Moving to or studying in Japan brings its unique challenges: navigating trains, dealing with administrative tasks, making friends, learning Japanese, and just surviving everyday life. Lucky for you, many smartphone apps can make student life smoother. Here’s our curated list of must-have apps for students in Japan — along with tips, plus inbound (internal) and outbound links you can use.
Categories Covered
- Communication & Social
- Navigation & Transport
- Money & Payments
- Language Learning & Exchange
- Study & Productivity
- Safety & Local Info
1. Communication & Social
LINE
- LINE is practically ubiquitous in Japan — it’s the default messaging app for friends, classmates, clubs, and organization groups.
Connect Times - It supports group chats, voice calls, stickers, and translation features.
- Pro tip: add local friends, classmates, and even your university’s official accounts to your contacts early.
2. Navigation & Transport
Japan Transit Planner 
- Japan’s train system is famously complex. The Japan Transit Planner app helps you plan routes across many train and bus operators, compare travel times, fares, and transfers.
- Use it especially when commuting to campus, exploring new neighborhoods, or planning weekend day trips.
Suica 
/ Mobile IC Card Apps
- Instead of carrying a physical IC card, you can use the Suica app or integrate it into Apple Wallet / Google Wallet. This lets you tap and ride, pay at convenience stores, vending machines, etc.
- Make sure your device (iPhone, Android) supports NFC / transit payments in Japan.
EXアプリ (EX App) 
- If you’re traveling on Shinkansen (bullet train), EXアプリ helps you book tickets, manage reservations, and sometimes get early-bird discounts.
Luup (Shared Micromobility)
- For shorter distances or last-mile travel around campus or in neighborhoods, Luup offers e-bikes and e-scooters you can pick up and drop off.
3. Money & Payments
PayPay 
- PayPay is one of the most widely accepted QR-code based payment services in Japan. Many shops, cafés, and convenience stores accept it.
Wise
/ Xe
- For students dealing with remittances or currency conversions (e.g. sending money home, paying tuition as an international student), Wise offers low-cost transfers and multi-currency wallets.
- Xe is another app for currency exchange tracking and transfers.
4. Language Learning & Exchange
Learning and practicing Japanese is key to fully enjoying your life here. These apps help with grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and real-life interaction.
WaniKani
- A popular app for learning kanji and vocabulary using spaced repetition systems (SRS) and mnemonic techniques.
- Very helpful especially when you want to improve your reading ability faster.
BunPro 
- An app dedicated to Japanese grammar, also using SRS to help you review grammar points at optimal intervals.
LingoDeer 
- More structured than Duolingo for Asian languages; great for grammar explanations and progressive lessons.
HelloTalk 
- One of the most popular language exchange apps. You can chat with native speakers, post text/voice messages, get corrections, and practice real conversation.
Tandem 
- Works similarly to HelloTalk: find language partners by language, location, or interest, chat via text/audio/video, and help each other learn.
italki 
- While primarily a tutoring platform, italki also supports language exchange between community tutors and learners. Good if you want structured lessons with native speakers.
5. Study & Productivity
- Anki (not Japan-specific) — extremely powerful SRS flashcards. Many Japanese learners share premade decks (JLPT vocab, kanji, grammar).
- Obenkyo, Kanji Study — Japanese language learners often use these for writing practice, quizzes, etc.
- Quizlet, Notion, Google Keep / Docs / Drive — general productivity tools but essential for assignments, note-taking, and collaboration with peers.
6. Safety & Local Info
Japan is relatively safe, but you should still stay prepared — and these apps help.
NERV
/ Yurekuru
- NERV Disaster Prevention gives real-time alerts for earthquakes, tsunamis, and severe weather based on your location.
- Yurekuru is another app that gives earthquake early warnings, showing magnitude, location, and time until shaking reaches you.
Safety Tips
- This is a government-recommended app that provides multilingual alerts (earthquake, tsunami, etc.) and instructions on what to do in emergencies.
Sanar (さんあーる) 
- This app helps with local utilities like garbage collection reminders and understanding Japan’s intricate waste separation rules. Very useful for day-to-day life.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN 
For news in English (and Japanese), including local and international events. Helps you keep up with Japan from a student’s perspective.
How to Use This List (Tips for Students)
- Install selectively. Don’t overwhelm yourself — pick a few core apps (communication, transport, language) and gradually add others.
- Connect early. Join your university’s LINE groups or local student associations so you won’t miss announcements.
- Use them daily. Even practicing Japanese 10 minutes daily with one of these apps gives big gains.
- Back up data. Use cloud or external backups for your study notes, Anki decks, and documents.
- Stay updated. App features change often in Japan; check for updates or new app announcements from local student communities.
Start Your Japan Journey with Confidence
With the right apps, life as a student in Japan becomes much smoother — from finding your way around, making friends, to mastering the language. But technology is only one part of your success story. Having the right support and guidance makes all the difference when studying abroad.
At DEOW Japan, we help international students every step of the way — from choosing schools and programs (including English-taught universities) to preparing applications and settling into life in Japan.
Ready to start your study abroad journey?
Contact us today and take the first step toward studying and living successfully in Japan.
Or keep exploring our latest blog posts for more student tips and insights about life in Japan!
