I have paid attention to the VPN market for more than a decade, and I have also paid close attention to the subject of which VPN to use with Netflix. For the first years, you could use any VPN as long as it had a VPN server in a different country, and this was used by millions to access Netflix before the streaming service launched worldwide. After that, Netflix suddenly cracked down on most of the VPN providers, and it became much harder to get access to Netflix material in other countries, like in the United States, Canada, or in Japan. Here we are, more than 10 years later, and still people are looking for VPN services that can help them watch anime, blockbuster movies, and other fantastic content on Japanese Netflix even though they live somewhere else. So, which VPN should you use for this purpose?
Netflix launched as a DVD-rental service in the United States in 1997. 10 years later, they took a gigantic step, and decided to launch a streaming service next to the DVD-rental service, and we all know that was a smart step to make by the streaming service (which no longer operates a DVD-rental service). Three years later Netflix launched its streaming service in Canada, and five years later, in 2015, the service launched in Japan. Since then, Japan has turned into one of the biggest and most popular countries among subscribers, and it is one of the most sought-after countries (when it comes to content) among people living elsewhere. Why is that? The most important reason is the incredible number of anime movies and TV series. People all across the globe love anime-series and movies, and as they are added to Netflix in Japan years before they are made available elsewhere (and often they never reach international Netflix), millions of people look for solutions as they want to stream the newest seasons and episodes of My Hero Academia, SpyXFamily, Jujitsu Kaisen, and other anime series outside Japan.
Which VPN should you use if you want to watch Japanese Netflix in Sweden, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, or maybe in Mexico?
The best VPN if you want access to Japanese Netflix abroad.
It is quite amazing, but since I wrote my first article about how you can watch Japanese Netflix abroad, there is one VPN provider that has given constant access to the service without any outage times. Which one is that? It is NordVPN! As I wrote my first article on the topic of accessing Netflix in Japan abroad, I remember testing lots of VPN providers, and NordVPN always came up as a brilliant solution. Since then, NordVPN has become even more stable, as it no longer is a superb solution only for Japanese Netflix, but now it also gives you steady access to Netflix in more than 10 other countries such as Canada, the United States, Swedenn, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, and some others. Besides that, the service is also ideal for those who want to stream BBC iPlayer, ITVX, ZDF, RaiPlay, JioCinema, and many other TV networks and streaming services.
The good thing is that even though using a VPN sounds like a difficult and complicated thing, it isn't harder than using Notepad in Windows. You start the program, write some text, and click save. Of course, you don't have to write a document to use NordVPN. Instead, you start the program (you will find a shortcut in the start menu or at your desktop), and then you select Japan from the list of countries and click connect. That's it. You will get a Japanese IP address within a few seconds and you will be considered a Japanese the next time you visit the Netflix website or open the Netflix application. As a result, you will now get access to all the movies, documentaries, TV shows, and other content available on Netflix Japan.
I used a Windows example above, but in the same way, you can easily use NordVPN on your Android/iOS cellphone/tablet, or on your Macintosh, or on your Linux computer.
Isn't that extremely neat?
A few boring things you might want to know about Japanese Netflix.
As of 2024, Netflix has approximately 7 million subscribers in Japan. The country remains Netflix's significant market in Asia, with steady growth over the years. There is a lot of popular content on Netflix in Japan, and in the last months, some of the most popular content produced in Japan is "The Queen of Villains" and "Tokyo Swindlers". These titles have consistently appeared in the top 10 lists for the most-watched shows. Anime and Japanese dramas also remain particularly popular on the platform, with genres like thrillers and reality TV drawing significant attention.
Why do you want to watch Japanese Netflix abroad? Write a comment and let me know.
If you need any help along the way, please write a comment as well.