You’re out exploring Japan. Hunger hits, what do you do? My number one suggestion is to pick a door and jump in, it’s the best way to explore. There are so many types of Japanese foods to try! But maybe you’re wanting something specific, and are curious about what the best apps for traveling in Japan are.
Yelp’s what we use in the states, must be here, right? Yelp is slowly getting bigger in Japan but only having launched in April of 2014, it has a ways to go in my opinion. If you are looking for Japan’s answer to Yelp, you have a few options available to you for the best restaurant apps and websites in Japan.
Best Apps for Traveling In Japan To Check Restaurants Out
If you look up a specific restaurant or a random search on Google, you’ll see a variety of these websites pop up, here’s how to find them without pecking around the internet. All of them allow you to search by area or station, category, etc. All have pluses and minuses. Give them a try and see which you prefer. This is a lay the cards on the table for you to see what’s out there!
Luckily, you don’t need to add too many to your probably already really full phone! Choose whether you’d like Japanese or the ease of English only and pick one of these two.
Hotpepper
App is only in Japanese. Hot pepper is like Yelp in that it has rankings for other businesses in it as well.
Gurunavi
Gurunavi is probably the best option for foreigners, its available in English, Chinese and Korean. There’s a Japanese and English version of the Gurunabi App, so watch out for which version you download. From the few tests I’ve done, they get you the same results but I tend to stick to Japanese only just incase. Sometimes it doesn’t get translated over right away (but that may just be a fear I have). You can search by location, category, hours, prices and options like “English Menu” and “all-you-can-drink” if you’re looking for a good place to have a nomikai.
Best Restaurant Websites in Japan
While these options don’t have mobile apps but are still places to check! You’re on your phone anyway, right? They have a huge amount of options to check out as well.
Tabelog
Tabelog is maybe my favorite. They don’t have an app but that’s ok as it’s all in Japanese and though I love working on my reading skills, sometimes it just easier to let Chrome do it’s thing.
One thing Tabelog does different is they have the top 100 customer rankings per category. Bring on the food quests! They are all over the country so a nice thing to check if you’re in a different area. Not quite a “let’s go to all the Michelin X stars”, but still fun.
Bento.com
For a site that’s already in English, there is bento.com but it’s not as extensive as the others.
For Vegans and Vegetarians – Happy Cow
Happy Cow is still going to be your best option for finding vegan/vegetarian specific options though you can filter down in the apps and websites by vegetable dishes. The list is far from complete though. If you need some in Yokosuka, check out my recommendations.
What’s the best apps to use in other countries?