What roaming costs in Japan
It depends a lot on your operator. Vodafone has a daily pass for its Zone 6, where Japan sits, at 3 € a day with 1 GB. Movistar puts Japan in its Zone 3, which on 22 August 2026 was billed at 12,10 € per megabyte, with no daily pass published. That difference is not a nuance: it's the gap between three euros and a bill you don't want to see.
Updated on
Your phone picks up a Japanese network before you're off the jet bridge. You don't have to do anything: it's enough for any app to decide to sync while you walk towards passport control. From that moment on you're inside whatever rate you have, whatever it is.
What each one charges
| Operator | What applies in Japan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | Bono Diario Zona 6, 1 GB every 24 h | 3 € a day |
| Movistar | Zone 3, no daily pass published | 12,10 € per megabyte |
| Orange | Zona Destinos Plus — price not published | — |
Orange appears without a figure because on 22 August 2026 it wasn't publishing the price of its passes on any page that would open: its help site describes the Tarifa Diaria Roaming Plus (3 GB a day) and the Bono Semanal Destinos Plus (25 GB in 7 days) without saying what they cost, and its shop returns an error. If you're on Orange, check it in Mi Orange before you fly.
Check your specific plan before you fly. Roaming conditions depend on the contract you have and change over time; the table above is the rate published on the date it states, not a promise about your line.
Why the Movistar rate is so scary
Because 12,10 € per megabyte is a price designed so you won't use it. A normal day of Google Maps around Tokyo is about 100 MB. At that rate, that day is 1.210 €.
In practice almost nobody gets there, because operators usually apply a roaming spending cap that cuts off your data when you hit it. But that means being left without internet mid-trip, which was exactly what you wanted to avoid. Check in your customer area whether your plan has that cap and where it's set.
What the whole trip costs with an eSIM
| Duration | With the Vodafone daily pass | With a Zas eSIM |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 21 € · 1 GB a day | 2,90 € · 1 GB for the trip |
| 14 days | 42 € · 1 GB a day | 4,90 € · 3 GB for the trip |
| 30 days | 90 € · 1 GB a day | 5,90 € · 5 GB for the trip |
The Vodafone pass gives you more gigabytes in total, and that needs saying. What also needs saying is that a normal trip to Japan uses between 2 and 4 GB in two weeks, so those extra gigabytes get paid for and never used.
How to turn off data roaming
- On iPhone: Settings, Mobile Data, your Spanish line, and turn off “Data Roaming”.
- On Android: Settings, Network & Internet, SIM, your Spanish line, and turn off “Data roaming”.
- Do it before take-off, not on landing: plenty of apps sync on their own the moment the phone picks up a signal.
- If you're carrying an eSIM, check that the default data line is the eSIM.
Can roaming switch itself on in Japan without me meaning to?
Yes, easily. The rate applies as soon as the phone uses data there, and one app syncing in the background when you switch it on after landing is enough. That's why it pays to turn off data roaming before take-off.
Is there a Movistar roaming pass for Japan?
On 22 August 2026, its roaming page published no daily pass for Zone 3, where Japan sits: what appeared was the per-megabyte rate. The daily passes that did show up were for the United States, Andorra and Switzerland.
Can I keep the eSIM and my Spanish line at the same time?
Yes, and it's the sensible setup. The eSIM carries the data and your Spanish line stays on to receive calls and SMS with your usual number, with its data roaming turned off.
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.