| Option | When you get it | Network | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| eSIM | Emailed about ten minutes after purchase | Softbank or KDDI native | Anyone who wants it sorted before departure |
| SIM card at the airport | After landing, at a counter, possibly a queue | Depends on the counter | Handsets without eSIM support |
| Roaming from home | Nothing to arrange | Your carrier’s partner network | Two or three days with very light usage |
| Pocket WiFi | Collect before the trip, return afterwards | A local network | Groups sharing one device, if you accept the extra hardware and charging |
eSIM is the default in Japan now, and the real advantage is not the price. It is that you skip the pick-up queue at Narita or Kansai and never take your existing SIM out of the tray, which is where people lose them.
Buy before you fly and the QR code arrives in about ten minutes. Land, switch it on, and you are connected before you reach the train.
See Japan eSIM plansScreen-by-screen walkthrough, the fields people get wrong, and what to do when the QR code will not load.
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Crowds multiply at peak koyo, famous sites congest and mountain routes thin out.
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What the Softbank line is actually like to use, installation steps and the questions we get asked most.
Niseko, Hakuba and Zao compared, when the snow is best, and what reception is like on the mountain.
The etiquette nobody explains, what to do about tattoos, and which onsen towns fit into a wider itinerary.
Dial *#06# and look for an EID. Pick your brand and the checker gives you the exact settings path, plus three caveats that catch people out.
Trip length plus how you actually use your phone, returning a figure with headroom built in rather than the bare minimum.
Full steps for iPhone and Android, when to install, and what to check if it will not connect.
Yes, and we recommend it. Japan plans are the type that can be installed in advance. Install at home, leave mobile data off, then switch over after landing so you have a connection the moment you need to show your Visit Japan Web QR codes.
Usually, but pick the KDDI / Softbank dual-network version, which is more forgiving across Android manufacturers. Before buying, dial *#06# to confirm your phone reports an EID, and make sure it is not carrier-locked.
Most plans support tethering, but it varies by handset and by plan and we cannot promise every combination will work. Hotspotting also burns through data and battery. If everyone needs their own phone online, one eSIM per phone is far more reliable than sharing.
It depends on how you travel. Maps and light browsing make 1GB a day tight; video, photo uploads and stories push you past 2GB. Our advice is to go mid-to-upper and prefer a total-allowance plan. The data calculator will give you a figure with headroom.
Busy theme parks congest at peak times regardless of network — that is load, not coverage. A native line (Softbank or KDDI) holds up better than a resold one, but screenshot any booking QR codes in advance rather than relying on pulling them down on the spot.
Work through it in this order: toggle airplane mode off and on, confirm mobile data is set to the eSIM line, confirm data roaming is enabled, select the carrier manually, then restart. If all four fail, send us a screenshot on LINE at @peanutmo / WhatsApp +886-921-963-203 and we will take it from there.
If you are not sure your handset will work, or installation stalls halfway, message us on LINE at @peanutmo / WhatsApp +886-921-963-203. A screenshot of your *#06# result is the fastest way for us to answer. Japan eSIM comes with a money-back guarantee, and the QR code reaches your inbox in about ten minutes.
Last updated: 2026-08-03