Are you wondering where to get a reliable pre-paid sim card for your phone while traveling in Japan?
Well, look no further, we have several highly recommended pre-paid sim cards for you whether you plan to stay for a couple of days or plan to stay for more than a month.
Pre-Paid Sim Cards in Japan by Mobal
Mobal sim cards come first in my list because with Mobal, you can order pre-paid sims and they will ship your sim to you for free. You guessed that right! Mobal offers free worldwide shipping which will save you a lot of time. Click here to learn more!
Furthermore, if you are running close towards your departure date and don’t have enough time to ship a pre-paid sim card, you can pre-order the sim and arrange to pick it up at collections points when you arrive Japan. You can find the counter at the 1st floor of Narita Airport. The pickup counter is in the Visitor Service Center which is located in the center of the 1st floor.
From what we know, Mobal sims are awesome because they are reliable, offer great prices and are hands-down convenient. Whether you plan to stay for a short trip or for a long vacation, they have the right package for your needs. Furthermore, if you need voice calling included with your data plan, Mobal can accommodate the right plan for you.
Another good thing about Mobal is that they do not have contracts so you won’t get lock into a payment plan. All you have to do is pay and that’s it. If you have any problems using the card, Mobal has English support that is there to help you sort out any sim card related problems you have.
Last but not least, according to their website, their profits go to charities. Read more about it here!
As a note, you can use Mobal with almost any unlocked smart phone. However, if you have an iPhone 14 from the U.S.A., you cannot install physical sim cards so you will have to activate using eSims.
We feel very confident that with Mobal, pretty much set and ready to connect.
Buying at the Airport
Just know that almost all international airports in Japan sell pre-paid sim cards. At Narita, they have a whole line sim card vendors waiting for tourists at the arrivals section of Narita airport.
The problem is competition between the vendors is high and trying to compare and select the right sim card for your needs could become heavy burden and a waste of your time once you arrive in Japan.
This is why we recommend ordering a sim card from Mobal and have the sim card shipped to you before you arrive in Japan.
However, if you didn’t make any arrangements prior to entering Japan, here’s our experience of trying to get a sim card at an international airport in Japan (NRT):
It took us about 20 minutes to clear customs and once we headed out to the arrivals exit, we saw counters that sold sim cards at the 1st floor of the Arrivals section of Narita Airport, which give or take can take around 10 minutes or so.
Since we had a train to catch we headed towards the train station where you can buy tickets to ride the JR trains. As we were buying our train tickets, we found that the ticket office sold travel sim cards at a very competitive price. We got the IIJmio travel sim card which is budget version of NTT’s Docomo. If I had to do it all over, I would have had a sim card shipped to me before going to Japan. That would’ve save me at least 40 minutes.
An account of a traveler from Europe
Buying Outside of the Airport
Big electronic shops such as Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera do sell pre-paid sim cards. However, it is not that simple as going in buying a pre-paid sim card for the most of the time. Most times, you are likely to encounter a sales representative who can speak English and sign a contract which is sort of a hassle especially when you don’t really know what’s in it. Although buying at big shops is an alternative option, we do recommend purchasing pre-paid sim cards online first.
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Buying Online
If you are able to connect online using free wifi spots that are all over the place, you can try purchasing a card on Amazon Japan. Amazon will ship it and depending where you are in the country, shipment can take as fast as 6 hours to a day or two.
However, from what we know the most convenient option would be to purchase a Mobal pre-paid sim card online and pick it up yourself at one of the provided collection points they have.
A Word About Amazon Japan
Yes you can order form Amazon and this is another convenient option if don’t have the time are already in Japan. Amazon can deliver stuff to your hotel and you can pick up your packages at the front desk in the lobby. Just remember to check with your hotel’s policy first. Most 5 star hotels accept deliveries. It’s the smaller hotels that we are not clear about. Furthermore, as a reminder Amazon delivers pretty fast in Japan but some times, depending on the weather and where you are in the country, it might take a day or two for your sim to arrive to your hotel. See the sim cards on Amazon here
Google fi
If you reside in the U.S., Google Fi would be a pretty good option. It is considered a reliable travel sim especially while in Japan. To learn more about Google Fi out the Google Fi site.
Activate International Roaming with Your Carrier
If you don’t have international roaming on your phone yet, call them up and activate it with your carrier before you leave for Japan. There will be additional charges but this will depend on which carrier you use. You can make calls as well and is great for emergencies. However, international roaming is advantageous if you’re in Japan for about a week. Anything more than week, we highly recommend you use a dedicated sim card that offers high speed data, which adding to the convenience of speed is so much cheaper that international roaming charges.
Other Things You Should Know
Most travel pre-paid sim cards in Japan, with the exception of Mobal do not include voice calling plans. While some don’t really need it and there are always some kind of workarounds such as using Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Meet, and other VoIPs services, the problem with VoIPs is that if you run into an emergency, they are not always reliable compared to travel sim plans that have a dedicated voice calling plan.
Why We Recommend Purchasing Voice Calling Data?
Asides from having random emergencies in which having a voice plan can come in handy. Having voice calling included in your travel sim card plan gives you extra cool privileges from those who don’t have a Japanese phone number especially if you want to make online reservations or use some Japanese apps (Mercari, Yahoo Japan, Paypay, Mobile Suica, and etc. )
Some might say they might not need them, but having one does’t hurt.
Conclusion
Buying a pre-paid sim card in Japan should be relatively easy as they sell them at the airport, big electronic stores, and conveniently online. If you want to avoid the hassles of selecting a sim card, ordering a pre-paid sim card online before you come to Japan could be the most ideal option especially for those wanting to focus their time traveling in Japan.
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