Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
NAVIGATING TOKYO Wayfinding in Japan’s capital
Find your way with ease on your next trip to the Japanese capital
The cliché about getting lost in translation is one thing. Simply getting lost is another. Tokyo has always been notoriously difficult to get around, from the confusing address system (not based on street addresses) to a mind-boggling network of train lines. Wifi hotspots, accessible data and English-language apps have also typically been few and far between. Short of a personal guide, a good GPS system (and a stellar sense of direction) used to be the only hope for foreigners to the city.
However, with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, and not forgetting the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Tokyo is seeing a swathe of tech infrastructure and service industry upgrades that promise to make the city more accessible and easier to navigate for the growing number of foreign visitors.
APP-ROPRIATE SOLUTIONS
Tokyo has one of the most efficient public transport systems in the world – a train company’s recent apology for a 20-second delay made headlines around the world – but the sheer size and complexity can be confusing to say the least. This is especially true at major stations like Shinjuku and Shibuya, where the crowds and vast number of exits and platforms are overwhelming.
To combat this, the government has implemented more tourist information offices dotted around the city. One recent service has been the addition of nonJapanese guidance staff at busy locations such as Tokyo Station who can give directions and other information in a variety of languages.
Service providers are also upping their app game to help people navigate Tokyo and beyond. The Japan National Tourism Organization ( JNTO), for example, recently launched the Japan Official Travel App ( jnto. go.jp/smartapp/eng) available in Chinese (simplified and traditional), English and Korean, offering a mix of content such as travel articles with practical information on how to get around, route searches for trains, maps, and guides to manners and customs – quite a handy free resource to have in your pocket.
Another new app that could be useful for anyone aiming to get out of Tokyo is the Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen Reservation App (smart-ex.jp/en/lp/app). With it, JR Central and JR West have teamed up to create the first app in Japan that allows train bookings in English – in this case for the bullet train – and also allows you to change bookings up to four minutes before departure. It’s currently available for download in the US, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, although a spokesperson for JR says it will soon be rolled out in other countries and similar English apps will hopefully be following to allow bookings on a greater number of trains and lines.
GETTING CONNECTED
Of course, apps aren’t much good if you can’t access them, and despite Japan’s high-tech image, it’s been something of an oddity that wifi accessibility has long
been extremely patchy while out and about in the capital. However that appears to be changing. Teaming up with rail and bus operators, plus certain tourist spots and public facilities, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Free Wi-Fi & Tokyo (wifi-tokyo.jp) delivers connectivity in an increasing number of locations around the city. It still isn’t perfect but it is a move in the right direction.
Another app offering this service is Travel Japan Wifi ( japanfreewifi.com) from Wire and Wireless Co. A recent partnership with f lag carrier Japan Airlines ( JAL) has also seen the launch of an upgraded version, the JAL Explore Japan Wifi app, available for both Android and Apple devices. With this app, travellers can automatically connect to more than 200,000 wifi hotspots operated by the company across Japan in public areas such as airports, major train stations, restaurants and key tourist locations. The app is specifically designed to cater to foreigners – residents in Japan are not even able to download the programme, and it’s available in English, traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean and Thai, while Japanese is not supported.
If, however, you want guaranteed data during your stay, sort out pocket wifi when you arrive at Narita or Haneda airport. Alternatively, a free SIM card courtesy of new start-up Wamazing was rolled out in February 2017. Foreigners can pre-register for the service and then pick up their free SIM from vending machines at Tokyo Narita airport. The SIM also comes with 500MB of data or usage for five days – whichever you hit first. Additional data can be bought through the Wamazing app (apps.wamazing. jp), j plus access to services such as hotel reservations, taxi hailing or booking activities. So far the app is only available in traditional Chinese, aimed at travellers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, but Wamazing plans to offer English, simplified Chinese and Korean in the future.
FUTURE-TECH
Given Japan’s reputation for robotics, it comes as no surprise that Tokyo is also turning to automatons to help visitors. In November Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, unveiled five multilingual robots at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building as a test run before the 2020 Games. The five – all of which can communicate in Japanese and English, with some able to use Chinese and Korean, too – will be in place until February 2018 to see how well they can assist visitors with such things as tourist information and directions.
Taking things even further into the future, you will soon be able to pay for and access a range of services with the tap of a finger. The new “Touch & Pay” authentication system is part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s efforts to promote biometric identification services, and since October it is gradually being rolled out at hotels and tourist sites across Tokyo. By 2020, it should allow travellers (after registering passport, credit card and fingerprint data at the airport or a tourist office) to check in, buy tickets, use lockers, and more across Tokyo using finger scans or e-passport scans.