Tech

Apple, gadgets & AI

8 articles

A calm still life on a pale wood desk in soft window light: an unmarked smartphone with its screen off, a white SIM tray holding a SIM card, a small metal ejector pin, a plain white envelope, and a cup of tea on a folded brown cloth, neatly arranged. Cover image for the guide to getting a mobile phone contract in Japan as a foreign resident. No text, no logos, no ID cards, no people.

Getting a Mobile Phone Contract in Japan as a Foreign Resident: ID Checks, Documents, and Cancellation

How foreign residents get a voice mobile line in Japan: legally required ID checks, residence-card rules at each carrier, payment constraints, MNP switching, and cancelling before you leave Japan.

Japansoso Editorial Team·8 min read

An empty public-office service counter in soft overcast light from a window: a pale wood counter top holding a plain ceramic pen stand with a single pen, a stack of blank cream paper, and an unmarked grey metal box on the right. A low frosted-glass partition runs along the far edge of the counter, with out-of-focus moulded waiting chairs behind it — several grey and one amber. Cover image for the guide to Japan’s Specified Residence Card, which merges the residence card with the My Number Card, and to which counter actually handles it. No identity documents and no filled-in forms are shown. No text, no logos, no people.

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Japan's Specified Residence Card: what changes when your residence card and My Number Card merge

Japan began issuing the Specified Residence Card on 14 June 2026, merging the residence card and My Number Card into one. What the Immigration Services Agency says about eligibility, where to apply, fees and timing.

Japansoso Editorial Team·8 min read

A top-down flat-lay on natural linen: a plain matte-black power bank, a braided USB-C cable, a navy passport-sized booklet and a clear zip bag of small items, spaced evenly apart, with no capacity markings, certification marks or logos anywhere. Cover image for the 2026 guide to power-bank rules on flights in Japan — two per person, up to 160Wh — and where to charge once you land. No text, no people.

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Power Banks on Flights in Japan, 2026: Two Per Person, 160Wh, No Charging On Board

Since April 24, 2026, flights to and from Japan allow two power banks per passenger, rated 160Wh or less, and charging them in the cabin is prohibited. Here is what the official rules say, and how to prepare.

Japansoso Editorial Team·9 min read

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Mac mini M5 in 2026: a Japan-angle outlook on yen prices and buy-now vs wait

Apple still hasn't announced a Mac mini M5 (as of July 2026). We split the shipped M5 chip's measured gains from the mini's rumors — then tackle yen pricing, buying in Japan, and the honest buy-now-or-wait call.

Japansoso Editorial Team·9 min read

A plain smartphone held up in one hand in warm morning light, its screen showing only a generic map with a single location pin, against a softly blurred Japanese station concourse and streetscape. No logos, no readable text, no visible face. Cover image for the 2026 guide to the essential apps and phone settings — translation, transit, maps and emergency alerts — that help visitors navigate Japan.

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Essential Smartphone Apps & Phone Setup for Japan 2026

Master Japan with your phone across four pillars: translation, transit, disaster safety and handy tools. When to use Google Translate, Lens and VoiceTra, Google Maps and transit apps, plus the JTA's Safety tips and earthquake-alert settings, all verified for 2026.

Japansoso Editorial Team·9 min read

A close-up of a hand tapping a plain unbranded smartphone on a ticket-gate card reader in a Japanese train station, the gate blank and the background blurred, no face visible. Cover image for the 2026 visitor's guide to using transit IC cards on your phone.

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Japan Transit IC Cards 2026: Buying, Phones and Card Tap

The ten nationwide IC cards and how to buy one, deposits and refunds, which phones can actually issue Suica, why foreign Visa cards get rejected at top-up, open-loop credit-card tap, and the area-crossing trap.

Japansoso Editorial Team·15 min read

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Buying Gadgets in Japan as a Tourist: 2026 Practical Guide

Japan's November 2026 refund-style tax exemption, Apple Stores dropping tax-free, the giteki mark and shutter sound on iPhones, and whether retailer points stack with tax-free. A field-tested look at who actually saves money and who shouldn't bother.

Japansoso Editorial Team·12 min read

A top-down view of three travel connectivity tools — a smartphone, a pocket Wi-Fi router, and a SIM-eject pin beside an empty tray — on a warm wooden desk. Cover image for the 2026 guide to choosing eSIM and mobile data in Japan.

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Mobile Data in Japan 2026: eSIM, Airport SIM Cards, Pocket Wi-Fi and Local SIMs

Travel eSIMs, physical SIMs bought at the airport, pocket Wi-Fi and local SIMs, seen through how they actually get used rather than through a price table: how many GB you burn in a day, who each option suits, and how buying and returning at the airport works.

Japansoso Editorial Team·12 min read