Would you like to use your smartphone in Japan?
You may be worried about getting charged too much for using your own smartphone when you're visiting Japan for sightseeing or business. Pre-paid SIM cards are a cheap and reasonable solution.
What is pre-paid SIM card?
Pre-paid SIM cards are automatically cancelled when you use up all the data, or when the contract period finishes.
The procedure for getting one is simple and does not require any initial contract costs. Also, you don't need to worry about any surcharges, as you pay everything before starting to use it. Those are the reasons why we recommend it to sightseeing and business travellers.
Please know that the SIM cards we're introducing here are only for data use, and do not allow phone calls. Phone call apps such as Skype are available however.
You can see our recommendations below:
So-net LTE SIM: Can be purchased at Tokyo Station
The So-net LTE SIM can also be found at airports. So-net offers 3 types.
Price list of So-net LTE SIM
| Data | Period | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2GB | 30-days | ¥3,241 |
| 2.4GB | 30-days | ¥4,167 |
| 3.2GB | 60-days | ¥5,093 |
Extra top-up costs ¥2,838 per 1GB for 60-days.
Available bands for So-net LTE SIM
| LTE(Xi) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz), Band21(1500MHz), Band 3 (1800MHz, only in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka area) |
|---|---|
| 3G(FOMA) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz) |
Shops
- New Chitose Airport
- Narita International Airport
- Haneda Airport International Terminal
- Toyama Kitokito Airprot
- Kansai International Airport (Terminal 1 and 2)
- Fukuoka Airport
- Naha Airport
- Tokyo Station
- Shinagawa Station
- Shinjuku Station
- Ueno Station
- Sakuragi-cho Station
- Kyoto Station (In front the station and the underground floor)
- Sendai Station
- Hokkaido Sapporo tourist information centre
- LAWSON (Naha Airport store)
- BIC West International (Ikebukuro)
- Dospara
- Applied
- Yodobashi Camera
U-mobile: for short term stays in Japan
U-mobile offers 7-days, 15-days, and 30-days plans. This SIM allows you to use up to 200MB per day without any other limits. When your contract period is over, the SIM card automatically becomes unusable.
The sizes of the offered SIM cards are: normal, nano, and micro.
Price list of U-mobile
| Period | Price |
|---|---|
| 7-days | ¥2,180 |
| 15-days | ¥2,980 |
| 30-days | ¥3,980 |
Available bands for U-mobile pre-paid SIM
| LTE(Xi) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz), Band21(1500MHz), Band 3 (1800MHz, only in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka area) |
|---|---|
| 3G(FOMA) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz) |
Shops
- All U-NEXT stores
- Global WiFi – Haneda Airport branch
- Global WiFi – Fukuoka Airport branch
- Global WiFi – Kansai International Airport branch
- Washington Hotel Shinjuku (Main building 1F)
- Mini-stop (Narita Airport Terminal 1)
- SKY counter at Narita Airport
- Hotel New Otani Business support centre
- Hotel Monterey Kyoto
- Spring Airlines (on board of international flights)
- Sanyo Shinkansen (on board between Shin-Osaka and Hakata)
U-mobile auto-vending machines
- Kyushu Saga International Airport Terminal 1F arrival lobby
- Toyama Kitokito Airport international arrival floor
- Narita International Airport Terminal 1 arrival lobby
- Narita International Airport Terminal 2 arrival lobby
- Narita International Airport Terminal 3 main building 2F gate
IIJmio: for longer stays in Japan
IIJmio’s “Japan Travel SIM” is recommended for foreign visitors. You can choose a 30-days or a 3-months plan.
Adding extra data is available at electric appliance stores and LAWSON convenience stores.
Offered sizes are normal, nano and micro.
| Data | 1GB | 2GB |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 30-days | 3-months |
Pricing is not published but the 2GB plan offered to locals is ¥3,791, and we expect similar pricing for visitors.
Price list of Japan Travel SIM
| Data | Price |
|---|---|
| 500MB | ¥1,500 |
| 2GB | ¥3,000 |
Available bands for Japan Travel SIM
| LTE(Xi) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz), Band21(1500MHz), Band 3 (1800MHz, only in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka area) |
|---|---|
| 3G(FOMA) | Band1(2100MHz), Band19(800MHz) |
Shops
- BIC CAMERA
- Kojima
- Sofmap
- Yodobashi Camera
- Nojima
- G-Call
- BLUE SKY
- Brastel
- E-booom
- Eco-Tan
- Berrymobile
- TIC Tokyo
- AEON Retail
- Kyoto Tourist information centre
- Meitestu Travel Plaza
- Nissan rent-a-car
- Tokyo City Eye
- Minato-ward tourist information centre
- FamilyMart
- Joshin
- Mitsukoshi Ginza
- JAL ABC
- JR Shikoku
- Real Estate Japan
- Tokyo Yurakucho tourist information centre
- GeoMobile
- NewDays
- Keio Corporation
- EDION Doton-bori store
- Tokai KIOSK
- Tokyo Chuo-ward tourist information centre
Do not forget to buy a Pre-paid SIM when you visit Japan!
If you travel with your country's SIM card, you would have to use roaming when a free WiFi connection is unavailable, for which you may have to pay surcharges and expensive bills.
The number of available WiFi hotspots is increasing, but you are still required to put in an effort to find them, and sign up to use them. Moreover, public WiFis are often not fast enough for regular tasks.
Pre-paid SIM cards allow you to cheaply get a fast internet connection without any complicated procedures or additional costs.
Do not fail to get a pre-paid SIM card when you visit Japan!