Best VPN for Japan: Stay Private and Unblock Streaming Apps

While you’re planning a trip, you’ll want to make sure a VPN app is installed on your devices. A VPN boosts your privacy by encrypting all the data passing between your device and the VPN server, which can make it look like you’re connecting from a different location. Whether you’re trying to unblock streaming services from home, access your online banking without triggering CAPTCHAs or avoid throttling on your mobile device, a VPN enhances your privacy during your travels in Japan. 

VPNs aren’t just for keeping your traffic private. They’re also especially useful for streaming, particularly when you’re overseas. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have licensing agreements for many of their shows and movies, meaning that you’ll have restricted availability to some content depending on your geographic location. This is why the Netflix library in Japan looks almost entirely different from the one you’re used to back home.By connecting to a VPN server from your home country, you can mask your public IP address, so you appear to be browsing from a different city, state or country when you’re actually in Japan. This way, you can access the home content you’re used to in Japan, while also unlocking access to streaming content like early releases of Japanese anime, including The Great Cleric and Solo Leveling, as well as exclusive J-dramas that may never be localized, while you’re outside of Japan. 

There’s a lot to consider when selecting a VPN. Accordingly,  CNET’s team of VPN experts thoroughly tested nearly a dozen providers to identify the best VPNs for use in Japan. We’ve compared them based on key factors like connection speed, reliability, pricing, ease of use, privacy and compatibility with popular streaming platforms.