eSIMs are one of the things that have made traveling more comfortable in recent years. No more hassle to change SIM cards in your mobile phone. Your friends, family, as well as any work relations, can reach out to you on your known number while you can still use the internet in your travel destination at cheap local rates. You really get the best of both worlds.
An eSIM is also ordered and installed in a matter of minutes.
Since we have phones that support eSIMs we no longer use regular travel SIMs. The eSIMs have never let us down, we only see advantages.
Our preferred eSIM provider: Airalo. We have used their SIMs in Japan, New York, and Ecuador and always had a good, stable, and fast connection.
This is of course not the only provider of eSIMs in Japan. The number of providers is increasing rapidly. Also in Japan.
Here is an overview of the most well-known and reliable providers.
Japan eSIMs for tourists
You will undoubtedly find other providers, but here we list the most well-known.
Japan eSIM providers
| Network | Description | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | Softbank |
|
$$ |
||
| Mobal | NTT Docomo |
|
$ |
||
| Simcard Geek | NTT Docomo |
|
$ |
||
| Sakura Mobile | NTT Docomo |
|
$$$$$ |
||
| Softbank by Kardear | Softbank |
|
$$$ |
||
| Frewie | NTT Docomo (through data roaming) |
|
$$$ |
All these eSIMs are ideal if you are already in Japan but have not arranged a SIM in advance.
You can order them via your hotel’s WiFi and after just a few minutes you can install and activate the SIM. With some providers, you will see installation instructions instantly after you have paid. In other cases, these will follow in a confirmation email after a few minutes.
In our instructional video below we show how the process works at Airalo.
Airalo eSIMs for Japan
Airalo eSIMs are available for a duration of 7 or 30 days and come with a data package ranging between 1 GB and 20 GB.
If at any time you would run out of data you can top-up your package to continue browsing the internet.
We love Airalo because their eSIMs are easy to order, activate, and use.
Once you’ve made your order you can simply install their app and install the eSIM with a single click. As soon as you arrive in Japan you then only need to activate the
These are data-only contracts so voice calls are not supported.
- Network: Softbank
- Install/Activation: The eSIM can be installed with a single click of the button in the app. In the second step, you can activate it when you want to start using it. Activating the SIM will start the validity period.
- Topping Up: You can buy a new SIM if you’ve consumed all data of your existing eSIM.
- Price: $$
Check all Airalo eSIM options:
Airalo eSIM
Mobal Traveler eSIM for Japan
Mobal has been a stalwart of traditional traveler SIMs for Japan for several years. They have now expanded their offering with eSIMs.
We have good experiences with Mobal. It’s a US-Japanese company and they pride themselves on providing good support in English. We once needed to get in touch with their support team and received a clear and comprehensive answer in correct English in under 2 hours. Excellent!
Below is an overview of the eSIMs that you can find at Mobal.
Their eSIMs make use of the Docomo network and are native to Japan. All the options are data only, voice & text are not supported.
The data speed is 4G LTE. If the included data amount is fully used you can continue surfing until the SIM expires but at a slower speed of 200 kbps.
- Network: NTT Docomo
- Install/Activation: The mail you receive will contain a link to a page where you can generate an activation code. You can generate this code up to 3 days before you want to start using the connection. The validity period starts when you activate the SIM. On iOS devices the SIM auto-activates when you enter the activation code. On Android this is a manual step.
Mobal recommends requesting the activation code before you leave for Japan so that you can activate and install the eSIM as soon as you arrive in Japan. (and have access to stable WiFi) - Topping Up: You can continue browsing at a slower speed or buy a new SIM if you’ve consumed all data of your existing eSIM.
- Price: $
If you’re unsure whether the Mobal eSIM will work in your device you can check the FAQs on their website for a list of compatible phones.
Click here for more information about the Mobal eSIM options:
Mobal eSIMs
Simcard GEEK Tourist SIM for Japan
Simcard GEEK is a sister company of Mobal. The offer and prices of Simcard Geek are in line with those of Mobal.
Simcard Geek sends the activation link minutes after your purchase so you can still buy this SIM after you’ve arrived in Japan.
The eSIMs connect to Japan’s Docomo network and are native to Japan. You don’t need to enable data roaming for it to work.
The SIMs are data only, voice & text are not supported.
- Network: NTT Docomo
- Install/Activation: The mail you receive will contain a link to an admin portal where you will generate an activation code. This can be done up to 3 days before you want to start using the connection. The validity period starts when you activate the SIM (or 3 days after you generate the code). On iOS devices the SIM auto-activates when you enter the activation code. On Android this is a manual step.
Mobal recommends requesting the activation code before you leave for Japan so that you can activate and install the eSIM as soon as you arrive in Japan. (and have access to stable WiFi) - Topping Up: You can continue browsing at a slower speed or buy a new SIM if you’ve consumed all data of your existing eSIM.
- Price: $
Check out this list if you’re not sure if these eSIMs are compatible with your phone.
These are the various options:
| 31 days | |
|---|---|
| 50GB eSIM | ¥4,900 |
Click here for more information about the Simcard GEEK eSIM options:
Simcard GEEK eSIMs
Sakura Mobile Traveler SIM
Sakura Mobile has been a reliable player in the field of travel SIM cards for several years. They now also added eSIMs to their portfolio.
Sakura Mobile’s SIM connects to the NTT Docomo network, the most extensive and best network in Japan.
Their SIMs are more expensive than the others on this list. Mobal and Simcard Geek use the same network and they offer SIMs for similar amounts of data and similar durations at more competitive prices.
At Sakura Mobile you can get eSIMs for longer durations (up to 90 days) with higher data packages (up to 200GB) but nothing stops you from getting multiple eSIMs from the above-mentioned suppliers to cover this long period. That would be the budget-friendly solution.
If you don’t mind the price difference, with Sakura Mobile you are assured of a connection to a good network as well as English support.
- Network: NTT Docomo
- Install/Activation: The mail you receive will contain a link to an admin page with a QR code. Scan this QR code to install the eSIM. The validity period starts when you activate the SIM. Sakura Mobile advises installing the eSIM after you’ve arrived in Japan. Use a stable WiFi connection to add the eSIM profile.
- Topping Up: You can buy a new eSIM if you run out of data.
- Price: $$$$$
Softbank Traveler eSIM from Kardear
Softbank is Japan’s 2nd largest network. It is not inferior to the NTT Docomo network because it also covers almost 99% of the country.
This SIM card is provided by KarDear and is available on Klook. It comes in various plans for durations of 5 to 15 days.
You can choose between unlimited high-speed data for the full duration of your plan or 500MB high-speed per day. (after which you will be able to continue surfing the web at a speed of 128kbs)
The full unlimited plan is quite expensive but may be tempting for those who like to binge-watch Netflix series on their phone or want to stream YouTube videos. However, you should not exaggerate with this because there is a fair usage policy. Data speed and usage may be limited for if you use large amounts of data in a short period of time.
KarDear only lists the iPhone and Google Pixel as compatible phones. We do not immediately see a reason why Samsung phones that support eSIMs would not work with this SIM but it is not worth risking it. Phones for the Chinese market (including Hong Kong and Macau) are also not supported.
Lastly, the product details stipulate that the confirmation email with the activation instructions can take up to 24 hours to be received. This is not the go-to choice for those who are looking for a last-minute solution to get connected.
- Network: Softbank
- Topping Up: You can choose an unlimited data package and never run out of high-speed data.
- Price: $$$
Check prices and availability:
Kardear Softbank eSIM
Frewie Traveler eSIM
Frewie offers 2 eSIMS for use in Japan. When ordering the Frewie eSIM through Klook you will get a confirmation mail with a QR code to activate your eSIM. The mail is sent within 24 hours of your purchase.
The Frewie eSIM is a data-roaming SIM that connects to the Docomo network in Japan. It’s not a native Docomo eSIM, you will need to activate data roaming for it to work. Because it uses roaming it can be somewhat slower than other eSIMs that are native to Japan.
If you plan to visit both Japan & South Korea, like we often do, you can choose the Frewie eSIM that covers both countries.
- Network: NTT Docomo (through data roaming)
- Price: $$$
Check prices and more info:
FAQ About Traveler eSIMs
What is an eSIM?
eSIM stands for embedded SIM. It is a virtual SIM and can be seen as the successor of the physical SIM cards that we used to know and insert in our mobile phones in the past.
Esims started appearing in the market in 2019 and will probably replace the physical SIM somewhere in the future. Some iPhone models are already eSIM only.
eSIMs have the same capabilities as regular SIMs. Keep in mind that the sims we discussed here are all data-only and do not allow phone calls or texting.
What is better, a regular SIM or an eSIM?
eSIMs have several advantages. The biggest advantage is undoubtedly that you can install several eSIMs in addition to your current SIM. You can keep your regular SIM enabled for regular phone calls and assign all data traffic to the Japanese eSIM.
An eSIM is also ordered and installed within minutes. You don’t need to open your phone and you don’t risk losing the SIM card of your home carrier. (I remember that we used to have to write down where we put that card because otherwise, we would have to search for it for hours once we got back home.)
Currently, only eSIMs with data packages are available. If you want a local telephone number, you will have to opt for one of the physical cards. Have a look at our guide about regular Japan SIM cards or check out our preferred option of Mobal.
To install your eSIM it is best to have 2 devices available.
We love Airalo because they simplify the installation process with their app. A single click of a button is sufficient to install the SIM.
Most providers provide a QR code that you need to scan with the device where you want to install the SIM. This means that you need to print the QR code or have a second device to display the QR code so you can scan it with your phone.
What phones can use eSIMs?
Most modern smartphones (the ones that came to the market after 2019) support eSIMs.
To avoid any nasty surprises we recommend that you:
- Check the specifications of your phone to see if it supports an eSIM
- And check the list of compatible phones supplied by the eSIM provider
If you can’t find the technical specs of your phone you can follow the steps outlined in this article to find out whether your phone will work with an eSIM.
When to install the eSIM
To use an eSIM it needs to be installed and activated. These are 2 separate steps.
To ensure that the installation goes smoothly, it is best to do this in a place where you can be sure of good internet. We do not recommend doing this at the airport, you really want a stable internet connection for this.
We always install the SIM at home so we can instantly start using it the moment we land at our destination. This is possible with the Airalo eSIM. Some eSIM providers recommend that you only install the eSIM once you’re in Japan.
Once the SIM is installed the next step is to activate it. The validity period of the SIM starts the moment that it is activated.
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