Wi-Fi and Travel Information in Saga, Japan: Your Ultimate Guide

If you are planning to visit Saga Prefecture, which is blessed with abundant natural beauty, be sure to check the Wi-Fi situation in advance.

We have compiled a list of free Wi-Fi available in Saga Prefecture and attractions that you should check out if you are planning to visit Saga Prefecture. We will also introduce our recommended Wi-Fi rental, WiFiBOX.

[Rent Now] Wi-Fi rental for use in Saga and throughout Japan with surprisingly simple booking, pickup, and return. From 440 yen per day

Free Public Wi-Fi Available in Saga

Although free Wi-Fi does not cover all parts of Saga Prefecture, this one public Wi-Fi called "Free Spot" is available in Saga City, the capital of the prefecture. Free Spot is available at the following public institutions in Saga City.

• Saga City Hall Main Building 1st floor
• Saga Commerce and Industry Bldg. 7th floor
• Saga City Library 1st floor

All Wi-Fi connections are available only during the opening hours.

From here, let's go over the details of the Free Spot SSID and how to log in.

SSID of Free Spot

Select the SSID (network name) when connecting to Wi-Fi to identify the wireless LAN access point. When using a free spot, select the SSID below.

• 'freespot'=SecurityPassword(AES)

When you arrive in Saga City, check the Wi-Fi settings screen on your smartphone or tablet for the SSIDs listed above.

How to log in to Free Spot

An email address is required to log in to FreeSpot. Confirm your email address and then follow the steps below to log in.

1. Select SSID "'freespot =SecurityPassword(AES)" on the Wi-Fi setting screen of your devices.
2. Launch your Internet browser.
3. Enter your email address or social media account on the start screen.
   You can use the following social media accounts.
   ・Twitter
   ・Facebook
   ・LINE
4. Open your email and confirm the password written in the email.
5. Return to the Start screen and enter the password to use the Internet.

For detailed information on how to use the Free Spot, refer to the information at the facilities where you can use it . If you have any questions, please check the information or contact the facility staff.

Reference: Saga City "Public Wireless LAN 'Free Spot' has been set up."

Other Free Wi-Fi Available in Saga

There are other free Wi-Fi available at cafes, hotels, and train stations besides the "Free Spot" free Wi-Fi in Saga City. However, when using free Wi-Fi, be careful not to send away your personal and other important information.

The following is a list of other free Wi-Fi available in Saga Prefecture and Saga City.

Cafes

In Saga Prefecture, free Wi-Fi is available at many different cafes. Many chain stores offer free Wi-Fi. For example, Starbucks, which has 11 stores in Saga Prefecture, offers free Wi-Fi by selecting the SSID "at_STARBUCKS_Wi2".

Free Wi-Fi is also available at the city's three Komeda Coffee stores and three Doutor Coffee stores (as of March 27, 2023). When connecting, select the SSID "Komeda_Wi-Fi" for Komeda Coffee Shop and "DOUTOR_FREE_Wi-Fi" for Doutor Coffee.

Many non-chain stores also have free Wi-Fi available. When using a cafe, ask if they have free Wi-Fi.

Hotels

Many hotels and inns in Saga Prefecture also offer free Wi-Fi. For example, at the "Saga Kawakamikyo Onsen Hotel Ryutouen", a 20-minute drive from JR Saga Station, offers free Wi-Fi in the lobby and guest rooms. The SSID is "ryutouen_free_WPA-Mixed" or "'freespot '=SecurityPassword(AES)'.

The Karatsu Daiichi Hotel, a 5-minute walk from JR Karatsu Station, is also a good base for sightseeing in Karatsu City. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. As for the SSID, please ask the hotel staff.

[Wi-Fi Self-Rental] WiFiBOX: a must-have all in one Wi-Fi + power bank for traveling in Saga, and throughout Japan. From 440 yen per day

WiFiBOX is recommended for Your Wi-Fi in Saga.

As mentioned above, tourists in Saga can use public Wi-Fi or free Wi-Fi provided by cafes, and hotels. However, the drawback of free Wi-Fi is that it is not stable and not the safest thing to use, as the communication speed may be slow depending on the time and location, and there is a risk of a third party intercepting the content of the communication. Depending on the hotel where you stay, free Wi-Fi may not be available in the first place.
If you want to use the Internet comfortably and securely while sightseeing in Saga, why not rent a portable Wi-Fi router?
In particular, we recommend WiFiBOX, a Wi-Fi rental service that completes every step of the process, from reservation to return, all contactless.

Here are the simple steps to rent a WiFiBOX.

Flow of usage and setting

The flow of using and setting up WiFiBOX is as follows:

1. On the official site of WiFiBOX (https://wifibox.telecomsquare.co.jp/en), select your travel destination ("Japan", if you are going to use it in Saga), select the desired usage period and plan, and tap "Proceed to checkout".
2. If you are using WiFiBOX for the first time, create a new account. Log in if you already have one.
3. Complete the payment procedure with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, or American Express) or a debit card.
4. After reserving, you will receive an email with the subject "How to Pick Up Your Wi-Fi Unit". When you are in front of the rental machine, open the "QR code (*) scanning page" from the email, and scan the QR code at the top right of the display on the rental machine.
   (* "QR Code" is a registered trademark of Denso Wave)
5. Tap "Pick-up" on your smartphone, and pull out the Wi-Fi unit from the slot to receive it.
6. Turn on the power of the unit , then on the Wi-Fi setting screen of your device, select the SSID written on the back of the unit, and enter the password to.

Please refer to the following for more detailed usage procedures:
(Link to WiFiBOX quick guide)
https://wifibox.telecomsquare.co.jp/en/pages/guide

Wi-Fi router pickup/return location

As of April 2023, WiFiBOX rental machines are installed at Takamatsu Airport, Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Kansai Airport, Chubu International Airport, Fukuoka Airport, Tokyo Station etc. It is also now available in Shinjuku and Shibuya Station area.
We recommend you to pick up your Wi-Fi unit at the airport or station you plan to pass when traveling to Saga.

Please check the following for details on the locations of WiFiBOX

WiFiBOX Location List

What Kind of City is Saga?

Saga Prefecture covers an area of approximately 2,400 square kilometers and has a population of 808,552 (as of April 2022). Located in the northwestern part of Kyushu, Saga is bordered by Nagasaki Prefecture to the west and Fukuoka Prefecture to the east, with the Genkai-nada Sea to the north and the Ariake Sea to the south. The distance to Tokyo is about 900 kilometers and to Osaka about 500 kilometers, but the Korean Peninsula is only about 200 kilometers away. The region has been influenced by continental cultures such as Korean and Chinese.

Saga City, the capital of Saga Prefecture, has the largest population of all the cities and towns in Saga Prefecture, with 229,433 (as of April 2022), more than a quarter of the total population of the prefecture. Karatsu City is the second most populous, with 117,789 (April 2022 survey).

Bordered by the mountains in the central part of Saga Prefecture, the northern part is divided into the Sea of Japan climate zone and the southern part into the inland climate zone. The climate is generally mild and comfortable, with an average annual temperature of around 16 degrees Celsius.
The name "Saga" originates from the fact that when the Japanese warrior Takemikoto made a pilgrimage to the area, he saw camphor trees growing thickly and ordered that the area be called "Sakae-no-kuni" (the Land of Sakae). The name subsequently changed to Sakae-no-gun, Saka-gun, and Saga-ken, and so on until the present day.

Saga Prefecture is also known for its many delicious foods. For example, noppe-jiru, a soup thickened slightly with potato starch and filled with a variety of root vegetables such as taro and burdock root, is a traditional dish in all parts of the prefecture.

Game-ni, a stew of root vegetables and chicken, is another well-known local dish of Saga Prefecture. In the old days, suppon (river turtles or also known as dorogame) were also stewed together, hence the name game-ni ("game"/"kame" means turtle in Japanese).

Reference: Saga Prefecture "Introduction to Saga Prefecture", Saga District Meteorological Observatory "Geography and Climate of Saga Prefecture", Geographical Survey Institute "April 2022 Survey: Number of Population and Households by Municipality (Japanese Residents + Foreign Residents)", Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Our Local Cuisine｜Saga Prefecture

Places to Visit in Saga

Surrounded by the sea from north to south, Saga Prefecture has more to offer than just the sea itself. There are many attractive tourist spots such as nationally famous hot spring resorts, shrines, and sightseeing cities. Here are some of the most popular tourist destinations among them.

Yoshinogari

Photo provided by "Yoshinogari Historical Park"

Yoshinogari, which is also the name of a town (Yoshinogari-cho), is famous for the Yoshinogari Ruins. The Yoshinogari Ruins are known as the largest Yayoi Period ruins in Japan. It is a place of high academic value, not only for the remains of the central Kuni settlement of the Yayoi period, but also for the many excavated items designated as important cultural properties, such as bronze swords and glass beads.。

The Yoshinogari Ruins are located in the Yoshinogari Historical Park. Yoshinogari Historical Park is known as a place where visitors can feel close to the Yayoi period, not only the ruins, but also a zone where they can experience Yayoi period villages and plants.

There is a direct express train from JR Hakata Station to JR Yoshinogari Koen Station, the closest station to Yoshinogari Historical Park, for convenient access.

Business hours	9 AM - 5 PM (9 AM - 6 PM from June to August)
Regular closing days	December 31, the third Monday of January, and the following day
Address	1843 Tate, Yoshinogari-cho, Kanzaki-gun, Saga

Reference: Yoshinogari Historical Park

Yutoku Inari Shrine

Yutoku Inari Shrine is one of the three major Inari shrines in Japan and is located in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. The express train from JR Saga Station to Hizen Kashima Station takes about 20 minutes.

Yutoku Inari Shrine is said to have originated in 1687 when Mankohime Hanayamain, wife of the feudal lord of the Hizen Kashima Clan, offered the shrine to the deity Inari no Okami. The shrine has been widely worshipped as a deity that protects food, clothing, and shelter.

The shrine is visited by as many as 3 million worshippers annually, and is also known as the sunlight of the West for its splendidly magnificent architecture, including the magnificent Mikaguraden and its superbly colored gates.

Business hours	ー
Regular closing days	ー
Address	1855 Furueda-Shimofurueda, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture

Reference：Yutoku Inari Shrine

Karatsu

Karatsu City in Saga Prefecture is a tourist city filled with gourmet foods, festivals, and tourist attractions. It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Fukuoka Airport by subway and JR, and also about 1 hour and 30 minutes by the direct "Showa Bus Karatsu-go" bus.

There are many beautiful places such as Kagamiyama that is known for its cherry blossoms and azaleas, Niji-no-Matsubara where you can findone of the three largest pine groves in Japan, and also the terraced rice fields of Hamanoura, selected as one of the 100 best terraced rice fields in Japan. Last but not least, there is Nanatsugama, where visitors can enter seven caves by boat.

Also, Karatsu-yaki pottery is not to be missed in Karatsu. Karatsu-yaki is said to have started in the Momoyama Period (1573-1600), and it is believed that Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought back potters during his invasion of Korea, adopting their techniques.

Arita

Arita Town in Saga Prefecture is another area known for its ceramics. It is also called the birthplace of Japanese porcelain and is known throughout Japan by the name of Arita-yaki.

It is said that the name "Arita-yaki" was first coined after the Meiji period (1868-1912). Until the Edo period, it was known as Imariyaki or Hizenyaki.

Like Karatsu-yaki, the origin of Arita-yaki also lies in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea. The Nabeshima clan was sent to Joseon and brought back Korean potters. The returned potters settled in Arita, where they discovered pottery stone, the raw material for porcelain, at Izumiyama, and worked on the production of porcelain.

To Summarize: Information on Internet & Wi-Fi in Saga

If you are visiting Saga, you can use the free Wi-Fi provided by Saga City in public spaces. You can also use free Wi-Fi in cafes, restaurants, hotels, and other places.

However, even in places that support free Wi-Fi, you may not be able to connect smoothly or may be concerned about security risks. If you want to use the Internet comfortably and securely, why not try Wi-Fi rental service?

WiFiBOX is one of the best Wi-Fi rental services that we recommend to you. With affordable rental rates, you can use this service with an easy and simple procedure from reservation to return. If you are planning a trip to Saga, you might want to use WiFiBOX!