ESSENTIAL APPS FOR
NEGOTIATING JAPAN
GOOGLE TRANSLATE
This app allows you to translate to and from
multiple languages by typing or pasting in text
or by speaking into your phone’s microphone. Its
finest feature, however, is the camera input. With
it, you can scan something like a Japanese menu
and get a fairly accurate translation appear over
the top of the words it detects.HYPERDIA
Free for 30 days after you first install it, this app
makes navigating public transportation easy,
providing timetable information and detailed
route searches for trains, subways and planes
nationwide.GURUNAVI
Type in parameters such as your location, the
kind of food you want and even your budget,
and this app will list all the options, including info
on whether or not the restaurant has an English
menu or English-speaking staff.PLAIN SAILING
If trains, buses and taxis aren’t your thing, and you
have some spare time in between meetings, Tokyo
has another mode of transport up its sleeve: water
buses. Aiming to offer an alternative to the city’s
highly congested roads, a number of companies
have launched services around Tokyo Bay, mainly
operating routes around Odaiba and up the Sumida
River to Asakusa. Tokyo Cruise Ship company offers
the most daily services, with the scenic journeys
lasting between 20 minutes and an hour, and
starting at ¥780 (US$7; suijobus.co.jp/en).
If the schedules don’t suit, there’s also a flexible
on-demand service. Tokyo Water Taxi (pictured
below) began operating its
first diesel-powered vessels
in mid-2016 around Tokyo
Bay’s waterways, and plans
to have a total of 60 iconic
yellow boats operating by
the time the 2020 Olympic
Games rolls around. Some
landings welcome visitors
without a reservation, but
it’s best to book (there’s a maximum capacity
of six people). Journeys cost around ¥2,000
(US$18; water-taxi.tokyo).Tokyohasoneofthe
most efficient public
transport systems in
the world... but it can
be very confusingTOKYO
25businesstraveller.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018