MANILA, Philippines – Travelers to Japan who have noted a difficulty in finding a WiFi hotspot to connect to will soon be able to get free WiFi access just by showing off their passports.

Mashable reports that NTT launched a new program to serve foreign tourists, allowing them to register for a WiFi card by presenting their passports at the airport. The new service provides free WiFi coverage through 45,000 hot spots across eastern Japan, which includes Tokyo, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, Nagano, and Hokkaido, among others.

Travelers to Japan can also download an iOS or Android app called NAVITIME for Japan Travel, allowing them to pick up an ID and password ahead of time. The app also uses an augmented reality mode that lets you see locations where WiFi hotspots are located using images of the location.

The service is meant primarily for short stays of up to 14 days, as access lasts for only a two-week period.

An earlier report on the Nikkei Asian Review also noted that this initiative is partly being pushed by the Japanese government as a means of getting more buildings in Japan to offer WiFi access. – Rappler.com