East Japan Railway Company has announced it will begin providing free public Wi-Fi services from 1 October 2012, in response to the ever increasing numbers of visitors to Japan who want access to the internet while they travel.

The service will be accessible at locations most frequented by overseas visitors. It will be made available via JR East’s Travel Service Center in Tokyo Station, and other such centers at Haneda Airport International Terminal Station and Narita Airport. As well as accessible from 13 JR East stations centered upon the Yamanote Line, including Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku and Akihabara.

JR East will display stickers in these places to indicate Wi-Fi hotspots. Visitors within a 50-meter radius of the sticker will be able to access the service.

Once users register their e-mail addresses, they can connect to the Internet for three hours at a time, as many times as they like. Registration can be made in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.