Japanese expats and anime fans, we know you’re dying to get to see some of your favorite shows. With TV Tokyo, you could rewatch some classic cartoons that took over the world through the 90s and early 2000s such as Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and Pokemon. Besides, you’d have all you need to practice your Japanese.
The list of popular shows either created or co-created by TV Tokyo is long indeed:
Chu-Bra!!
Hoop Days
Beast King GoLion
Hakuouki
Heroman
Kamisama Dolls
Lilpri
Muv-Luv Alternative
Natsu no Arashi!
Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Sengoku Collection
The World God Only Knows
Utakoi
Unfortunately, if you attempt to access these and other TV Tokyo shows online, it won’t be that easy. You need to have a Japanese IP address because their website may block its content based on your location.
Regional restrictions can be very frustrating if you’re an expat trying to keep up to date with your shows, or if following your local news is essential for you. Sometimes, when we miss home, TV is the most accessible resource when we want to remember our culture and feel close to it again.
Other people try to access foreign TV shows in order to practice their language skills. There are many reasons why people from locations other than where the show is being streamed from would like to access this content. However, in order to do so, it’s necessary to invest in software that can get around this limitation.
The name of the problem: geo-blocking
Media companies limit their content to their own region due to license requirements, copyright issues, or profit related reasons. They use a technique called geo-blocking to identify the location of whoever is accessing their website.
Each device on the web has an Internet Protocol address number or IP for short. Each time a connected device tries to access content from a server, the server receives the request and the location of the device issuing that request.
Local ISPs receive sets of IP addresses and then distribute them to their clients. The IP number can be utilized to find the device’s location with a high degree of accuracy. There are numerous databases that can help associate IP numbers to their unique areas, and organizations may utilize these to compose their blocking lists.
Is there a way around geo-blocking?
The ideal approach to go around geo-blocking is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network.)
A VPN coordinates your traffic towards a server situated in a location of your choice. VPNs can be effortlessly installed on cell phones, tablets, and any other web-capable mobile equipment you have. They can also be installed in routers, protecting the connections of all devices in the network.
This guide will teach you how to watch TV Tokyo by choosing the best VPN service to get around geo-blocking.
Step #1 – Choosing a VPN
There are numerous reasonable VPN options for watching geo-blocked channels on the web. One of the most critical features that a VPN app must have is letting you chose your server location which, in this case, will be somewhere in Japan.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is famous for its reliable and stable networks and is a standout amongst the best choices if you require solid encryption and security.
In nations like China and Iran, few VPN services can outsmart local censorship. In China, the government is very determined to block most VPNs. However, Express VPN has been reliably efficient in circumventing strict Chinese surveillance.
Additionally, ExpressVPN offers great customer support 24 hours a day, unlimited data transfer capacity, as well as quick and stable connections – making it a VPN definitely worth its cost and the best choice for streaming content from Japan and most other countries.
Even though ExpressVPN doesn’t publish the number of servers it has in Japan, we can presume it’s a lot, since Express has a considerable number of servers all around the world (2000+) and an exceptionally diverse selection thereof.
Check ExpressVPN review here: https://vpnpro.com/vpn-reviews/expressvpn-review/
AstrillVPN
Astrill provides high-speed connections, a reasonably large server fleet with 322 servers in 62 countries, and very user-friendly custom apps for Windows, Mac, iOs, Android, Linux, and for routers as well. Astrill makes your life more comfortable if your goal is watching geo-blocked content or P2P torrenting. It is also perfect for China and other countries with severe web restrictions.
Astrill offers unlimited bandwidth, unlimited server switches, and extremely high speeds. It provides military-grade encryption and keeps almost no user log data. It does keep some, like most services; however, the data they keep does not compromise your anonymity.
You can also pay for AstrillVPN with Bitcoin and count on 24/7 user support in case you need any help. Its downside is the fact that Astrill is a bit too pricey in comparison with other services that have much more servers.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is becoming popular for its user-friendly features, wide geographic distribution and extra security features that can be very important for protecting your device from other threats, such as blocking ads and malicious websites. This VPN service has 8 servers in Japan.
Many Japanese companies are starting to accept Bitcoin payments, and this technology is becoming more and more familiar to the Japanese people. CyberGhost is one of the few VPN providers that actually accept payment in bitcoin, adding an extra layer of security.
CyberGhost also does not require you to log in your real contact details. They give you 7 days to try without asking for your credit card details, so you have enough time to evaluate their service safely.
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the best VPN services out there. They offer double data encryption which encrypts your browsing data twice. This is one among many other security features that make NordVPN practically flawless when it comes to security concerns.
NordVPN has more than 5000 servers in 62 countries. This is more than you could find with any other VPN service today. Having a large number of servers implies less load and better connections, which will help you find uncrowded servers from wherever you are browsing.
NordVPN is an amazing option for anyone, anywhere. Usually, a very secure VPN might lose some points in speed, but that is not the case for NordVPN because of the great variety of servers available.
Step #2 – register and log into the TV Tokyo website
After setting up your VPN, simply choose a Japanese server, open the TV TOKYO streaming site (use Google Translate if you don’t speak Japanese) from your browser, choose your shows and start streaming.
Now you’re set and ready to enjoy your favorite TV Tokyo shows!