Useful tools

Travelers in Japan who travel with a Japan Rail Pass and are familiar with Navitime’s Route Finder might be curious to know how Google Maps stacks up as an alternative. Google Maps, renowned globally for its user-friendly navigation services, can be just as effective in Japan. Although Route Finder is tailor-made to navigate Japan’s expansive train system, Google Maps delivers walking and cisuals a little better.

Both Navitime and Google maps will show you where to go out and at what exit, etc. But Google maps tend to prioritize routes with Nozomi, which is an issue for Japan Rail Pass holders, as they aren’t allowed on Nozomi trains and have to use Hikari Shinkansen instead. Using Hikari instead of Nozomi is not a big deal, the difference in time between Tokyo and Kyoto with Nozomi and Hikari is only 2h 30m compared to 2h 47m with Hikari Shinkansen. But when you search Point A to Point B with google maps, it will most likely show you a train which you may notbe able to use, specially on popular routes. 

For that reason, we like Navitimer more but still use both. Navitimer is great for the timetables, which train to use and so on, while google maps is better at guiding you to your track, out of the train station and so on. For that reason, we strongly recommend downloading both apps before your departure.