Does ExpressVPN Work With Netflix Japan? (Updated 2024)
Only a few streaming services can compete with Netflix today. With its massive marketing and widespread branches, Netflix has been able to reach virtually every corner of the world. Alongside their excellent content, they have great customer services. When you think of all this, it should come as no surprise that they are loved by so many.
Unfortunately, in spite of all these qualities this company possesses, they have a con to them. They often restrict users on content they can consume based on their location. Netflix Japan, for example, is a very guarded branch of Netflix’s streaming service. The only correct way to get through that restriction is by using a good Virtual Private Network. The great news here is that there are Virtual Private Networks that can bypass those restrictions. An example is ExpressVPN.
Now, there are several Virtual Private Networks online. Some allow you to use their services, at no financial cost. Some require that you pay a reasonable fee for you to access their services. The paid VPNs are often better than unpaid VPNs. One of the best among the paid ones is ExpressVPN.
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Can you use ExpressVPN to bypass Netflix Japan’s restriction?
The simple answer is Yes. ExpressVPN is arguably the best Virtual Private Network around now based on several factors. It has high speeds, thousands of servers across different parts of the world, etc. It is also able to unblock restrictions with relative ease on various applications, websites, and online platforms. One of those online platforms is Netflix Japan.
It has multiple servers in Japan. Not every single one of those servers can bypass Netflix Japan’s restrictions. However, some of them can, and they do it excellently. Now, having told you that it is practically the best in the world, you might be wondering why ExpressVPN does not have all of its servers blasting through Netflix Japan’s walls.
Well, it pretty much started in the first month of 2016. Before that, Netflix had established itself as a brand that is quite serious with its restrictions based on your location. It would not allow you to access content that is outside the place you have authority. However, people were able to find a way around that restriction quite easily. By getting practically any Virtual Private Network with even remotely decent services, you could connect to their Japanese servers and “ransack” Netflix Japan’s archives. However, being such a vast company, Netflix caught onto this rather quickly.
It was then that things started getting complicated. After catching on to users employing the services of Virtual Private Networks in bypassing their restriction, they placed a ban on Virtual Private Networks. A substantial amount of people in the online world doubted the feasibility of this plan.
There are roughly more than a thousand Virtual Private Networks in existence. When combined, these Virtual Private Networks have several thousand servers among themselves all over the world. To make things even a bit more complicated, on all those servers, there are several thousand IP addresses. When you think of how much effort it would cost Netflix to block or ban all of these, even you would be doubtful.
However, based on their level of effectiveness, they have proven that they are more than capable of carrying out the task. They identified and shortlisted the most well-known Virtual Private Networks and started blocking the IP addresses used to “break into” Netflix Japan’s servers.
Many Virtual Private Networks have dedicated so much time and energy into finding a way around this ban so their customers won’t be disappointed. However, Netflix Japan remains unrelenting in frustrating their efforts. As such, a lot of them have given up on the race and no longer provide their services of unblocking for Japan. Luckily for us, ExpressVPN is not one of those Virtual Private Networks.
Essentially, a few of its servers have been identified by Netflix Japan. However, it still has servers that can find their way around that ban and give you access to Netflix Japan’s rich content. What makes it the best in the Internet Privacy Industry is not that it can provide a hundred percent during challenges for its clients. What makes it the best is that it can come up and give a solution where other Virtual Private Networks are hitting a dead end and turning back with their tails between their legs.
So, to reiterate, ExpressVPN can provide access to Netflix Japan. It does so at excellent speeds, allowing you to stream your movies and shows at the high definition as much as you want. Not all of its servers work, but you can easily find out which one to use by contacting ExpressVPN’s 24/7 customer care service. Also, you could do a bit of trial and error to test and see which one works best.
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How exactly does ExpressVPN help to access Netflix Japan?
Understanding the answer to this question requires a bit of background information. Allow us a few paragraphs to explain thoroughly. Depending on how new you are to the internet, you are probably familiar with how devices and websites work when browsing. Essentially, when you want to browse the web, or you want to access a particular part of the internet, your device starts to communicate.
The website or platform you want to access with your device is hosted on a server. So, your device communicates with that server and requests for permission to peruse its contents. Under normal circumstances, the server would grant your device permission, and you would be able to browse freely. This usually happens in a matter of nanoseconds, and you do not even notice it. However, with Netflix Japan, there is such a thing known as a geo-restriction.
A geo-restriction is a term that refers to the method through which websites, platforms, and applications use to restrict internet from consuming their content. Geo-restriction works based on your geographic location. Now, when you try to access a website with a geo-restriction, here’s what happens. Your internet-enabled device goes through the normal process of requesting permission. Netflix Japan’s server, for example, would read your IP address. Your IP address is a set of numbers assigned to your device. It can be used to trace your actual location, among other things.
So, when the said server reads your IP address and discovers that you are not, in fact, within the authorized location, it blocks you. That is, it prevents you from being able to access the website itself, or it stops you from consuming its content. The alternative on some sites is that the server redirects you to a website that is within your current location. This is basically how Netflix Japan prevents you from accessing its content outside Japan.
What ExpressVPN does is that it routes your connection through another server, one of its own. That server allocates a different IP address to your internet-enabled device. The newly assigned IP address would be one that shows that you are in Japan. Afterward, the normal process would begin. Your internet-enabled device would request permission, Netflix Japan’s servers would check your location. Because your IP is spoofed, you would be given permission, and that is how ExpressVPN gives you access to Netflix Japan.
What else can ExpressVPN do in Japan?
For most people around the world, when they purchase a product, they want their money’s worth. They want the product to perform excellently well in carrying out its tasks. If possible, they also want it to be able to multitask. The same goes for Virtual Private Network users. When you get ExpressVPN to help unblock Netflix Japan, the chances are that you also want it to be able to do other things.
First of all, ExpressVPN allows you to stream sports straight from Japan. Japan has one of the most thriving sports sector in the whole of Asia. The Nippon Professional Baseball and the J1 League are two parts of the Japanese sports sector that are equivalent to some of their biggest international rivals. By applying the same principles/methods stated in Netflix Japan, ExpressVPN allows you to stream their sports live. A simple subscription on ExpressVPN allows you to watch NPB Baseball, JBL Basketball and the all so entertaining Sumo Wrestling, among others.
Secondly, if there is anything that ExpressVPN is good at, it is providing security and privacy to its users. Regarding your privacy, for starters, ExpressVPN has a strict zero-logging policy. This means that it does not keep track of your activities on the internet in Japan. Secondly, it is in the British Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands has no data retention laws. Essentially, ExpressVPN is not compelled by the laws of its HQ to release your information to anyone. As such, it does not have to. The zero-logs policy, combined with their strategic location means one glorious thing for your privacy. They do not want to snoop around your business, and they do not have to.
Regarding your security, ExpressVPN provides you with encryption using an Advanced Encryption System with 256-bit keys. This is the maximum level of encryption in the world today. It is used by big corporations and governments such as banks and even the United States of America to protect their information online. Also, they have an extra security feature known as TrustedServer. This helps to increase security by ensuring that all of ExpressVPN’s servers run on the most up-to-date software.
Why should you choose ExpressVPN?
At the very top of the reasons is that ExpressVPN has a huge amount of servers around the world. This means that if you are planning to use ExpressVPN for other purposes besides Netflix Japan, you can easily connect to another server outside Japan. Afterward, you would be able to surf the web freely and securely. To be a little more specific, ExpressVPN has over three thousand servers across more than 94 different countries around the globe
Also, ExpressVPN has incredible speeds that are known to go as high as, and even over 100mbps. That is more than enough speed for you to stream your shows and movies on Netflix Japan without having to worry about buffering. In addition to that, it provides you with the chance to connect up to five different devices simultaneously. You would have the opportunity to access Netflix Japan on all those devices just by subscribing once. More screens, more fun.
Finally, ExpressVPN gives you the option of testing out their services freely for thirty days. During those thirty days, you would be able to try out their services risk-free. If you are not satisfied afterwards, you can go ahead and ask for a refund. As soon as you put in a request for a refund upon dissatisfaction, your request would start getting processed. In no time, you would get your money back without having to go through the hassle of answering questions as to why you want that money back.
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Are there any free VPNs that offer the same quality of service as ExpressVPN?
In almost all circumstances, free products and services are more attractive than the paid counterparts. Unfortunately, those that come free do not always give you the same amount of satisfaction as the ones you pay for. That is exactly the case with ExpressVPN. They charge a fee for providing their internet privacy services. However, in doing so, they produce services that are better than pretty much every free Virtual Private Network. To be a little more straightforward, there is no free Virtual Private Network we know of that equals ExpressVPN’s quality of service. It might come at a cost, but when you consider what ExpressVPN is offering, it is worth it.
In conclusion
ExpressVPN is an excellent choice to make if you are looking to bypass the walls that Netflix Japan has set up around its content. If not the best, it is close to the best partner you can have in the journey of internet privacy, security and freedom. With its servers and unblocking capabilities, it is perfect for Netflix Japan.