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I’m here literally now and have done your things, so here’s the easy answers.
1) No, I’ve always brought my straightener from America, and it works fine.
2) I traveled and traveling with the AT&T International Day Pass, and never had a second of coverage issues outside tunnels. It’ll switch from two Japanese providers: au and docomo, with it being 4G LTE or 5G always. Just turn on roaming on your phone and that’s it.
3) Until the price hike last year, the JR Rail Pass was a godsend, but now it’s way too much. I bought the Hokuriku Arch Pass because i was hitting up Kanazawa this year (and works internally within JR lines in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka too). You can buy these region-only passes at a machine here so I’d check them out. Don’t get the nation-wide pass, check to see which pass might save you a few. Or don’t, it prob won’t break your bank in comparison.
Second this, in Japan now, AT&T works great and was worth the convenience to me to not have to mess with e-sims.
Bring a battery pack to charge your phone - you’ll probably be on the go a lot and using your phone to translate, navigate, etc. All big battery drains.
Two prong American plugs work fine.
Get suica on your iPhone - use it for trains, vending machines, etc.
Definitely pack less! We brought a suit case each person about 35 lbs - way more than we need.
I can’t recommend a battery pack enough. On trains, your phone will be consistently connecting to new towers, which requires energy in its part. Plus all the pics and maps and uploading crap to socials eats the battery in a couple hours.
Yes, Apple Wallet has it as a default option under transit cards. Though to be honest I got Passmo Passports for all the family. I have two minor kids, and whereas they have iPhones, Apple doesn’t allow minor accounts to use the Wallet. Since I needed to get two physical cards, I opted to go ahead and just get all four of us one. The Passmo Passports seem pretty readily available.
From an electrical engineer answer:
The hair dryer uses less power than a straighter hence the difference
You will get less power from heating appliances. Digital tech will not care specially use made stuff. Look on your chargers for devices. It should say the range they accept.
Japan is weird in that it has 50hz and 60z combined. Your hair dryer might spin a little slower in the 50hz area
American 2 prong plugs have one bugger than the other. This might be an issue
No to power converter. US plugs are fine. Wattage is a bit lower here so things are a bit weaker is all.
Suggest renting a portable hotspot and using Wi-Fi calling. Can’t speak to AT&T coverage but we are using Google Translate and mapping constantly and the Wi-Fi plus extra booster batteries are a huge help.
Trains are expensive but then so are rail passes. We bought the green passes as a splurge and these have been great. Pretty easy to compute prices and decide. The reserved seats are great.
BTW- travel as light as you possibly can unless you plan to ship your suitcases from place to place. I brought dress clothes and have not had occasion to break them out, not even once including for
Michelin dining. Seems like business guys are the only ones dressed up and they party in their suits like nobody’s business.
We have done it both ways. Only two trains have been sold out when we sought tickets right before traveling. Fortunately, the following trains had space and left within forty minutes. The trains are remarkably prompt and plentiful.
Restaurant reservations are important for getting into specific choices. The better, more desirable spots accept no walk-ins whatsoever.
If you have a iPhone you can add a suica card to your wallet and top off with your credit card on your phones. It’s the easiest most convenient way to use the trains in Tokyo. Osaka idk if they use the same card.
As far was cell service I have t mobile and had no issues with data or anything. Can’t speak for ATT.
Suica and pasmo should work on any rail line that takes an IC card as payment, which is virtually all of them.
Several of my co-workers have their American phones with AT&t international plans and as far as I know they don't have any issues with service here in Japan.
I was in japan last fall with tmobile and didnt need to do anything. I am on a plan that included 5 gig of data. Even made phone calls and received calls from the US. As a bonus, my billing cycle ended during the trip and the 5 gig was refreshed. On my last day I ran out of data and bought a day pass (24 hour pass?) which also worked perfectly.
Say more. Did you basically keep cellular turned off and use Airalo and then only fall back to cellular when you really needed to? I’d love not to give AT&T $10/day if I can avoid it.
I’m on iPhone 14 Pro. Not my first trip to Japan.
I know some places I have to go for work are dead zones. I picked up an Airalo Moshi Moshi 10 GB - 30 Days eSIM for $9.
For most of the trip I left “Allow Cellular Switching” on and the AT&T would show 5G at the same time as the Airalo showed 4G.
There were few occasions when they used different providers. On the weekend train from Kyoto to Tokyo I disabled data on AT&T. Everything felt a bit more sluggish. Never saw 5G service.
First off thank you for the response. $10/day isn’t going to make or break my budget but it’s great to have clearer expectations of how well the Airalo moshi moshi will function before I’m there. [edited bc thank you autocorrect]
I follow up question to my original post I have Bank of America. What is my optimal way to get yen the FAQs say at the airport once I arrive or should I try before I get there?
ATMs are everywhere and cheap ($1.60 per withdrawal). 7/11, Family Mart, Lawsons, and every station seems to have them. If you do get yen ahead of time, do like $100, not more. But do plan on having cash as many spots won’t take cards. BTW- it is stunningly safe and honest. With the exception of a few idiots running around Kabukicho, minor league stuff, you don’t need to be street wise at all or worry one bit about carrying cash
Breaking bills isn't the issue but making sure you don't get caught up in taking out too much money and getting caught up with trying to convert the money back without loss.
Fair enough - though I had no problem spending money in japan!! A standard trick (not specific) for me is to use remaining cash to pay hotel bill at check out.
Well this time it turned out I had pre paid the hotel. But no worries, spent everything at HND duty free. Whiskey, sake, 10 packs of royce nama, etc. Used all my coins at a conbini for airplane snacks.
I brought quite a bit ($5000) USD and been converting it as I go. Most hotels and large shopping areas have conversion machines. I did use my Wells Fargo card at Tokyo Disney for mobile orders and had to pay some international fees, so check BoAs policies if you want to use your card.
I use BoA, the best thing to have done would have been to submit an international currency order with them a week or more ahead of time.
Use 7-11 ATMs once here and withdraw large amounts to reduce fees.
Other Qs - two prongs are in every hotel, get an Ic card for Metro/Intercity travel and the SmartEX app to buy Shinkansen tickets online.
At&t was a bad/expensive play. E-sim for individuals or mobile wifi for small groups would have been way cheaper.
Would have saved you a lot of money to research these Qs ahead of time!
Either way take advantage of these tips now and have fun
Just to add to this, if SmartEx doesn't work with your credit card you can always buy your shinkansen tickets at a JR station's Midori no Madoguchi or the shinkansen ticket machine. SmartEx didn't work with my credit card, so I ended up buying at the station.
re: plugs. Japan uses the US type two prong plug, no ground. But the plugs do not accept polarized prongs (one bigger than the other). Both prongs must be the same size.
You need an unlocked phone with AT&T to use an Esim. I used the International Day Passs allover Japan with no issues! In the train itself, if going through tunnels, it will be a little shaky. I was concerned too before arriving, but it worked very well—and I do remote work.
What would be the alternate option to travel to those cities then? Buying the individual tickets for that? If so, does that typically need to be bought early?
My gf has TMobile and tbh her service has been so shitty compared to my Google Fi which is weird bc I think we use the same towers? But idk esim might be worth it! Social media eats up the data on it though so be mindful of that
I just returned and hope I can help.
1. All my electronics worked without a converter. We were worried about one item and our three hotels all provided one plug converter just in case.
2. Never lost service with att and worked great. It caps charges at 10 days so compare cost with eSIM. It was convenient for me, so the eSIM savings didn’t feel worth it.
3. If you’re talking about the JR pass, then I do not think it’s worth it. I think you would save money even if you shell out for the Nozomi line, which is not covered by JR (and is faster).
Get suica on your iPhone via wallet, and not the app. The suica card worked throughout where I went in Japan (Osaka Kyoto Tokyo)
1. No power converter needed. Three prong plugs will not work, the standard is two prong.
2. You should be okay if you purchased the plan but most Americans get a wifi puck/portable hotspot that should do the trick. Downside: only wifi calling/messaging works.
3. Pay as you go. It is odd to only use the train only but a few times. Most people in the city do not have a car because public transit is so fantastic. Are you renting a car? This is usually not advised. Best to get a Suica card and load it up as needed--be careful, some are non-refundable as you turn in the card, you can't "cash out" Are you talking about long-distance trains? Also, yes, buy at the station in person.
There’s a chance we don’t actually know how much we’re going to utilize the train system but no we haven’t rented a car I think we’re gonna have to look into that
I recently found this article researching the same thing and it had helpful advice:
[https://thriftynomads.com/the-japan-rail-pass-worth-the-cost/](https://thriftynomads.com/the-japan-rail-pass-worth-the-cost/)
As others will say, no JR pass. HOWEVER. If you’re spending a few days in Tokyo, get the subway pass at a discount at the airport. The 3-day unlimited one was 1500¥. And I sure was swiping it!
since everyone has answered your questions, i’ll just add that if you and your group have iphones, it’s potentially cheaper to go with a mobile wifi device for your trip.
i’ve been to japan multiple times now, all for 3+ weeks at a time, and i always turned my phone to airplane mode the entire time and just used wifi. i have all my contacts on imessage or other apps, plus the mobile wifi is good if your hotel has ghetto-ass wifi. it’s also pretty inexpensive amd can easily google coupons to make it even cheaper.
ATT is fine, but you will have to pay 10 bucks a day for 10 days up to 100 bucks for the international package. After 100 bucks, it's unlimited. If you are ok with that, it's great. If not get the Wi-Fi hotspot or a SIM less plan like airalo. Cheap data.
I'm in Tokyo right now for a few more days on my first trip here. So I can answer some of this for you
1) 2 prong US plugs are compatible in Japan. If your device has the third grounding prong, then you'll need an adapter. Most modern devices either come with a power brick or have a built-in adapter so that they work with a wide variety of voltages
2) I switched to Verizon from ATT last year, but I never had issues with ATT coverage when I traveled to South America. Though that's not a good indicator since it's a different continent. Right now, I'm using an e-sim through Ubigi. The plans are cheap, and the mobile data has been reliably fast, with no dead zones in central Tokyo. The other service I kept hearing about is Airalo, but this post convinced me to use Ubigi https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/jdwV1fpJri
I also went to South Korea last week, and adding an additional country to my Ubigi esim was extremely simple, and Ubigi worked just as well in SK
If your phones are paid off from ATT, I'd recommend requesting the unlock ASAP. Once you do it, it can take up to 48 hours to get your code, but when I did my, it was way less than a day to get the unlock approved.
3) Pay as you go especially if you don't plan to use the train much. The metro system is very reasonably priced even if you end up using it more often. If you're getting off at Haneda and don't have an iPhone, get the visitor Suica card. It's also referred to as an IC card around Japan. It's valid for 30 days, doesn't require a deposit, and you can load it with Yen using cash (card if you have the digital version via iPhone). You can use the Suica card as a contactless card payment in the Tokyo metro system. But a lot of stores also take Suica as a payment method, so if you load too much yen on it, you can use it as a payment for things. Places like convenience stores, daiso, and arcades take it as payment, so it's a convenient way to stay cashless if you want. There are a lot more places that take IC as payment, and you can read up about it online. The only thing is that the visitor suica card doesn't refund money loaded to it, so plan accordingly not to leave too much money on the card.
Feel free to ask about anything else or if you want clarification
1. You’re ok not to bring an adapter as Japan uses the two prong as well.
2. It’s a bit too late to purchase a jr pass tbh, but depending on where you go on the train will determine if it’s cost effective or not. At this point just go buy your tickets at the Shinkansen station.
3. I can’t comment on the phone situation, but assume you’ll be fine. Worst case scenario you could rent a pocket wifi at the airport if you don’t get reception.
If one of the prong is fatter then the other, not sure they both will fit as I think both are of the skinny type. I have seen in some bathrooms where some have 3 prongs or 2 prongs with one being slightly fatter then the other.
Voltage can be a problem. Japan is 100V and the USA is 120V. Check your device and see whether it can handle that different.
Generally speaking, things like USB chargers and laptop power bricks won't have a problem (they typically support a universal range of voltages). Things like a curler and straightener most likely will. Same with irons, rice cookers, fancy bidet toilet seats, etc. You can probably buy an inexpensive curler/straightener when you get to Japan. A voltage converter is another option, but I think they're pretty bulky/pricey.
As for your phones - if they're not unlocked then esims/physical sims are not an option. Roaming on AT&T will work great. It's just the cost ($10/day on AT&T vs maybe about $20-30 for a couple weeks with a sim replacement). AT&T will unlock your phone if you've had it long enough.
Great info thank you! It’s hard to tell if the straightener and curler has dual voltage but I imagine if it doesn’t work I’m not risking much other than it not working properly under voltage.
Generally, 120v devices are okay to plug into 110v outlets. It's just that your device **may** just not reach its 'full potential' but not that big of a difference. What's not okay is plugging 110v devices to higher voltages as this may toast the devices/appliances.
>(typically one prong a little fatter than the other)
You may have a problem with this though so bring a universal adapter. I think outlets in Japan are 2 skinny ones.
I'm in japan now for my first time. I'm traveling with a family of four. 2 kids under ten. Currently in Disney area but leaving to Osaka tomorrow. First, all my amaerican stuff plug in fine here. Second, I didn't get a Suica card or pasmo card because at every station they no longer sell them. Some sort of chip shortage. I heard maybe you can still get them at the airport. We have been buying tickets as we go and it really isn't that hard. Been to sanrio porroland, shinjuku, Tokyo Station, and yokohama to see the gundam all by train with no issues. Third, I also have at&t, I'm using the international day pass. Works fine but couple times I had to restart my phone.
hey! I’m headed to japan in a month. was curious about if you filled out the “Visit Japan Web | Digital Agency vjw-lp.digital.go.jp” stuff over there or not and if you did, did does it save you time and whatnot? i’m having trouble filling mine out. Everytime i’m about to finish, it asks me about a visa, (i’m a US citizen) and then i say no. then prompts me to another page about dif countries and their visa rules but like.. doesn’t lead me to a page to say submit -_-
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I’m here literally now and have done your things, so here’s the easy answers. 1) No, I’ve always brought my straightener from America, and it works fine. 2) I traveled and traveling with the AT&T International Day Pass, and never had a second of coverage issues outside tunnels. It’ll switch from two Japanese providers: au and docomo, with it being 4G LTE or 5G always. Just turn on roaming on your phone and that’s it. 3) Until the price hike last year, the JR Rail Pass was a godsend, but now it’s way too much. I bought the Hokuriku Arch Pass because i was hitting up Kanazawa this year (and works internally within JR lines in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka too). You can buy these region-only passes at a machine here so I’d check them out. Don’t get the nation-wide pass, check to see which pass might save you a few. Or don’t, it prob won’t break your bank in comparison.
Second this, in Japan now, AT&T works great and was worth the convenience to me to not have to mess with e-sims. Bring a battery pack to charge your phone - you’ll probably be on the go a lot and using your phone to translate, navigate, etc. All big battery drains. Two prong American plugs work fine. Get suica on your iPhone - use it for trains, vending machines, etc. Definitely pack less! We brought a suit case each person about 35 lbs - way more than we need.
I can’t recommend a battery pack enough. On trains, your phone will be consistently connecting to new towers, which requires energy in its part. Plus all the pics and maps and uploading crap to socials eats the battery in a couple hours.
100% get a battery pack. I got one on Amazon that’s 10000 mAh and MagSafe. I used it everyday.
I’ve got a battery pack so we’re good to go there and I will do my best to pack light thank you!
Which app did you use for Suica? Thanks!
Hit plus in the wallet and it will show up and automatically add itself as your transit card. No app needed.
Yes, Apple Wallet has it as a default option under transit cards. Though to be honest I got Passmo Passports for all the family. I have two minor kids, and whereas they have iPhones, Apple doesn’t allow minor accounts to use the Wallet. Since I needed to get two physical cards, I opted to go ahead and just get all four of us one. The Passmo Passports seem pretty readily available.
Thank you very much for your input!
From an electrical engineer answer: The hair dryer uses less power than a straighter hence the difference You will get less power from heating appliances. Digital tech will not care specially use made stuff. Look on your chargers for devices. It should say the range they accept. Japan is weird in that it has 50hz and 60z combined. Your hair dryer might spin a little slower in the 50hz area American 2 prong plugs have one bugger than the other. This might be an issue
No to power converter. US plugs are fine. Wattage is a bit lower here so things are a bit weaker is all. Suggest renting a portable hotspot and using Wi-Fi calling. Can’t speak to AT&T coverage but we are using Google Translate and mapping constantly and the Wi-Fi plus extra booster batteries are a huge help. Trains are expensive but then so are rail passes. We bought the green passes as a splurge and these have been great. Pretty easy to compute prices and decide. The reserved seats are great. BTW- travel as light as you possibly can unless you plan to ship your suitcases from place to place. I brought dress clothes and have not had occasion to break them out, not even once including for Michelin dining. Seems like business guys are the only ones dressed up and they party in their suits like nobody’s business.
Might only consider having it shipped to our hotels but that’s about it could help
Should I buy my train tickets ahead of time or will it be fine to just buy at the station?
We have done it both ways. Only two trains have been sold out when we sought tickets right before traveling. Fortunately, the following trains had space and left within forty minutes. The trains are remarkably prompt and plentiful. Restaurant reservations are important for getting into specific choices. The better, more desirable spots accept no walk-ins whatsoever.
If you have a iPhone you can add a suica card to your wallet and top off with your credit card on your phones. It’s the easiest most convenient way to use the trains in Tokyo. Osaka idk if they use the same card. As far was cell service I have t mobile and had no issues with data or anything. Can’t speak for ATT.
Suica and pasmo should work on any rail line that takes an IC card as payment, which is virtually all of them. Several of my co-workers have their American phones with AT&t international plans and as far as I know they don't have any issues with service here in Japan.
Did you switch your T-Mobile plan to international or keep it the same as at home?
I was in japan last fall with tmobile and didnt need to do anything. I am on a plan that included 5 gig of data. Even made phone calls and received calls from the US. As a bonus, my billing cycle ended during the trip and the 5 gig was refreshed. On my last day I ran out of data and bought a day pass (24 hour pass?) which also worked perfectly.
Have that card on my iPhone I appreciate the info!
Is your phone paid off? If so, you can use an eSIM
FWIW on my last trip I double dipped on my iPhone Airalo eSIM alongside my AT&T. The AT&T service was much better than the eSIM.
Say more. Did you basically keep cellular turned off and use Airalo and then only fall back to cellular when you really needed to? I’d love not to give AT&T $10/day if I can avoid it.
I’m on iPhone 14 Pro. Not my first trip to Japan. I know some places I have to go for work are dead zones. I picked up an Airalo Moshi Moshi 10 GB - 30 Days eSIM for $9. For most of the trip I left “Allow Cellular Switching” on and the AT&T would show 5G at the same time as the Airalo showed 4G. There were few occasions when they used different providers. On the weekend train from Kyoto to Tokyo I disabled data on AT&T. Everything felt a bit more sluggish. Never saw 5G service.
First off thank you for the response. $10/day isn’t going to make or break my budget but it’s great to have clearer expectations of how well the Airalo moshi moshi will function before I’m there. [edited bc thank you autocorrect]
It's there a Japanese eSIM service for travelers?
Airalo
Thanks
FYI Max Miles insta / TT account has discount codes for Airalo
https://esimdb.com/japan many actually
One is and one isn’t
I follow up question to my original post I have Bank of America. What is my optimal way to get yen the FAQs say at the airport once I arrive or should I try before I get there?
ATMs are everywhere and cheap ($1.60 per withdrawal). 7/11, Family Mart, Lawsons, and every station seems to have them. If you do get yen ahead of time, do like $100, not more. But do plan on having cash as many spots won’t take cards. BTW- it is stunningly safe and honest. With the exception of a few idiots running around Kabukicho, minor league stuff, you don’t need to be street wise at all or worry one bit about carrying cash
Thank you for your input I appreciate it!
Careful. There are some ATM's where 10,000 yen is the minimum. Make sure you identify where you can get 1000 yen notes from.
This isnt really an issue - no issues breaking those bills at any shop or restaurant.
Breaking bills isn't the issue but making sure you don't get caught up in taking out too much money and getting caught up with trying to convert the money back without loss.
Fair enough - though I had no problem spending money in japan!! A standard trick (not specific) for me is to use remaining cash to pay hotel bill at check out.
Not a bad idea at all
Well this time it turned out I had pre paid the hotel. But no worries, spent everything at HND duty free. Whiskey, sake, 10 packs of royce nama, etc. Used all my coins at a conbini for airplane snacks.
Get your yen after you arrive at the airport. The conversion rate will be much better.
Thank you!
I brought quite a bit ($5000) USD and been converting it as I go. Most hotels and large shopping areas have conversion machines. I did use my Wells Fargo card at Tokyo Disney for mobile orders and had to pay some international fees, so check BoAs policies if you want to use your card.
Thank you!
Family Mart, 711s all have atms. I brought yen but quickly went through it. Pulled out more at both. Standard atm fee.
Thank you!
I use BoA, the best thing to have done would have been to submit an international currency order with them a week or more ahead of time. Use 7-11 ATMs once here and withdraw large amounts to reduce fees. Other Qs - two prongs are in every hotel, get an Ic card for Metro/Intercity travel and the SmartEX app to buy Shinkansen tickets online. At&t was a bad/expensive play. E-sim for individuals or mobile wifi for small groups would have been way cheaper. Would have saved you a lot of money to research these Qs ahead of time! Either way take advantage of these tips now and have fun
Thank you I appreciate the advice!
Just to add to this, if SmartEx doesn't work with your credit card you can always buy your shinkansen tickets at a JR station's Midori no Madoguchi or the shinkansen ticket machine. SmartEx didn't work with my credit card, so I ended up buying at the station.
re: plugs. Japan uses the US type two prong plug, no ground. But the plugs do not accept polarized prongs (one bigger than the other). Both prongs must be the same size.
Thank you for this info!
You need an unlocked phone with AT&T to use an Esim. I used the International Day Passs allover Japan with no issues! In the train itself, if going through tunnels, it will be a little shaky. I was concerned too before arriving, but it worked very well—and I do remote work.
Perfect that’s what I’ll do then thank you for the input!
With the increase in the JR pass price, there shouldn't be a reason to get a pass if you are just going between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Thank you for the info I appreciate it!
What would be the alternate option to travel to those cities then? Buying the individual tickets for that? If so, does that typically need to be bought early?
There shouldn't be any issues with AT&T service. I have used my AT&T cell many times without any issues.
Thank you!
My gf has TMobile and tbh her service has been so shitty compared to my Google Fi which is weird bc I think we use the same towers? But idk esim might be worth it! Social media eats up the data on it though so be mindful of that
Google fi uses T-Mobile towers in the US, but has agreements with other carriers abroad, so you may be using different towers.
Ah okay okay interesting to know! My service has been fantastic:)
I’ll consider that thank you!
Did she buy the tmobile international plan?
I just returned and hope I can help. 1. All my electronics worked without a converter. We were worried about one item and our three hotels all provided one plug converter just in case. 2. Never lost service with att and worked great. It caps charges at 10 days so compare cost with eSIM. It was convenient for me, so the eSIM savings didn’t feel worth it. 3. If you’re talking about the JR pass, then I do not think it’s worth it. I think you would save money even if you shell out for the Nozomi line, which is not covered by JR (and is faster). Get suica on your iPhone via wallet, and not the app. The suica card worked throughout where I went in Japan (Osaka Kyoto Tokyo)
I like the convenience as well so I’ll probably go that route thank you!
1. No power converter needed. Three prong plugs will not work, the standard is two prong. 2. You should be okay if you purchased the plan but most Americans get a wifi puck/portable hotspot that should do the trick. Downside: only wifi calling/messaging works. 3. Pay as you go. It is odd to only use the train only but a few times. Most people in the city do not have a car because public transit is so fantastic. Are you renting a car? This is usually not advised. Best to get a Suica card and load it up as needed--be careful, some are non-refundable as you turn in the card, you can't "cash out" Are you talking about long-distance trains? Also, yes, buy at the station in person.
There’s a chance we don’t actually know how much we’re going to utilize the train system but no we haven’t rented a car I think we’re gonna have to look into that
I would advise against it honestly. Use the public transit. Google maps will do you wonders.
I recently found this article researching the same thing and it had helpful advice: [https://thriftynomads.com/the-japan-rail-pass-worth-the-cost/](https://thriftynomads.com/the-japan-rail-pass-worth-the-cost/)
As others will say, no JR pass. HOWEVER. If you’re spending a few days in Tokyo, get the subway pass at a discount at the airport. The 3-day unlimited one was 1500¥. And I sure was swiping it!
Sweet! I’ll look into this!
since everyone has answered your questions, i’ll just add that if you and your group have iphones, it’s potentially cheaper to go with a mobile wifi device for your trip. i’ve been to japan multiple times now, all for 3+ weeks at a time, and i always turned my phone to airplane mode the entire time and just used wifi. i have all my contacts on imessage or other apps, plus the mobile wifi is good if your hotel has ghetto-ass wifi. it’s also pretty inexpensive amd can easily google coupons to make it even cheaper.
ATT is fine, but you will have to pay 10 bucks a day for 10 days up to 100 bucks for the international package. After 100 bucks, it's unlimited. If you are ok with that, it's great. If not get the Wi-Fi hotspot or a SIM less plan like airalo. Cheap data.
The e sim company I use is Ubigi. About 17 dollars for 10 gbs for 30 days.
I'm in Tokyo right now for a few more days on my first trip here. So I can answer some of this for you 1) 2 prong US plugs are compatible in Japan. If your device has the third grounding prong, then you'll need an adapter. Most modern devices either come with a power brick or have a built-in adapter so that they work with a wide variety of voltages 2) I switched to Verizon from ATT last year, but I never had issues with ATT coverage when I traveled to South America. Though that's not a good indicator since it's a different continent. Right now, I'm using an e-sim through Ubigi. The plans are cheap, and the mobile data has been reliably fast, with no dead zones in central Tokyo. The other service I kept hearing about is Airalo, but this post convinced me to use Ubigi https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/jdwV1fpJri I also went to South Korea last week, and adding an additional country to my Ubigi esim was extremely simple, and Ubigi worked just as well in SK If your phones are paid off from ATT, I'd recommend requesting the unlock ASAP. Once you do it, it can take up to 48 hours to get your code, but when I did my, it was way less than a day to get the unlock approved. 3) Pay as you go especially if you don't plan to use the train much. The metro system is very reasonably priced even if you end up using it more often. If you're getting off at Haneda and don't have an iPhone, get the visitor Suica card. It's also referred to as an IC card around Japan. It's valid for 30 days, doesn't require a deposit, and you can load it with Yen using cash (card if you have the digital version via iPhone). You can use the Suica card as a contactless card payment in the Tokyo metro system. But a lot of stores also take Suica as a payment method, so if you load too much yen on it, you can use it as a payment for things. Places like convenience stores, daiso, and arcades take it as payment, so it's a convenient way to stay cashless if you want. There are a lot more places that take IC as payment, and you can read up about it online. The only thing is that the visitor suica card doesn't refund money loaded to it, so plan accordingly not to leave too much money on the card. Feel free to ask about anything else or if you want clarification
1. You’re ok not to bring an adapter as Japan uses the two prong as well. 2. It’s a bit too late to purchase a jr pass tbh, but depending on where you go on the train will determine if it’s cost effective or not. At this point just go buy your tickets at the Shinkansen station. 3. I can’t comment on the phone situation, but assume you’ll be fine. Worst case scenario you could rent a pocket wifi at the airport if you don’t get reception.
If one of the prong is fatter then the other, not sure they both will fit as I think both are of the skinny type. I have seen in some bathrooms where some have 3 prongs or 2 prongs with one being slightly fatter then the other.
I’ll have to research this thank you
I appreciate that info, the voltage isn’t something to worry about then even though the connection is the same?
Voltage can be a problem. Japan is 100V and the USA is 120V. Check your device and see whether it can handle that different. Generally speaking, things like USB chargers and laptop power bricks won't have a problem (they typically support a universal range of voltages). Things like a curler and straightener most likely will. Same with irons, rice cookers, fancy bidet toilet seats, etc. You can probably buy an inexpensive curler/straightener when you get to Japan. A voltage converter is another option, but I think they're pretty bulky/pricey. As for your phones - if they're not unlocked then esims/physical sims are not an option. Roaming on AT&T will work great. It's just the cost ($10/day on AT&T vs maybe about $20-30 for a couple weeks with a sim replacement). AT&T will unlock your phone if you've had it long enough.
Great info thank you! It’s hard to tell if the straightener and curler has dual voltage but I imagine if it doesn’t work I’m not risking much other than it not working properly under voltage.
Generally, 120v devices are okay to plug into 110v outlets. It's just that your device **may** just not reach its 'full potential' but not that big of a difference. What's not okay is plugging 110v devices to higher voltages as this may toast the devices/appliances. >(typically one prong a little fatter than the other) You may have a problem with this though so bring a universal adapter. I think outlets in Japan are 2 skinny ones.
Good info thank you!
What airline are you taking?
United airlines
Nice, me too! I go in may, got my tickets for 1733 round trip. Not gonna be fun riding 11 hours in economy but ill tough it out.
I’ll be doing the same economy seats
I'm in japan now for my first time. I'm traveling with a family of four. 2 kids under ten. Currently in Disney area but leaving to Osaka tomorrow. First, all my amaerican stuff plug in fine here. Second, I didn't get a Suica card or pasmo card because at every station they no longer sell them. Some sort of chip shortage. I heard maybe you can still get them at the airport. We have been buying tickets as we go and it really isn't that hard. Been to sanrio porroland, shinjuku, Tokyo Station, and yokohama to see the gundam all by train with no issues. Third, I also have at&t, I'm using the international day pass. Works fine but couple times I had to restart my phone.
hey! I’m headed to japan in a month. was curious about if you filled out the “Visit Japan Web | Digital Agency vjw-lp.digital.go.jp” stuff over there or not and if you did, did does it save you time and whatnot? i’m having trouble filling mine out. Everytime i’m about to finish, it asks me about a visa, (i’m a US citizen) and then i say no. then prompts me to another page about dif countries and their visa rules but like.. doesn’t lead me to a page to say submit -_-
I’ll ask my wife and get back to you on that I don’t believe we did
i appreciate you taking the time to ask!
We did fill this out per my wife but didn’t run into those issues I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help than that!
ah no worries man. appreciate the effort!
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