Gone shopping in Japan but have struggled with reading the packaging or labels on an item? Well, you’re not alone. While this country is one of the best places in the world for some retail therapy, the language barrier remains a big hurdle. This is especially true for food and drink items as well as beauty, skincare and medicine, where most of the packaging is predominantly in Japanese.
Thankfully, shopping has gotten a lot easier for tourists and non-Japanese speakers with the Payke app. Once you download Payke, all you have to do is scan the barcode on an item and a translation of the product’s information will be displayed. Supported languages include English, Korean, traditional and simplified Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese.
Along with translated product information, the barcodes on some items will yield introductory videos and details not included on the packaging. There’s also a ‘ranking’ section on the app where you can check out hot items people are currently purchasing under categories like beauty, medical, health, food, games, home electronics and even pet supplies.
Additionally, if your location and Bluetooth are turned on, Payke also offers discount coupons for shoppers.
Payke is available for both iOS and Android. For more details, visit the website.
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