List

Getting around Japan with your suitcases is, tough. They annoy you as they are heavy and it’s hard for you to walk with for a long distance. Even enjoyable Japan travel could decrease its enjoyment. I think that, before/during Japan travel, people having that kind of a problem, which needs […]

WiFi Accessibility On Shinkansen (Bullet Trains)

  JAPAN RAIL PASS is a special JR railway ticket sold at a very reasonable price exclusively available for overseas travelers to Japan. With this ticket, you can go throughout Japan by rail, including Shinkansen (bullet trains). Even by rail, considering transportation from your home to an airport and from […]

Basic Knowledge To Make A Phone Call in Japan: How to Contract, IP-Phone, Prepaid SIM with Phone Number

For traveling, to study, for business, or temporarily returning. There are people visiting Japan with various purposes. I think that a certain number of people in that group may come to need to make a phone call for various reasons. For one such reason, either in Japan or to outside […]

Useful Knowledge to Use Internet in Japan: 5 Networks of Pocket WiFi / Prepaid SIM Card

Japan has mostly 5 networks to enable people to use the internet, and each has strengths and weaknesses. If you have a plan to purchase a prepaid SIM card, you need to check the followings beforehand: 1. Frequency compatibility between your device and Japan. 2. SIM lock on your device: […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 4: Akiba Fukurou (Tokyo Owl Cafe, Akihabara)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), and […]

The Best Internet Contract for Staying in Japan for More Than 30 Days But Less Than 2 Years

If you visit to Japan for various purposes such as studying and business, you might be staying in Japan much longer than tourists. During staying for a long period of time in Japan, disconnected to the internet is very inconvenient. However, network conditions in Japan are very complicated and hard […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 3: Itsukushima (Miyajima)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), and […]

All Japan Travelers Must Check: Sending & Receiving Packages Will Dramatically Be Easy

Definitely worth using service for every travelers to Japan will appear from this October. Great news has just came in from Yamato Transport (Kuroneko Yamato), announcing that they will start a new service from October 1st, 2017. The service name is “TA-Q-BIN Center Uketori Service,” meaning that with this service, […]

[Feedback Appreciated] Address Verification Service for Airbnb Stay in Japan – Free Trial & Beta Ver –

We just have launched a service to help travelers on their journey to Japan. This is named, “Address Verification Service for Airbnb Stay in Japan.” Before/after/during you stay in Japan, it is very convenient to have a place to receive packages, including a pocket WiFi router, a prepaid SIM card, […]

Useful Websites to Get Around Japan: Guide Websites Part.1

Curated websites and guide services for getting around Japan are rapidly increasing to meet the needs of the rising number of people visiting to Japan. However, the more websites/services, the more complicated. To untie it, LightPocket put them in one place sort by category to know which is the best […]

Japan Guide Prices WILL be Lowered with High Probability

According to the statistics data of The Japan Tourism Agency, an expenditure for “on-site Japan tour guides” in 2016 is 12,080yen per person. That number is almost equivalent to the topics in the same data such as: 10,992yen on “Other food, drink, alcohol & tobacco” and 11,606yen on “Golf courses/theme […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 2: Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine (Kyoto)

Checking map, contacting with people, searching for something, etc. etc. Internetting is essential, especially you travel abroad.   But, even at famous tourist spots, Japan sometimes has no connectivity with the internet. How do you know that beforehand?   Japanese 3 major mobile phone company companies NTT DoCoMo, au (KDDI), […]

One Major Problem at Airbnb in Japan: Failure to Receive Your Luggage: Part 2

Major Reasons to Fail to Receive Your Luggage at Airbnb in Japan Address Info: Lack of The Name of The Building If there is no exact name of the building where your luggage will be delivered, a delivery company will/can not deliver yours. There are many cases that multiple buildings […]

One Major Problem at Airbnb in Japan: Failure to Receive Your Luggage: Part 1

Demand for Airbnb in Japan is rising. However, as it becomes more popular, problems between users and hosts often happen. That is, you cannot receive your luggage at the Airbnb room you stay at. Travelling, studying, having a business trip, etc.. A number of people pre-ordering pocket WiFi routers or […]

Are Free WiFi Spots in Japan Really Useful? Part 3: Ambiguity Problem & Solutions

This is the last part out of 3 consecutive blog posts, “Are Free WiFi Spots in Japan Really Useful?” If you are directly come to here, you may want to start the part 1 here.   Well, following the last article, I will write about the last major reason why […]

Are Free WiFi Spots in Japan Really Useful? Part 2: Security Problem

This is the part 2 out of 3 consecutive blog posts, “Are Free WiFi Spots in Japan Really Useful?” If you are directly come to here, you may want to read the part 1 here. Well, following the last article, I will write about the second major reason why I […]

Are Free WiFi Spots in Japan Really Useful? Part 1: Complexity Problem

No, it is completely not. Unfortunately, I can not say that it is “really useful” at this point.   The reasons are many, and out of them, To make it easy to understand, I’ve compiled them into 3 key problems: Complexity, Security, and Ambiguity.   To know them beforehand, you […]