How ordering actually works. What the dish in front of you is. What to do when there's no WiFi. Practical knowledge for travelers — no fluff, no listicles.
The guides travelers ask for most.
Ticket machines, noren curtains, and the 5 phrases that cover 90% of ramen shops.
How it works, how to pay, and what that surprise appetizer on your bill is.
The honest answer, by restaurant type — and what to do when they don't.
What to download and prepare before you fly, so no signal never ruins a day.
Not word-for-word translations — what the dish actually is, what's inside, raw or cooked, spicy or not.
Chicken & egg rice bowl — and why translators call it "parent and child bowl".
The 18-hour pork broth, and how to customize your bowl like a regular.
Octopus balls from Osaka — what's inside, how to eat them without burning your mouth.
It's not all "chicken skewers" — the cuts, the tare vs shio choice.
Show your phone or print a card. Written Japanese beats spoken attempts when an allergy is on the line.
Pick your allergens, print one card, hand it to the staff.
Where peanuts hide, and a restaurant card that says it clearly.
Shrimp, crab and shellfish phrases plus the dishes to watch.
Soy sauce contains wheat — and the rest of what to know.
Point your camera at a Japanese menu and get plain-English explanations of each dish, with common allergens flagged. Text and camera translation keep working with no WiFi once your language resources are downloaded.
Basic features are free. Allergen flags help, but never replace asking the restaurant.
Text and camera translation run on your phone using language resources you download in advance, so they keep working offline once set up. Download the Japanese resources on WiFi before your trip. Voice recognition offline depends on your phone, operating system and language, so test it before you travel.
It is built to explain menu items and flag common allergens, but a menu description is never a guarantee of what is in the food. For a serious allergy, always show the restaurant a written allergy card and confirm with staff.
Basic features stay free. A 120-hour full-feature trial starts with your first translation, and microphone translation afterwards needs Lifetime Premium, a one-time purchase (US reference price $6.99) with no subscription.
Soon. Use the Get notified button and we will email you when the App Store listing goes live.
JapanMust is a knowledge project for travelers visiting Japan. We explain the things that confuse first-time visitors most: restaurant systems, menus, dishes, and everyday logistics. Every guide is written from real experience, and every dish explanation tells you what's actually in front of you — not a dictionary guess.
New guides and dishes are added regularly. If there's something you want explained, tell us.