The Best eSIMs for Japan 🇯🇵
- Updated: พฤศจิกายน 13, 2022 | Published: สิงหาคม 21, 2022
Are you traveling to Japan? Then you should definitely not travel without an Internet connection. Whether it’s a personal trip or a business trip to Japan, you should not travel without mobile internet.
There are several options to connect to the Internet in Japan, however, an eSIM is our clear recommendation. In this article we compare different Japan eSIMs.
💡 Click here to see the eSIM comparison table
We will advise you on your choice of the best eSIM Japan, so that you can always travel connected while on vacation. We pay attention to price, duration, data volume, service, technical support & more.
What is an eSIM?
The eSIM is a new form of the traditional SIM card that we use every day. What makes it special is that the SIM chip is already built into the new smartphones. It is also called an “embedded” SIM, which is where the “e” of eSIM comes from. By integrating the chip inside the phone, it is possible to virtually activate the desired data tariffs.
There are two different ways to do this, either you manage the data rates with the help of an app that serves as a SIM card manager. Or you scan a QR code and the data device activates itself.
Advantages of an eSIM for Japan
The eSIM offers various advantages over the normal SIM card that you may not have thought of before. These include, for example:
- Greener: Protect the environment by buying an eSIM. Eliminate plastic cards, paper for packaging and CO2 emissions during shipping.
- Save time: Because the delivery is done by email, you save time waiting for the delivery or standing in line at the store. After two clicks you have your eSIM.
- Availability: By getting your eSIM from the online store, you are free to buy your eSIM from anywhere in the world at any time, even if you are already in Japan.
How do I activate the eSIM with data plan for Japan?
We were really surprised how easy it was to use. People are sometimes a bit cautious with new technologies, but with the eSIM, you definitely don’t need to be. It’s actually as easy as everyone always says it is.
If you get the data plan in the form of a QR code, then at the appropriate time you go to your settings app on your phone. There, a camera will open up under the “Add Data Plan” section. After scanning, you label the new eSIM for Japan and select this “profile” as active.
The steps follow one after the other and you are automatically and self-explanatory redirected. Anyone can do this, even those who are not particularly technically experienced. In addition, with most eSIM providers, step-by-step instructions are also added to your email.
What do I have to consider when buying a Japan eSIM?
To avoid problems later on when using your eSIM Japan, it is important that you check the compatibility of your device and the product variant before buying.
Compatibility
Because the eSIM is a very new product, it does not work with all phone models. Only the newer smartphones have the new dual eSIM technologies. So that you don’t end up without data in Japan, you should check compatibility before you buy. We simply checked the list of compatible smartphones on the eSIM provider’s websites. You will actually find all the information you need there.
Which eSIM package should you choose?
You should get an overview of how much data you use on average in advance to be able to estimate which data plan is right for you. We know friends who need significantly more data volume on vacation than at home. This can happen quickly when you want to share your new experiences on Instagram from the road or Google many sights during the city tour to learn more about the history.
However, especially on vacation, you sometimes want to sit in front of screens less, which is why you consciously put your phone away. For this reason, you must first empathize with yourself and think about what you want to use the map for. If you have difficulties, you can also ask experts for advice or look for suitable articles that explain exactly how you can estimate your data consumption.
The Best eSIMs for Japan
Below you see a curated list of providers that offer eSIMs for Japan at an affordable price with a reliable internet service in Japan.
What do I do when the data on my Japan eSIM is used up?
It’s good to have a data plan that’s perfect for your trip. But don’t worry if you run out of data even before your trip ends. As mentioned before, one of the advantages of Japan eSIM is that you can order it regardless of your location.
This means that you can order another data plan at short notice if you realize that the planned one will not be sufficient. After all, it can always happen that you have to apply for things due to unexpected events or have to discuss a lot with your family at home.
My phone is not compatible with the Japan eSIM - is there an alternative?
Too bad… If you found out that your current phone is not compatible with the eSIM, don’t worry yet. There are other internet alternatives for Japan.
SIM Card
Various providers send the traditional Japan prepaid SIM cards to your home before you leave. There are almost unlimited options available with different durations.
For the sake of completeness, we also mention the other alternatives for Internet in Japan. For us, these options are less of an option, but they may be just right for your needs.
Pocket WiFi
The Pocket WiFis are portable WiFi routers, which are especially well-known in Asia. You can connect several devices at the same time, just like with a normal router. However, you always have another bulky device in your luggage, which has to be recharged after 13 hours of runtime.
Public WiFi
It is definitely the cheapest option, but it must be clearly mentioned here that you are not allowed to enter any personal information, transactions or passwords while you are connected to a public WiFi.
The networks are rather insecure and many hackers use this to their advantage. We do check Instagram from time to time if we happen to come across a public wifi during our trip. However, we only use this as a supplement to the Japan eSIM.
Roaming
Almost everyone knows someone, or was perhaps ready to be someone, who came home unsuspecting and found an incredibly high phone bill at home after a relaxing vacation. Since you can quickly and unintentionally get rid of half a fortune here, we clearly advise against roaming as an Internet option.
Holiday in Japan
No country is able to live out the contrasts between tradition and modernity as excessively as Japan. A country full of contrasts and contradictions and yet fascinating and captivating at the same time.
Traveling to Japan takes you into a world of its own between the most modern technology and profound history.
Tokyo - a world apart
Almost every trip to Japan begins in the lively metropolis of Tokyo. After an 11-hour flight, there is not much time to rest, because the impressions you can already gather at the airport are overwhelming.
Everywhere gigantic billboards flicker on the skyscrapers, it’s hectic and it’s crowded. But it is a fascination that you simply can not escape, because in the middle of this ultra-modern city shines the old Imperial Palace.
piece of Japanese history close enough to touch. Or the Senso Temple in Asakusa. After all, modernity and tradition go hand in hand here.
Japan, however, is much more than its capital. Travel to Japan always takes guests to Kyoto. Once the capital of the country, this city is now the cultural center of the entire nation. Over 400 Shinto shrines and well over 1,600 Buddhist temples testify to a deep connection to Japanese history and tradition. A vacation in Japan is often a journey into another reality.
Landscapes as painted
A trip to Japan does not have to focus only on its big and well-known cities. For individual travelers, a vacation in Japan is the unique opportunity to dedicate oneself to this quite contradictory culture and to get to know all its beauties and peculiarities.
In addition to temples and shrines, this uniquely beautiful natural landscape tempts visitors to go on extended hikes during a trip to Japan. The south of the country even tempts you to go swimming.
A vacation in Japan’s southernmost city of Ishigaki provides a beach vacation of a very special kind. Diving and swimming are very high on the popular scale here. Among other things, you can encounter the famous manta ray here.
eSIM Reviews
Super value ! And so easy to install.
Super value ! And so easy to install. Better than normal sim card. Very convenient for me to buy it before I traveled to Germany. Like it alot !! [Maya Mobile]
ใช้ e sim ในอิตาลี
ใช้บริการที่อิตาลีสำหรับภรรยาและผม iPhone และ Android ราคาที่ยอดเยี่ยม และไม่มีปัญหากับข้อมูลเซลลูลาร์ในอิตาลี ติดตั้งไม่ยากมากเท่าไหร่ [Airalo]
need to purchase a new esim to get more data
My only complaint is that, is that there is no top up options and you need to purchase a new esim to get more data [SimOptions]
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