Actually for those who put in the effort to search, there are free vpn options but they are generally slower.
Example:
https://www.vpngate.net/en/
VPNgate, an "Academic Experiment Project" by the University of Tsukuba.
I'm from Singapore, but due to my research collaborations with Japanese universities I can use some Japanese VPNs to work around this issue. Others can put in a bit more effort and be more thorough their search - more options are available (that are free) if you put your mind to it. SE won't fix this overnight so if we want to play tonight, think creatively.