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Upon arrival in Japan for a short-term holiday or long-term stay, you should first prepare a SIM card so that you can use your mobile phone. In Japan, there are a variety of SIM cards designed for travellers from foreign countries. It is possible to order your SIM card online ahead of time and pick it up at the airport, or buy it at a store upon arrival in Japan. Let’s compare the fees, data inclusions, customer support and other specs of a SIM card which is perfect for your trip, based on the length of your stay and how you use your mobile phone.
Choose a Prepaid SIM Card which gives you peace of mind instead of Free Wi-Fi
If you are going to Japan for the first time, it’s probably best to get a SIM Card that you can use in Japan, even if you’re just staying for a few days. In Japan, where few people understand English, you may overlook travel destinations which would be of great interest or information about sightseeing without Google Maps, search functions and translation apps. Although the number of Free Wi-Fi Spots is increasing in Japan, it is far from sufficient. Japan’s high-speed mobile network, upon which SIM Cards operate, is by and large the attractive option.
The following Prepaid SIM Card options are available for travellers from overseas:
Mobal – the most well-known SIM Card for mid-to-long term usage
There are plenty of positives to note for Mobal, the SIM Card provider most known by travellers from overseas.
- You can choose between 30 day / 60 day / 90+ day plans
- There are two types of plans: “data only” and “data + voice and text”
- If you use up your data, it is possible to top it up
- There are also plans with unlimited data
- It is compatible with both iPhone and Android
- Customer support in English is excellent
- It runs on the network of Japan’s major provider (Softbank)
- The SIM Card can be delivered internationally for free
People who need calling and SMS functions with a Japanese mobile number can choose the plan which includes calling, whilst people who only want to use Instagram and Messenger etc. will find the data-only plan sufficient. We recommend Mobal’s unlimited data plan for those who want to use data without being bothered by having a data limit, such as if you want to keep up with Instagram influencers or watch lots of YouTube videos.
The only disadvantage to Mobal is that there are no daily plans or short-term plans under 30 days. However, if you are only looking to use data on your short-term stay, the 3GB Plan (30 day limit, 3490 JPY) is by no means expensive.
To pick up a Mobal SIM Card, you can either order it online ahead of time and have it delivered to your house, or pick it up at a major airport in Japan or Singapore.
Mobal 公式サイト：https://www.mobal.com/japan-sim-card
Mobal’s official website: https://www.mobal.com/japan-sim-card
Sakura Mobile – SIM Cards from 3+ days with add-ons per extra day
Sakura Mobile has both short-term (up to 90 day usage) and long-term prepaid SIM Cards.
- Choose from prepaid SIM Cards starting from 3 days (3GB, 3650 JPY) to SIM Cards up to 90 days usage
- Prepaid SIM Cards are “data only” plans
- Postpaid SIM Cards include both “data only” (from 1980 JPY/month) and “data + calling” (from 2980 JPY/month) plans
- If you use up your data, it is possible to top it up
- It is compatible with iPhone, Android, and Blackberry
- Customer support in English is excellent
- It runs on the network of Japan’s largest provider (NTT Docomo)
- The SIM Card can be delivered internationally (free from March 2019)
Sakura Mobile, which is suitable for extremely short trips and priced based on the length of usage, is recommended for people who want to use a SIM Card during a stay shorter than 30 days. For example, the 3GB data only prepaid plan is 3850 JPY for 7 days. However, the same 3GB data plan costs 5000 JPY for 30 days, so in this case, the cheaper option is Mobal.
To obtain a Sakura Mobile SIM Card, you can either purchase it online ahead of time and have it delivered to your house, or pick it up at an airport in Japan. However, there are currently only 7 airports from which you can pick up the SIM Card, so make sure you check if it is available at the airport which you will be arriving in. At present, Sakura Mobile is running a free SIM Card delivery campaign.
Klook – a low-cost SIM for short-term trips
Klook is probably the best for short-term travellers who want to keep things budget. All 3 of their plans are for short-term usage within 8 days.
- There are short plans for 6-day (1GB, 1050 JPY) and 8-day (4GB, 2500JPY) usage
- Customer support is available in English, Chinese and Japanese
- You can pick between a Nano SIM and Micro SIM
- It runs on the network of Japan’s largest provider (NTT Docomo)
- You can pick up the SIM Card at the airports of 5 cities in Japan
In terms of customer support and the convenience of obtaining a SIM Card, Mobal and Sakura Mobile reign supreme. Klook’s appeal is undeniably its cheap price.
Klook’s SIM Cards can be picked up at the airports in Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido, Nagoya and Okinawa. Travellers who will be entering Japan through these 5 cities will not find any inconvenience. Due to the fact that the data network utilises NTT Docomo’s network, there won’t be any faults regarding transmission speed or reception coverage. This service should be worth getting.
Getting your hands on a SIM Card in Japan
If it is your first time staying in Japan, you may have better peace of mind to get your SIM Card online ahead of time. However, if you’d rather get your SIM Card whilst shopping in Japan, there are also many ways to choose and purchase a SIM Card upon arrival. In the major electronics retail stores of large cities like Tokyo and Osaka (Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera etc.), there will be staff who can speak English and counters which handle SIM Cards for travellers from overseas. In those cases, you can express yourself simply using the following:
- I’d like to get prepaid SIM card please／プリペイドのSIMカードをください（Puripeido no simu ka-do wo kudasai）
- I’d like to use it for 1 week／1週間、使いたいです（Isshuukan tsukai tai desu）
- I use only data／データだけ使います（de-ta dake tsukai masu）
- I use voice call and data／通話とデータを使います（Tsuuwa to de-ta wo tsukai masu）
One final option: “Portable Wi-Fi”
SIM Cards are not the only way to use a smartphone in Japan. If you don’t require calling or SMS and just want to have internet, you can consider an alternative option for data: a portable Wi-Fi Router which you keep in your pocket and carry around with you. The advantage of Portable Wi-Fi is that it doesn’t just work for smartphones; it works with any device that can connect to Wi-Fi, such as laptops and tablets.
You can rent a Wi-Fi Router from a provider in your own country and return it once you’re back home, or order a Wi-Fi Router from a Japanese provider online and collect it at a Japanese airport. Ninja WiFi, Fox WiFi, eConnect, and Wi-Ho! are services which are well known for catering to travellers to Japan.
When you are choosing a means of communication for your Japan trip, the information to consider are the length of your stay, costs, and the number of devices you will bring. Furthermore, the level of English customer support differs with each service, so make sure you do your research ahead of time. We hope you have an enjoyable trip or homestay!