If you are going to Japan and don’t want to pay a lot of money for roaming, you have the option to buy a data eSIM for Japan and activate it as soon as you arrive. This way you have the Internet to order a taxi, find the train station or write to any friend or family member through WhatsApp from the first moment of your trip.
It used to be very popular to use a pocket wifi in Japan, but now it’s quite inconvenient because you have to pick up the device at the airport, carry a piece of junk with its battery on it and then save time to return it before leaving. Another option was to buy a data SIM card for Japan with limited data and that could share data with other mobiles, like Holafly’s, but you still have to wait for it to arrive home before the trip.
THE ESIM LEAVES THE POCKET WIFI OUT OF DATE
For months now there has been something much more comfortable than the eSIM, a lifetime SIM but digital and you can have many and various countries on your mobile. It’s actually a QR code that you scan before you travel and the data plan is added, which you only have to activate once you land in Narita or Osaka.
In this article we review the best eSIM for Japan that you can find to buy and compare them by price, amount of data and days of duration.
Let’s get started!
ESIM OPTIONS FOR JAPAN
In addition to being more convenient to use, eSIMs are usually better priced than physical tourist cards, although we still don’t find them with unlimited data. In this table we see options for Holafly, Truephone, Ubigi, Gisky and Flexiroam.
There are options of only 1GB and only 1 day, but I think hardly anyone will buy so little data or visit Japan for so little time. That’s why we only include options of at least 7 days and at least 3GB of data.
ESIM PRICE COMPARISON FOR JAPAN
| Brand | Days | GB | Price | P/day | P/GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holafly | 8 | 3 | 19€ | 2,4€ | 6,3€ |
| Holafly | 12 | 4 | 29€ | 2,4€ | 7,25€ |
| Holafly | 15 | 5 | 39€ | 2,6€ | 7,8€ |
| Holafly | 30 | 7 | 49€ | 1,6€ | 7€ |
| Gigsky | 15 | 2 | 20€ | 1,3€ | 10€ |
| Gigsky | 15 | 4 | 30€ | 2€ | 7,5€ |
| Ubigi | 30 | 3 | 19€ | 0,6€ | 6,3€ |
| MTX | 14 | 4 | 25€ | 1,8€ | 6,25€ |
| Truphone | 30 | 3 | 49€ | 1,63€ | 16,3€ |
As we can see, if we are going to travel in a short stay of 8 days it seems that Holafly is the best option. If you travel about two weeks the cheapest ones are MTX, Gigsky and Holafly. If you travel more than 15 days the best options by price are Ubigi and Holafly, this last one with 7GB of data in front of Ubigi that only has 3GB.
If you are interested in this option we leave you the discount code TRAVELISTOS to save 5% on your purchase.
ESIM COMPARISON FOR JAPAN BETWEEN HOLAFLY, GIGSKY, UBIGI, MTX AND TRUPHONE
It’s not all days and GBs, if you’re going to need internet on your trip it’s important that you don’t stay offline at any time and that you don’t have to study to set anything up.
Let’s see then other points like support, difficulty of configuration and if it requires you to download an application or not.
| Brand | Language | Support | Format | Compatible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holafly | Spanish | Chat, email | QR Code | iOS and Android |
| Gigsky | English | Form | Application | iOS and Android 10 |
| Ubigi | English, French, Chinese | Form | Application | iOS and Android |
| MTX | English | Form | Application | iOS |
| Truphone | English | Phone, form | Application | iOS |
As you see the only option with support in Spanish is for now Holafly, the rest must be in English and in some cases only by form, which generates a little fear in case you have configuration problems.
Except for Holafly, in the rest you will have to download an application (it doesn’t allow to install directly with QR code), that you can delete later when you finish your trip because you won’t need it.
WINNER: ESIM FOR JAPAN HOLAFLY
Holafly’s eSIM is almost always the cheapest but you can also share data, which is very practical if you go in a group. It also has 24 hour support (in case you’re not super handy and need a hand) and is compatible with both iPhone and Android phones.
List of eSIM compatible mobiles:
- iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone Xr
- Google Pixel 2
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Huawei P40
For all this, we think that in the case of looking for internet in Japan, Holafly’s eSIM is much more comfortable and interesting than renting a pocket wifi or any other alternative.
WHERE TO BUY HOLAFLY’S ESIM FOR JAPAN AT A DISCOUNT
You can buy your eSIM with a 5% discount, which saves you up to 2.5 euros to spend on other things on your trip. Keep in mind that you must have an eSIM-compatible mobile phone.
When you buy it check your mailbox and there will be the email with your QR. Now just scan it to add the data plan and save a lot of money on the internet on your trip.
IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO ME, WHAT IS AN ESIM FOR JAPAN?
The eSIM is like a normal card but completely digital and allows you to keep your local number. For now it is only compatible with some high-end mobiles (see eSIM compatible mobiles), but it has many advantages over a physical SIM:
- You can keep your country number while having an eSIM for data only. That means you avoid roaming but you can receive emergency calls.
- You don’t have to wait for the postman, because it reaches you immediately either by email or through the application purchase.
- It’s environmentally friendly because it’s completely digital: it doesn’t use plastic or cardboard for packaging and by not having to be sent by courier it saves C02 and therefore has a minimal ecological footprint.
Find out more travel tips to Japan on accommodation, documentation and requirements, currency exchange, travel insurance, physical data SIM card and more.
