[Help] Getting Prepaid Sim Card in Japan (Update: 2018)

Getting a prepaid sim card in Japan can be quite simple, however, not many people will consider that as compared to a prepaid sim card and WiFi rental egg. WiFi egg can be shared with many people and sim card cost in Japan is slightly higher and does not guarantee good connectivity. I have used a few different prepaid sim card for my trip to Japan, and here is the compilation of it. There are many sim card available in Japan but the cost can be quite expensive and not very efficient, is good to compare and check on which type of sim card is suitable for you.

What type of device is suitable for you?

1 Person: Prepaid Sim Card
1~2 Person: Prepaid Sim Card
3~4 Person: Pocket-router
More than 5: Pocket-router

**The above suggestion is for reference, it depends on the individual preference**

What kind of data plan should you choose for your trip?

4 Days or lesser: 500MB

5~ 7 Days: 1GB

7~14 Days: 3GB

14~30 Days: 5GB

30 ~60 Days: 10GB

**The above suggestion is for reference, it depends on the individual preference**

Things to note for prepaid sim card purchase:

Japan sim card as of now still do not support voice call for short-term stayers
They do have voice call sim card available but it cost a lot
Your phone must be SIM LOCK Free, please check with the respective sim card supplier
All of the devices used in Japan be it prepaid sim card or wifi router, there will be a fair usage policy for speed per day even though the company states unlimited data (Unlimited data does not mean unlimited speed). **Do read the detailed fine prints**

To apply:

Retail store Purchase (eg. Yodobashi, BIC Camera. b-MOBILE etc)

-Passport

-Email address

Online Purchase

-Name (Same as the Individual passport)

-Address

-3 days before reaching Japan (Hokkaido and Okinawa might need longer days)

-Delivery to Airport (Take note of the counter closing hour), hotel, residential, post-office.

B-mobile

Cost + Data plan:

VISITOR SIM 5GB / 21Days Prepaid
Cost (excl. tax) JPY	3,223
Data speed	LTE / 3G (Best effort theoretical maximum speed.)
Data	5GB (5,000MB)
Validity Period	21 days or up to 5GB whichever comes first.
Network coverage	NTT DOCOMO
APN information	APN : bmobile.ne.jp User name : bmobile@4g Password : bmobile Auth type : PAP or CHAP (if available) PDP type : IP (if required) MVNO type : SPN (if available)

Delivery fee

200JPY (excluding tax)

Check your Compatible devices here.

Where to buy?

Online

Store (Aeon, Bic Camera, Yodobashi)

Collection

Airport, Home (Apartment, Office), Hotel

2 cents opinion:

This sim card is the most commonly seen used by tourist, as compared with other companies, the cost for a 5GB Data and 21 days is quite reasonable and data usage more than enough for the most travellers. I tried b-mobile when it was still the old plan with lesser GB and days but more options. Now they have concentrated only on one plan and there is counter situated at the airport which is convenient for travellers.

e-Connect

Cost+ Data:

Data	100 MB/day	500 MB	1 GB	3 GB	5GB	10GB
Duration	7/15/30 Days	7 Days	15 Days	30 days	30 Days	60 Days
Speed	128kbps after exceed 100mb/day	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard
Limit	√	x	x	x	x	x
Cost ( excl. tax ) JPY	2,680	1,980	3,180	4,980	6,880	9,180

Check your Compatible devices here.

**No delivery fee needed

Where to buy?

Online

Collection

Airport, Home (Apartment, Office), Hotel

2 cents opinion:

There is a lot of option available for the users to choose from and it mostly cater to the English speaking community. Over the years it has improved with easier access and an app to help with the setting and connection. The cost might look a little costly but it does not include the delivery fee like other companies.

Sakura Mobile

Cost+data Plan:

Data	3GB	5GB	10GB	30GB
Duration	90 Days	90 Days	90 Days	90 Days
Speed	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard
Cost ( excl. tax ) JPY	3,500 + 50 per day	4,500 + 50 per day	7,000+ 50 per day	20,000 + 50 per day

Check your Compatible devices here.

Delivery fee

~~890 JPY (excluding tax)~~

*Summer sale: 10 May ~ 10 July (Free shipping + 15% Extra data)

Where to buy?

Online

Collection

Airport, Home (Apartment, Office), Hotel

2 cents opinion:

This has a better range of option for heavy user with a minimum of 3 GB for a validity of 90 days, this is suitable for students who are going for a summer exchange programme or traveller visiting for a short-term holiday. Cost is also reasonable as compared with others now as there is a summer sale but if we are to add in the delivery it will cost almost the same as econnect.

Klook

Source: KLOOK

Cost+data Plan:

Data	1GB	3GB	Unlimited
Duration	6 Days	8 Days	8 Days
Speed	Standard	Standard	Standard (no reduction of speed)
Cost (JPY)	1,056	2,160	3,360

Check your Compatible devices here.

**No delivery fee needed

Purchase your sim card here.

Where to buy?

Online

Collection:

Airport

2 cents opinion:

The collection at the airport made it convenient for travellers and this is suitable for short-term traveller who is going there for less than 8 days and travellers who need the basic usage of data like usage for social media messaging and posting. With the 3 different choices of the plan and price is quite reasonable and they even provide unlimited data for heavy usage.

IIJ Japan Travel Sim

Source: Yodobashi

Cost+data Plan:

Data	1.5GB	3GB
Validity Period	30 Days
Data speed	LTE / 3G (Best effort theoretical maximum speed.)
Network coverage	NTT DOCOMO
Cost (incl. tax) JPY	Yodobashi: 1,990 Bic Camera: 1,998 Amazon: 2,280	Yodobashi: 3,020 Bic Camera: 3,024 Amazon: 3,143

Check your Compatible devices here.

Where to buy?

Online (Amazon, Yodobashi, Bic camera)

Airport (convenience store, JALABC Counter)

Store (Bic camera, Yodobashi)

To note:

4G(LTE)(Maximum 788 Mbps downlink/50 Mbps uplink)

*Transmission rate depends on your device.

*3G network is available outside of LTE coverage.

2 cents opinion:

The next best sim card to buy if you arrive Japan late and the collection counter from other service providers are not available (take note of the operating hours for collection at the service providers counters), this is another option to choose from. Cost wise this can be the cheaper choice among the 30 days usage plan for 1.5GB. As the cost of the sim card depends on each individual vendor, therefore, we will have to do a comparison for each shop makes the whole process a little troublesome.

so-net

Cost+data Plan:

Plan	1.2G	2.4G	3.2G
SIM CARD TYPE	STANDARD SIM、MicroSIM、nanoSIM
Speed	No limit
Validity period	30days	30days	60days
Data Usage	1.2GB	2.4GB	3.2GB
Cost (excl. Tax) JPY	3,241	4,167	5,093

Check your Compatible devices here.

Where to buy?

Online (Amazon) **Only available in 2GB and 12GB

Airport (Vending Machine, JALABC Counter)

Yodobashi

To know more about the location, click here.

To note:

Connection speed are best effort estimates. They will change depending on connection, devices, network conditions etc.

2 cents opinion:

Get the sim card at the airport or in Japan, as the online purchase only have 2 choices, however, from Amazon the 2GB sim card cost the least among the others. The so-net was actually known for its great speed and stability as compared with other brands which might be the reason for the price to be slightly higher than the others,

Overall:

With so many telecommunication service provider to choose from, personally, it still comes down to your preference to see which plan suits your need and budget. For me, I will choose a plan with 1.2GB ~2.4 GB, it’s good enough for a 2 weeks trip, if you love to upload photos and video to your social media. Otherwise, for the speed most of the service provider are standard and once you hit a certain usage or at an area where a lot of people are using it the speed will start to slow down. Do note that sometimes when you are on a train going through a tunnel there might not be connection available.

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