Stay connected while in Japan

Get Prepaid SIM card in Japan

For Your Stress Free Mobile Life During Your Travel in Japan

For people planning on visiting Japan, Japanese companies offer a lot of prepaid SIM card services with many plans.
However, as the plans are many and separated, you may be puzzled on which one is the best for your itinerary.

We provides you a list of all of the prepaid SIM card services available for getting around Japan.
The list also has their details (data capacity, period, price, and more) so that you now can see them all in one place and compare with the others easily.
Along with it, we also have pages on each service's details.
Find the best prepaid SIM card, and enjoy your wonderful experience in Japan.

About me

I am Momo. I'm Japanese and I work in the telecom industry, so I'm familiar with the telecom situation, services and products in Japan, such as SIM cards and Pocket WiFi, and I'm running this website in the hope that my knowledge will be useful to visitors to Japan.

I translate from Japanese to English using ChatGpt and DeepL because I am not so good at English. so my expressions may be rude or hard to read. if you find any inappropriate expressions, please let me know the correct English expression.

For short-term SIM use in Japan under 90 days

It’s possible to buy pay-as-you-go SIM cards directly from Japan’s major mobile providers at airports in Japan, but you can usually get a better deal with an MVNO. This stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator; they piggyback on existing big networks to offer some great deals and good data communication.

Where should I buy prepaid SIM Card?

The cheapest way to get a prepaid SIM card is to order it online and pick it up at the airport or at your accommodation. Prepaid SIMs sold at airports tend to be more expensive in general. There are large Electronic Stores in Tokyo and Osaka where you can buy prepaid SIM cards, but they may not have enough stock, so it is better to order a prepaid SIM card online in advance. Where to Buy A Prepaid SIM Card in Japan

Basic Information On Internet Network for SIM CARD in Japan

NTTDoCoMo has the largest network coverage, and almost all of the prepaid SIM card services in Japan are based on their network.
NTTDoCoMo offers 4G (LTE) network under the service name of Xi, having a wide range of frequency bands: 700, 800, 1500, 1800 and 2100 MHz.
Some of the frequency bands are also used in countries other than Japan, however, the 1800 MHz, one of the most usual bands in the world, is available only in the following major cities: Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka.
As you have seen above, a usable frequency can vary from place to place, so, its highly recommended to check which band do you need for the area you want to go and which band is your device compatible with before you actually visit Japan.

Also, you have to make sure that your device must be unlocked (sim lock free)
and must support one of the following frequencies:

4G[LTE]Band 1(2100MHz), Band 19 (800MHz), Band 21 (1500MHz), Band 3 (1800MHz, limited to the Toumeihan area).
3G[W-CDMA/HSPA (FOMA)] Band 1(2100MHz), Band 19 (800MHz).

For long-term in Japan over 30 days

Japan Pocket Wi-Fi Rental

For travelers visiting Japan with family, friends, or those staying for more than a month, SIM cards and eSIMs are not enough data capacity. Prepaid SIM Cards and eSIMs are for short-term stays, and there are few plans available for longer than 30 days. If you are staying in Japan for more than 30 days, or if you need a lot of data capacity, rent a Pocket Wi-Fi.



Pickup
LightPocket Rental WiFi

LightPocket Rental WiFi

LightPocket is a rental service for mobile WiFi routers and Data SIM card that can be used when traveling around Japan. They can deliver to your hotel or you can pick it up at the airport. Choose the plan that best suits the period of your stay! They offer reliable, reasonably priced services for international students and expats to Japan.

Official Site



Pocket Wi-Fi in Japan: Expert Advice for Choosing and Service Suggestions