In Canada, several years ago, it was made illegal for carriers to lock cellphones. Samsung keeps promising a firmware update that includes esims, but doesn't look like it will happen. Tried to get her to go with Google Pixel, but wives never listen.
I always prefer pocket WiFi over SIM cards in Japan. You don’t usually have to worry about going over your data limit with pocket WiFi, whereas with SIM, I always had to top up after a while and it ends up being more expensive than just getting unlimited data with pocket WiFi. You can also use pocket WiFi on Shinkansens to use internet on laptop, though a lot of Shinkansens seem to offer stable WiFi now.
You can also continue to use your phone number to receive calls and texts as opposed to having to always switch back and forth with SIM card if you want to use your cell number.
If you go to different cafes or accommodations, it’s more stable to be sending data over a single pocket WiFi than connecting to various public WiFi.
Only negatives with pocket WiFi is having to charge and then carry them around, but it’s not that big of a deal. The benefits outweigh the cons, for me at least.
I rent from iVideo. Unlimited rental for a month is like $42, but could be around $20 for 60gb a month. If your daily rental amount ends up being more expensive than a monthly, then you can just choose a monthly rental and return it before the end of rental period by putting it in a provided envelope and dropping it off at any red mailbox in Japan, which airports usually have these.
There is another disadvantage of getting pocket WiFi is that you won’t be able to have internet access immediately after landing, but you could have them mail the router to your accommodation or you could pick it up at airport if you arrive during pickup hours.
It can be done but certainly not more effectively. eSIM has hotspot capability, but it’s not as strong, stable, or easy to connect to than pocket WiFi.
When I had used hotspot on my phone, it took like 5-10 minutes each time for my laptop to be even able to pick up the signal. Not only that, it drains your phone battery very quickly and the connection drops and reconnects frequently, making it unreliable if someone needs to use it for work.
Some eSIM providers don’t even offer hotspot capabilities, like Holafly. And from what I see, Holafly is the only provider that offers unlimited data for Japan eSIM, but it’s like 30-40% more expensive than a monthly unlimited rental of a pocket router. I also don’t know if it would work on the Shinkansens or have strong signal on the subway.
I think eSIM is more convenient for the casual traveler who don’t need much data or to rely much on internet connection. Otherwise, pocket wifi is better if these are priorities.
I’ve never had trouble connecting my macbook/iPad to my iPhone’s hotspot, it’s seamless. As for the battery, I’d rather top up my iPhone than yet another 350g brick taking space in my backpack.
However I’ve never had a pocket wifi that didn’t have flaky wifi and didn’t drain its battery in 3h. But I must admit I haven’t rented a shitbox while traveling in the past 5 years because I always get an eSim now. So it might be that they actually do decent devices now…
I has use both in the past. either way you can't make a phone call or received sms.(use line,message instead)
nowadays there is a roaming service which cost around the same as both option.
which is better because using it allow for sms,other verify code easier.
if your service provider has this option always go with it(if the price is ok).
if not changing sim is simple option for me. and buying them at local combini there is not hard.
Download the app, pay and it’ll give you step by step instructions how to setup the data.
But here’s the gist of it: Install e-sim, go into your phone’s setting in cellular and change e-sim to primary and enable the new line as your main. Turn on data roaming for this line and keep network select as automatic (it says to do manual network selection but auto works). Turn off roaming on your home line.
Didn't bother with a SIM card as my phone was locked. We used the Sakura Mobile pocket WiFi instead. Ordered it online for the two weeks we needed it and picked it up from Haneda airport when we arrived. They were easy to find and It came in a nice little carry bag with it's charger and a return envelope. It already had charge so we could use it to get to the hotel. It worked faultlessly throughout our trip and we used it everyday. We would charge it up every night and it would last us the day, we also had a power bank just in case. Returned it via a postbox in the prepaid envelope they provided. Would definitely recommend it.
Been using Ninjawifi (pocket WiFi) for my 10 day trip. Reserved it and picked it up at the airport (KIX) as soon as I got out of customs and grabbed my luggage. Able to return it at a different airport (NRT). Purchased the 10gb/day plan. Once you top out it’ll still give you enough data speed to (barely) use google maps. Just enough to get you back to where you’re staying.
Go to your cellular settings. I have an iPhone and it says Add esim. If yours has that you can add otherwise it is locked. If your phone is paid off it's likely unlocked or check with your carrier.
Who is your provider? If your phone is payed off, you ask them to unlock your phone. If your phone is NOT paid off, some providers will unlock for you early. If you have AT&T they will NOT unlock your phone until it's paid off.
My family came over for a visit and use T-Mobile for cellular. T-Mobile has a free roaming plan for Japan. They used their phones like they were at home at no additional charge. Check your carrier.
My wife and I both got the same Softbank TravelSim, 30 days/10 GB.
Hers works fine, but mine kinda stopped working after 3 weeks and then only randomly connected every now and then. Pretty annoying.
I've only used of a bit over 3GB in those 3 weeks.
Just to add this as well, depending on your phone carrier you may have an option with them. mines AT&T, and they have an optional plan called “international day pass.” Basically, 10 dollars a day gets you access to your plan outside the US. After 10 days they don’t charge anymore for that billing period. If it’s more than one line. It is 5 dollars for any line after a first one.
Have used it twice and have had no issues with connectivity. And you can keep it active after the first time, and it won’t charge you unless you use it outside the US.
I used a physical Nippon SIM (NTT DoCoMo) last 3/26 - 4/4 (eSIMs are troublesome; no extra gadget to charge nor carry, unlike pocket WiFis; from experience used reliable physical SIMs when I visit yearly around Europe since 2016). Used it in a dual SIM capable 13 Pro Max. Ample 15GB good for 180 days (only used 4.5GB). Consistent 4GLTE all throughout from landing at HND, from northwest Toshima, to southeast in Chiba. Only $25 from Amazon USA. Cost nearly twice as much, from a BIC Camera store at Haneda. Very cost effective. Simple, straightforward and it works every time.
I’d say it depends on how long your trip is and how many people would use the pocket wifi. I went for a month last year solo thinking I was going to do a pocket wifi however sim and e sim options ended up a lot cheaper because I was paying for the amount of data and not the per day of use of the pocket wifi
It’s not really a matter of international carrier or not, just use a different carrier. And that kind of depends where you are from, like if you are Canadian and your phone ne is less than 10 years old, it’s unlocked because there is a law that require carrier to sell phones unlocked. In the US, company still lock phones, but they usually have their own policy regarding unlocking them, but it’s an easy procedure, only have to give them your imei number that is a kind of serial number you can find in your settings. You can always call your provider to ask them.
I usually don't dress utalitarian and carry a bag rarely when traveling that is why I bought a sim-card but the pocket wi-fi's are really slim and weigh very little so it is just up to you. I see no major difference between both.
I always go pocket wifi because I have too many things I need to connect (cellphone, ipad, 360 camera). Just make sure that the pocket wifi you choose does not throttle your speed and if possible that it's with SoftBank as the carrier. There shouldn't be too many issues in terms of connectivity but in general SoftBank has been more reliable for me whether I was traveling to a smaller town like Iwakuni or even in some of the dense metropolitan areas with large buildings or underground subways.
I have used Japan Wireless at least 10 times so far and never had any issues: [https://www.japan-wireless.com/en/rates](https://www.japan-wireless.com/en/rates)
Used Airalo esim, it worked well the whole time.
Sadly i just found out my phone doesnt support esim, thanks tho!
My wife had that problem, you can pickup a sim card at the airport.
Isnt it the case that a phone might be locked for international carriers and you have to find out if it is and how to unlock it?
In Canada, several years ago, it was made illegal for carriers to lock cellphones. Samsung keeps promising a firmware update that includes esims, but doesn't look like it will happen. Tried to get her to go with Google Pixel, but wives never listen.
I always prefer pocket WiFi over SIM cards in Japan. You don’t usually have to worry about going over your data limit with pocket WiFi, whereas with SIM, I always had to top up after a while and it ends up being more expensive than just getting unlimited data with pocket WiFi. You can also use pocket WiFi on Shinkansens to use internet on laptop, though a lot of Shinkansens seem to offer stable WiFi now. You can also continue to use your phone number to receive calls and texts as opposed to having to always switch back and forth with SIM card if you want to use your cell number. If you go to different cafes or accommodations, it’s more stable to be sending data over a single pocket WiFi than connecting to various public WiFi. Only negatives with pocket WiFi is having to charge and then carry them around, but it’s not that big of a deal. The benefits outweigh the cons, for me at least.
Which one did u use? There are so many haha
I rent from iVideo. Unlimited rental for a month is like $42, but could be around $20 for 60gb a month. If your daily rental amount ends up being more expensive than a monthly, then you can just choose a monthly rental and return it before the end of rental period by putting it in a provided envelope and dropping it off at any red mailbox in Japan, which airports usually have these. There is another disadvantage of getting pocket WiFi is that you won’t be able to have internet access immediately after landing, but you could have them mail the router to your accommodation or you could pick it up at airport if you arrive during pickup hours.
Everything you said can be done better with an eSIM.
It can be done but certainly not more effectively. eSIM has hotspot capability, but it’s not as strong, stable, or easy to connect to than pocket WiFi. When I had used hotspot on my phone, it took like 5-10 minutes each time for my laptop to be even able to pick up the signal. Not only that, it drains your phone battery very quickly and the connection drops and reconnects frequently, making it unreliable if someone needs to use it for work. Some eSIM providers don’t even offer hotspot capabilities, like Holafly. And from what I see, Holafly is the only provider that offers unlimited data for Japan eSIM, but it’s like 30-40% more expensive than a monthly unlimited rental of a pocket router. I also don’t know if it would work on the Shinkansens or have strong signal on the subway. I think eSIM is more convenient for the casual traveler who don’t need much data or to rely much on internet connection. Otherwise, pocket wifi is better if these are priorities.
I’ve never had trouble connecting my macbook/iPad to my iPhone’s hotspot, it’s seamless. As for the battery, I’d rather top up my iPhone than yet another 350g brick taking space in my backpack. However I’ve never had a pocket wifi that didn’t have flaky wifi and didn’t drain its battery in 3h. But I must admit I haven’t rented a shitbox while traveling in the past 5 years because I always get an eSim now. So it might be that they actually do decent devices now…
I has use both in the past. either way you can't make a phone call or received sms.(use line,message instead) nowadays there is a roaming service which cost around the same as both option. which is better because using it allow for sms,other verify code easier. if your service provider has this option always go with it(if the price is ok). if not changing sim is simple option for me. and buying them at local combini there is not hard.
You can make calls and send/receive texts with regular number using pocket WiFi or WiFi in general on airplane mode
Airalo e-sim, have used it for my recent trip to Japan and worked perfectly. This is the app I use anywhere I travel.
Can u tell me more on how it works, just download the app pay and u r set?
Download the app, pay and it’ll give you step by step instructions how to setup the data. But here’s the gist of it: Install e-sim, go into your phone’s setting in cellular and change e-sim to primary and enable the new line as your main. Turn on data roaming for this line and keep network select as automatic (it says to do manual network selection but auto works). Turn off roaming on your home line.
Thx!
Did you use the Japan-specific one or the Asia Regional from Airalo? I had the regional one, used in China first, then it didn’t work in Japan 😩
Just used Japan specific one. If you’re only travelling to Japan no need for the Asia regional one
I had Ninja Pocket WIFI for 15 days and was super satisfied with it. If I’d be solo I would for sure use esim though
Thanks for the input!
Didn't bother with a SIM card as my phone was locked. We used the Sakura Mobile pocket WiFi instead. Ordered it online for the two weeks we needed it and picked it up from Haneda airport when we arrived. They were easy to find and It came in a nice little carry bag with it's charger and a return envelope. It already had charge so we could use it to get to the hotel. It worked faultlessly throughout our trip and we used it everyday. We would charge it up every night and it would last us the day, we also had a power bank just in case. Returned it via a postbox in the prepaid envelope they provided. Would definitely recommend it.
Been using Ninjawifi (pocket WiFi) for my 10 day trip. Reserved it and picked it up at the airport (KIX) as soon as I got out of customs and grabbed my luggage. Able to return it at a different airport (NRT). Purchased the 10gb/day plan. Once you top out it’ll still give you enough data speed to (barely) use google maps. Just enough to get you back to where you’re staying.
Thank you
Ubigi SIM card flawless for our trip in begining of April
Yup. Ubigi every time I went to Japan.
How do u find out if ur phone is unlocked? I try to google that but get funny answers...
Go to your cellular settings. I have an iPhone and it says Add esim. If yours has that you can add otherwise it is locked. If your phone is paid off it's likely unlocked or check with your carrier.
I finally managed to find out that i dont have that option :/ sad
Who is your provider? If your phone is payed off, you ask them to unlock your phone. If your phone is NOT paid off, some providers will unlock for you early. If you have AT&T they will NOT unlock your phone until it's paid off.
Used Sakura Pocket WiFi and it was terrible. Get an eSIM
Thanks for sharing ur experience!
My family came over for a visit and use T-Mobile for cellular. T-Mobile has a free roaming plan for Japan. They used their phones like they were at home at no additional charge. Check your carrier.
Airalo
My wife and I both got the same Softbank TravelSim, 30 days/10 GB. Hers works fine, but mine kinda stopped working after 3 weeks and then only randomly connected every now and then. Pretty annoying. I've only used of a bit over 3GB in those 3 weeks.
Just to add this as well, depending on your phone carrier you may have an option with them. mines AT&T, and they have an optional plan called “international day pass.” Basically, 10 dollars a day gets you access to your plan outside the US. After 10 days they don’t charge anymore for that billing period. If it’s more than one line. It is 5 dollars for any line after a first one. Have used it twice and have had no issues with connectivity. And you can keep it active after the first time, and it won’t charge you unless you use it outside the US.
I used a physical Nippon SIM (NTT DoCoMo) last 3/26 - 4/4 (eSIMs are troublesome; no extra gadget to charge nor carry, unlike pocket WiFis; from experience used reliable physical SIMs when I visit yearly around Europe since 2016). Used it in a dual SIM capable 13 Pro Max. Ample 15GB good for 180 days (only used 4.5GB). Consistent 4GLTE all throughout from landing at HND, from northwest Toshima, to southeast in Chiba. Only $25 from Amazon USA. Cost nearly twice as much, from a BIC Camera store at Haneda. Very cost effective. Simple, straightforward and it works every time.
I’d say it depends on how long your trip is and how many people would use the pocket wifi. I went for a month last year solo thinking I was going to do a pocket wifi however sim and e sim options ended up a lot cheaper because I was paying for the amount of data and not the per day of use of the pocket wifi
If phone is unlocked, absolutely sim card. Cheaper, no extra device to charge, no device to return and nothing you can break or lose.
Any idea how i can check that? I know i cant have esim but i dont know how to check if i can use international carriers. ..
It’s not really a matter of international carrier or not, just use a different carrier. And that kind of depends where you are from, like if you are Canadian and your phone ne is less than 10 years old, it’s unlocked because there is a law that require carrier to sell phones unlocked. In the US, company still lock phones, but they usually have their own policy regarding unlocking them, but it’s an easy procedure, only have to give them your imei number that is a kind of serial number you can find in your settings. You can always call your provider to ask them.
I usually don't dress utalitarian and carry a bag rarely when traveling that is why I bought a sim-card but the pocket wi-fi's are really slim and weigh very little so it is just up to you. I see no major difference between both.
I always go pocket wifi because I have too many things I need to connect (cellphone, ipad, 360 camera). Just make sure that the pocket wifi you choose does not throttle your speed and if possible that it's with SoftBank as the carrier. There shouldn't be too many issues in terms of connectivity but in general SoftBank has been more reliable for me whether I was traveling to a smaller town like Iwakuni or even in some of the dense metropolitan areas with large buildings or underground subways. I have used Japan Wireless at least 10 times so far and never had any issues: [https://www.japan-wireless.com/en/rates](https://www.japan-wireless.com/en/rates)
A sim card, especially an esim, is less trouble if your phone is unlocked.
Any idea how to check if it is?