Internet in Japan: how to get online as a tourist
In Japan you have four options: public Wi-Fi, which is patchy and asks you to register; a Japanese data SIM, bought at the airport after a queue; a rented pocket wifi, which has to be picked up and returned; or an eSIM, installed at home before you fly. What you can't do as a tourist is take out a Japanese line with a phone number: the law requires residency.
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You're looking for the Yamanote platform in Tokyo Station. There are five floors, twenty tracks and beautiful signs that say nothing you can read. It's a superb moment to discover that the station Wi-Fi wants a verification email you can only receive if you have internet.
Japanese public Wi-Fi
It exists, and it's better than ten years ago, but it's still patchy. You'll find it in the coffee chains, in convenience stores, in many big stations and on some trains. It almost always asks you to register with an email and accept some terms, sometimes every single time you connect.
The problem isn't coverage: it's where you need it. The Wi-Fi is inside places, and you need Maps out on the street, at the crossing, hunting for the exit. It works as a safety net, not as a plan.
The Japanese SIM
There's a misconception worth clearing up here. In Japan you can't buy a prepaid line with a Japanese number as a tourist: the rules require proof of residency. What is sold to foreigners are data-only cards, valid for a set number of days, at airport counters and in some electronics shops.
They work fine. The real cost is the other kind: queueing after a long flight, the counter keeping opening hours, and taking the SIM out of your phone to put another one in — which leaves you without your number for as long as the trip lasts.
The pocket wifi
The Japanese classic: a pocket-sized router rented by the day. It connects several devices at once, which is its real advantage when you travel as a group. In exchange it's an object: it has to be picked up within opening hours, charged every night, carried around and returned on the last day.
The eSIM
A card you download. You buy it from home, install it on your living-room Wi-Fi and it connects by itself when you land, on NTT docomo, Rakuten Mobile, KDDI/au and SoftBank. Your Spanish number stays in and keeps receiving calls and WhatsApp, because the eSIM goes in as a second line. For Japan, from 2,90 € for 7 days with 1 GB.
| Option | Hassle | Your Spanish number | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Wi-Fi | Registration every time | Stays in | As backup, never as the plan |
| Japanese data SIM | Queue and counter on arrival | Comes out of the phone | If your phone doesn't take eSIM |
| Pocket wifi | Pick up, charge, return | Stays in | If four or more of you travel |
| eSIM | None on arrival | Stays in, as a second line | If you travel alone or as a couple |
What almost nobody tells you
- Japan is a cash country far more than you expect, and paying by phone in many places needs a connection.
- Google Maps handles Japanese transport well, but it needs data to recalculate. Downloading the offline map helps and isn't enough.
- The camera translator is the app you'll use most, and it works far better online.
- Mobile coverage on the Shinkansen is good except in the long tunnels. In mountain villages it dips, and that happens to every card alike.
Is there free Wi-Fi at Japan's airports?
Yes, Narita, Haneda and Kansai have free Wi-Fi. It usually works well, though it may ask you to register and it clogs up when several flights land in a row. Count on it to say you've arrived, not to install an eSIM in a hurry.
Can I buy a Japanese SIM with a phone number?
As a tourist, no. Japanese rules require proof of residency for a line with a number. What you can buy are data-only cards, which is the same thing an eSIM offers.
Does Google Maps work well in Japan?
Very well, public transport included, with train times and platforms. It needs a connection to recalculate routes and for real-time timetables.
How many gigabytes does a normal trip to Japan use?
Between 2 and 4 GB in two weeks if you use Maps, the translator and messaging, and leave video and uploads for the hotel Wi-Fi. If you're on social media daily, allow between 3 and 5 GB.
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.