Best Japan VPN services 2023

Which are the best Japan VPN services available in 2023? This is a question that many gamers will ask themselves, since Japan is such a hub for video game development, and there’s a long list of iconic games that never make the journey to the west.

Our top pick is ExpressVPN (and we’ll explain why below), but we understand that it might not be for everybody, so we also have four other options too, including our choice of the fastest VPN, and the best cheap VPN. Regardless of your needs or your budget, we’re sure that we’ll have a VPN recommendation that’s just right for you.

The best Japan VPN services are:

• ExpressVPN – best for Japan
• Private Internet Access – best price
• CyberGhost – best for streaming
• NordVPN – best for speed
• Surfshark – best for unlimited devices
• Atlas VPN – best for an ad-blocker

1. The best Japan VPN

ExpressVPN is the best Japan VPN and its pricing works out as $6.67 (£5.56) per month.

ExpressVPN overview:

Pros:

• Servers available in Tokyo, Shibuya, and Yokohama
• Uses the fantastic Lightway protocol

Cons:

• Pricing is a little bit higher than certain others
• No free trial

As we said above, ExpressVPN is our choice for the best Japan VPN. Not only does is it one of the best VPN services overall, but it has a choice of servers in Tokyo, Shibuya, and Yokohama. This provider uses the TrustedServer system as well, which means that nothing of your data is written to its servers.

Additionally, ExpressVPN refreshes its servers’ IP addresses at a greater frequency than many of its competitors, meaning that even if you find that you can’t access a certain service or website with the VPN on, the chances are that it’ll reset its IP and be unblocked again before too long. It might be one of the more expensive VPN services out there, but the level of quality means that it’s worth the cost.

One of its most appealing features is the Lightway protocol, which enables it to encrypt your private data with lightning-quick speed. It’s a great way to enjoy all your favourite content from Japan without any huge, disgusting corporations breathing down you neck.

2. The best cheap Japan VPN

Private Internet Access (PIA) is the best cheap Japan VPN and its pricing works out as $2.11 (£1.63) per month.

Private Internet Access overview:

Pros:

• Huge server selection, including locations in Japan
• Affordable pricing

Cons:

• Can be slightly slower than others
• No free trial

If you’re after a cheap Japan VPN option, then your best bet is Private Internet Access. With WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec protocols available for its Japanese VPN servers, it’s a good choice for anyone who needs to connect through Japan, and its prices are a fair bit lower than many other VPN providers too.

It also has a pretty decent allowance on simultaneous connections. While it isn’t quite unlimited, it still lets you use up to ten devices at the same time on the same plan. This is significantly more than most other VPNs, which typically only let you have five connections at a time.

As for its server count, Private Internet Access is one of the best you’ll find (with over 35,000 servers in total), meaning that it’ll be particularly handy for anyone who might have the need to connect through other regions as well. On top of that, it also offers up to ten simultaneous connections (a good total) and has a kill switch, a no-logs policy, and all the other standard privacy features of a VPN.

3. The best streaming VPN for Japan

CyberGhost is the best VPN for streaming in Japan and its pricing works out as $2.11 (£1.85).

CyberGhost overview:

Pros:

• Over 100 servers available in Japan
• Broad streaming platform compatibility

Cons:

• Can be slightly slower than other top providers
• Free trial doesn’t give you a lot of time

Do you need to access the streaming libraries of Japan while in other countries? Well, in that case, CyberGhost may be the VPN to serve you best. Not only does it have over 100 servers located in the country, but it’s a service that’s pretty good at by-passing the systems that streaming platforms put in place in order to block VPNs, so it’s one ghost that you’re not going to want to vanquish.

On top of that, among its selection of Japanese servers, there are even options which have been specifically optimised for steaming movies and TV shows. This’ll make sure you’re getting the best possible performance for the task at hand.

Other CyberGhost benefits include the ability to have up to seven simultaneous connections (and while several offer more, many also offer less), as well as providing customers with a 45-day money-back guarantee. If you need time to make sure that your VPN can access all of the services you need it to, then a month-and-a-half-long grace period should be plenty.

4. The fastest VPN for Japan

NordVPN is the fastest VPN for Japan and its pricing works out as $3.29 (£3.39) per month.

NordVPN overview:

Pros:

• Over 100 servers available in Japan
• Offers super-fast download speeds

Cons:

• Slightly more expensive than some of the other choices
• No free trial

NordVPN is the fastest VPN service, and with over 100 servers located within Japan, it’s the ideal solution for anybody who needs a Japanese VPN and prioritises speed. When compared against other top providers on OpenVPN, this was found to be the fastest one by a fair bit.

NordVPN also uses the WireGuard protocol to bring you NordLynx, which allows it to encrypt your data with an even higher level of speed. Admittedly, it’s server range (which spans 60 countries) is a little lower than some of the other options included in this list, but if you’re primarily concerned with finding Japanese servers, then that won’t be a problem.

It is also a little bit expensive, but, ultimately, NordVPN offers a really good service and it is compatible with the majority of streaming platforms too. It’s one of the most well-known and respected providers in the arena and it is well-deserving of its reputation.

Find out more about this provider in our NordVPN review.

5. The best Japan VPN for unlimited devices

Surfshark is the best Japan VPN for unlimited devices and its pricing works out as $2.30 (£1.85) per month.

Surfshark overview:

Pros:

• Allows for unlimited simultaneous connections
• Offers a selection of Japanese IP addresses

Cons:

• Fewer server locations overall
• Smaller total server count

Need a way to connect through Japanese servers for the whole family? Well, in that case, we reckon that Surfshark will be the VPN to use. In addition to Japanese servers, Surfshark is one of the few VPN providers who allow for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections, so no matter how big your household and how many devices they’re all using at once, they can all use the VPN with just one plan.

Admittedly, outside of Japan, it has a smaller number of locations around the world than some off the other major VPNs. This won’t be a problem for anyone primarily concerned with connecting through Japan, but it’s worth keeping in mind

Surfshark is also one of the only providers to offer a VPN free trial. If you want to be completely sure that it’ll work properly with your favourite websites and online services, you’ll have seven days where you can take it for a spin, and if that isn’t enough time to feel confident investing your money, there’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee after you start the subscription.

6. The best Japan VPN with an ad-blocker

Atlas VPN is the best Japan VPN with an ad-blocker and its pricing works out as $1.85 (£1.49) per month.

AtlasVPN overview:

Atlas VPN is one of those VPN services which offers an ad-blocker in addition to the standard privacy features. This is handy, not only because there are adverts out there that contain malware, but also because it just makes the internet a little bit nicer when people aren’t trying to sell you something from every possible angle.

Of course, it has a selection of servers in Japan too, but it should be noted that even if you pay for Atlas VPN, its selection of servers is a lot smaller than any of the other recommendations on this list. This doesn’t make it a bad service, but it does mean that it’s more prone to slowdown from server congestion.

On the positive side of things, Atlas VPN is also a well-respected free VPN, but while it does have an appealing free package, this doesn’t include any servers in Japan. However, you could possibly use this as a kind of free trial so that once you’ve got to grips with it and appreciate what it does, you can then start paying to get those Japanese servers.

How we chose the best Japan VPN

By carefully comparing the benefits of different VPN services that include servers in Japan against the needs of internet users seeking a Japanese VPN, we determined that ExpressVPN was the best option. However, we do believe that any of the others mentioned in this article might suit certain users better, based on their needs, hence our decision to include four additional providers.

If you need a VPN that can also connect through other countries, we have guides on the best Canadian VPN, and the best Indian VPN which may serve you well.