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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 […]

Narita Airport Pocket WiFi Rental Comparing

About 50% of all international travelers use Narita International Airport (NRT) for entering and leaving Japan. There are many services and amenities to international travelers at the airport. Many international travelers ask whether the renting portable WiFi is necessary or not during their stay in Japan. Although Japan have many […]

Interneting in Japan: You’d Better NOT to Download Big Data On Shinkansen

You’d better not to download big data on Shinkansen, bullet trains getting around Japan. Shinkansen surely is super useful. It brings you to all over the country very smoothly and rapidly. But as for internet use, it’ll be another story.   The reason is quite easy to understand. Because – […]

A Solution to the False “Unlimited”: Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi Service Frequent Misunderstanding (1)

Last time, I posted an article about one of the frequent misunderstandings regarding Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi service. That is, Japan SIM/WiFi providers often use “Unlimited” on their service descriptions but its not necessarily appropriate.   More specifically, it just might confuse users because of the following reasons.   Data […]

True Meaning of “Unlimited”: Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi Service Frequent Misunderstanding

One day, I came across a painful message about Japan SIM/WiFi service, saying   @VisitJapanPlace hey Yohei, looking thru your Japan WiFi / MiFi lists. Question: I have exp. with false “unlimited”. I need true unthrottled — Swoll Wyll (@SwollWyll) 2017年6月30日 In this page, I will try to remove the […]

Can I Still Get Connected with Japan Prepaid SIM/Pocket WiFi? / Case 1: Mt.Fuji

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), […]

How to Reset Network Settings On iPhone

While using iPhone you may experience problems with your network connectivity. Our ot area is not improved. Can’t connet to Wi-Fi You can fix all these problems by simply resetting the network settings of your iPhone as it will clear all the network settings.   Resetting your network is straightforward! […]

How Do I Know Which iPhone Model I Have?

Find the model number on the back of iPhone If you need to know frequency or replace the battery on your iPhone, you’re going to need to know which model it is. You can find your iPhone model number by looking at the small text on the back of the […]

iPhone

How to Set APN profile to iPhone – LightPocket SIM Card

iPhone APN Settings Preparation If your iPhone has another company’s profile, please delete that profile. How to Delete an iPhone Profile Tap the “Settings” icon on your iPhone. Tap “General,” then tap “Profiles.” Tap the profile you wish to delete, then tap the red “Remove” button. Confirm by tapping “Remove” […]