The one thing travelers in Japan always forget, and regret it when they need it most
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get this one thing, save your trip from a lot of headaches,
enjoy Japan to the fullest.
You’re planning your trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Looking at things to do, where to stay, what to experience.
It’s exciting.
But in that excitement, many people overlook getting something when they come to Japan.
They will face with headaches like...
Getting to a destination
They have an address to a place they want to go, but the address system in Japan in notoriously confusing (even locals can’t make sense of it). They open google maps, type in the address - no signal. “Not connected to the internet” appears.
Translating it into your language
They talk with a local and need to translate English into Japanese. They open google translate on your phone
- no response.
Will you have safe, reliable internet when you need it most?
While Japan seems like a tech-nirvana, there are some things that may surprise you.
Free Wifi is notoriously hard to find
Aside from big chains like McDonald’s and Starbucks, most places don’t offer free wifi. Or if they do, you have to pay for it.
Public wifi is frustratingly slow
In big cities like Tokyo, you can connect to public-access wifi outside. But because of the number of people, the internet is incredibly slow, if you can even connect to it.
Even if you connect, you can’t sign up
Even if you could connect to public-access, free wifi, most places require email authentication. Type in your email address, and click “sign up” to send a confirmation email to your inbox… which requires internet to open.
You should be able to enjoy your experience of Japan without frustrating experiences like these.
Save the headache with a SIM card
For all people visiting Japan, we recommend they get a SIM card.
Getting a SIM card has an up-front cost, but it will save you a lot of time and frustration.
No more "I'm lost"
You won’t need to worry about getting lost
SNS in Realtime
You’ll be able to share your experience in real time on Instagram
Translation
You’ll be able to translate things wherever you go
Voice Calling
You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that you can call help at any time
So… which SIM card should you get?
You want to get a SIM card locally in Japan. But there are so many… which do you choose?
On Amazon Japan, type in “sim card” and you get over 80,000 results
Here Are Best 3 Options!
Out of the 80,000+ SIM cards, we’ve found three that are the best options for international travelers in Japan.
They offer flexible plans at reasonable cost, use one of big-three networks, the convenience for pick-up/shipping and English support.
Provider | For Who? | Cost | Data | Call/ Text | Unlimited | shipping/ pick up | English Support | Sim return | LInk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mobal | For the professional who needs to work during their visit. | Learn more (Click) | |||||||
Sakura mobile | For the cost-concerned traveler. | Learn more (Click) | |||||||
Sim card geek | For the light user who cares most about convenience. | Learn more (Click) |
Provider | MOBAL | SAKURA MOBILE | SIM CARD GEEK |
|---|---|---|---|
FOR WHO? | For the professional who needs to work during their visit. | For the cost-concerned traveler. | For the light user who cares most about convenience. |
Value for money | |||
DATA | |||
CALL/TEXT | |||
UNLIMITED | |||
SHIPPING/PICK UP | |||
ENGLISH SUPPORT | |||
SIM RETURN | |||
LINK | Learn more (Click) |
Will you need Voice calling with your SIM?
Some travelers will need wifi access only, while others will need an actual phone number for voice calling. How do you know which one you will need?
Communicating with restaurants, Ryokans/hotels, airlines and travel agencies
Troubles always come with travels. When you are late for a dinner reservation, when you are late for your flight, when you have a question about a tour you are joining, and when you are late for the check-in time to Ryokan, it is much easier to handle the situation if you can make a phone call.
Using apps
Some apps require an authentication using phone call or text/SMS, especially if you practice 2-step authentication. I had a problem in Taiwan using Gmail. Google automatically logged me out maybe because I was in a country I had never been, but I forgot the password. I needed a Taiwanese phone number to authenticate myself. I was fortunate to have a local friend who let me use her phone number, but it would have been a big problem.
If this sounds like you, then getting Mobal would be best. Take a look at our recommendation below.
Recommendation by Use Case
Data + Voice
If you need to text and call, the best option is "I'm your Japan Unlimited SIM card" by Mobal. It is the cheapest option and you get the unlimited data. Deal.
Provider | SIM card Name | Days | Data (GB) | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mobal | I`m your Japan Unlimited SIM | 30 | Unlimited | ¥ 7,500 |
Sakura mobile | SAKURA Voice + SIM | 30 | 3 | ¥ 7,980 |
SAKURA MOBILE | SAKURA Voice + SIM | 30 | 5 | ¥ 8,980 |
SAKURA MOBILE | SAKURA Voice + SIM | 30 | 7 | ¥ 9,980 |
Mobal | I`m your Japan Unlimited SIM | 60 | Unlimited | ¥ 12,000 |
1 Week In Japan
MOBAL Japan Tourist Data SIM 8 days plan is the best option. Although it is not the cheapest, you will get the unlimited data at just ¥500.
Provider | SIM card Name | Days | Data (GB) | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SIM Card Geek | Japan SIM Card | 8 | 8 | ¥ 3,480 |
Sakura mobile | SAKURA Travel SIM | 8 | 3 | ¥ 3,900 |
MOBAL | Japan Tourist Data SIM | 8 | Unlimited | ¥ 3,990 |
SAKURA MOBILE | SAKURA Travel SIM | 8 | 10 | ¥ 7,400 |
2 Weeks In Japan
If you are a really light internet user and go for the 3GB option, Sakura Mobile Travel SIM 16 days - 3GB plan is for you.
But if you use Maps, Web browsers, and apps, you will need more than 5 GB. If this is the case for you, I recommend Mobal Tourist Data SIM 16 days and you get unlimited data.
Provider | SIM card Name | Days | Data (GB) | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sakura mobile | SAKURA Travel SIM | 16 | 3 | ¥ 4,300 |
Sakura mobile | SAKURA Travel SIM | 16 | 5 | ¥ 5,300 |
SIM CARD GEEK | Japan SIM Card | 16 | 16 | ¥ 5,480 |
Mobal | Japan Tourist Data SIM | 16 | Unlimited | ¥ 5,990 |
Sakura mobile | SAKURA Travel SIM | 16 | 10 | ¥ 7,800 |
1 Month In Japan
10 GB is the common data usage for travelers. If you stay in Japan for 2-4weeks, SIM Card Geek's 30 days/10GB plan is the most reasonable plan.
But if you are a heavy user (tethering, uploading photos/videos), we still recommend choosing Mobal “I'm your Japan Unlimited SIM card”.
Provider | SIM card Name | Days | Data (GB) | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SIM Card Geek | Japan Data SIM Card | 30 | 7 | ¥ 4,490 |
SIM CARD GEEK | Japan Data SIM Card | 30 | 10 | ¥ 5,490 |
Sakura Mobile | SAKURA Travel SIM | 30 | 5 | ¥ 6,980 |
Mobal | Japan Tourist Data SIM | 31 | Unlimited | ¥ 7,490 |
MOBAL | I'm your Japan Unlimited (with Voice Calling) | 30 | Unlimited | ¥ 7,500 |
Get your SIM card before its gone (sooner than you think)
As the number of visitors to Japan is growing much more than the industry expects, SIM cards getting sold out sooner and sooner.
As a rule of thumb, you should buy your SIM card once you buy your flight ticket.
If you are 1 - 3 months before your travel, buy one soon.
If you will arrive in Japan within a month, you should order it now before they get sold out.
All the SIM card providers introduced in this article ship it to your home or where you want it to be shipped, so you can order early and keep it until your travel.
If you are not ready to buy one yet, save this article in your bookmark for your future reference.