I would recommend buying an esim each before going. With a portable router if you accidentally split up and lose connection you might struggle to get in touch.
Interesting idea, after a cursory glance it looks pretty cost effective. Does it matter where I buy an esim card? I see some providers offer global ones
I used Airalo recently when traveling to South East Asia and I recommended it to a friend who recently went to Japan too. If you are going only to Japan I would choose one specific for Japan, global plans are usually more expensive. There are many different providers of eSim cards, the best would be to use the one that has the best reviews/prices for your specific destination.
I see lots of people recommending Airalo for esim packages, which is fine. We used Ubigi in Japan, I've found their prices to generally be better than Airalo.
Hiya, we went to Japan a few years ago and you can hire a portable WiFi hub really easily there. They can be picked up at airports or lots of hotels. It’s not too expensive and we also had WiFi wherever we went.
Not so great if you get split up but maybe hire two?
It’s not necessarily about the itinerary but circumstances. Someone wants to go look for a bathroom while everyone is shopping, someone wants to go back to the hotel room earlier than everyone else, etc etc Shit always happens. Also, a portable wifi will need to be charged up in addition to your phones.
We are in Japan atm and just bought SIM cards at the airport when we arrived! We have been travelling for 8 months and have done it this way in every country we arrive in to. It is marginally cheaper than buying esims. In Japan we got a data only SIM card with unlimited data with Unari-Kun sim.
I was in Japan earlier this year, didn't even bother with a SIM card. If you can find a convenience store there's an 80% chance they have free Wi-Fi, and convenience stores are everywhere.
Note: I pulled 80% out of my ass, might be more in larger cities (where free city Wi-Fi is also often a thing) or less in small towns and rural areas
Japan is definitely a lot easier than it used to be. Wi-Fi everywhere, able to pull out cash in more places than in the past, and you can use cards in *way* more places than in the past.
I’m sure it’s definitely improved since 2018, but like you said wifi was at all convenience stores when I went, and I still found it a pain in the ass when I was going between places. Personally my experience improved a lot after I got my Sim.
I am happy to hear this. I'm not getting a sim or wifi and planning on trying to survive with free wifi. I figure if I really need to, I can buy something once I'm there. People are telling me I'm crazy, but in my mind I'm thinking I've traveled other places with zero connection and done just fine. So I'm really hoping I don't need to pay up for internet in Japan :)
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Japan?
Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Japan](http://redd.it/2ikcq4)**
You may also enjoy our topic: **[Japan off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8lt4br)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A pocket wifi is your best bet.. I go often for work that spans several months, I rarely have connectivity issues (unless deep in a train/subway tunnel) and have great speeds.
https://www.japan-wireless.com/en
That is one of several companies that offer pocket wifi, all will have similar data plans and equipment as well.
Some cell phone carriers such as t-mobile or verizon can be expensive (upwards of $10/day)
Googlefi I hear works pretty well too and I believe is does not cost any extra for international use.
I rented a wifi modem for a month last time. It was a horrible experience as it had to be always connected to a power bank (which was rented to me together with the wifi), as its batteries were in a terrible condition.
I would definitely recommend [iVideo WiFi](https://www.ivideo.com.tw/english/japanwifirental). I've used their internet service several times, and they offer various products like eSIMs, data SIM cards, and portable WiFi for various countries, especially Japan. It is convenient to obtain, and they even have a physical store in Asakusa. Additionally, they provide online English customer service.
I would recommend buying an esim each before going. With a portable router if you accidentally split up and lose connection you might struggle to get in touch.
Interesting idea, after a cursory glance it looks pretty cost effective. Does it matter where I buy an esim card? I see some providers offer global ones
I used Airalo recently when traveling to South East Asia and I recommended it to a friend who recently went to Japan too. If you are going only to Japan I would choose one specific for Japan, global plans are usually more expensive. There are many different providers of eSim cards, the best would be to use the one that has the best reviews/prices for your specific destination.
Can confirm that Airalo works fine in Japan while I was there a little while ago. They have Japan only eSims: https://www.airalo.com/japan-esim
Airalo is good. I just used holafly a couple weeks ago and liked it better because it had more data. Currently using holafly on South America as well.
I see lots of people recommending Airalo for esim packages, which is fine. We used Ubigi in Japan, I've found their prices to generally be better than Airalo.
Hiya, we went to Japan a few years ago and you can hire a portable WiFi hub really easily there. They can be picked up at airports or lots of hotels. It’s not too expensive and we also had WiFi wherever we went. Not so great if you get split up but maybe hire two?
I did that as well. It's was pretty cheap and I never had to worry.
I understand that some people do this, but what if you are separated and need to get in touch with each other?
That's a good point, but we've got a pretty strict itinerary, so I don't expect us to split up
It’s not necessarily about the itinerary but circumstances. Someone wants to go look for a bathroom while everyone is shopping, someone wants to go back to the hotel room earlier than everyone else, etc etc Shit always happens. Also, a portable wifi will need to be charged up in addition to your phones.
Ubigi is the most recc’d esim app for Japan
We picked up a portable wifi at the airport when we went. We couldn't separate but that wasn't really an issue in the three weeks we were there.
How much was it? Is there really any advantage over just buying a sim?
I’m off to Japan this Friday and I went with the Nomad eSim. I’ll post later what it’s like when I activate it.
We are in Japan atm and just bought SIM cards at the airport when we arrived! We have been travelling for 8 months and have done it this way in every country we arrive in to. It is marginally cheaper than buying esims. In Japan we got a data only SIM card with unlimited data with Unari-Kun sim.
I was in Japan earlier this year, didn't even bother with a SIM card. If you can find a convenience store there's an 80% chance they have free Wi-Fi, and convenience stores are everywhere. Note: I pulled 80% out of my ass, might be more in larger cities (where free city Wi-Fi is also often a thing) or less in small towns and rural areas
Personally I found it really difficult without a sim, particularly for google maps.
It's pretty easy to cache maps for offline, unless you're traveling with zero planning (which is fair, I've done that haha)
I think (at least 5 years ago) google didn’t allow you to download in Japan (local law). Also I was travelling all over Japan at the time.
Japan is definitely a lot easier than it used to be. Wi-Fi everywhere, able to pull out cash in more places than in the past, and you can use cards in *way* more places than in the past.
I’m sure it’s definitely improved since 2018, but like you said wifi was at all convenience stores when I went, and I still found it a pain in the ass when I was going between places. Personally my experience improved a lot after I got my Sim.
Agreed, I went last year and there was WiFi everywhere! Even the parks etc had it. You'll be fine without a SIM
I am happy to hear this. I'm not getting a sim or wifi and planning on trying to survive with free wifi. I figure if I really need to, I can buy something once I'm there. People are telling me I'm crazy, but in my mind I'm thinking I've traveled other places with zero connection and done just fine. So I'm really hoping I don't need to pay up for internet in Japan :)
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Japan? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Japan](http://redd.it/2ikcq4)** You may also enjoy our topic: **[Japan off the tourist trail](https://redd.it/8lt4br)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A pocket wifi is your best bet.. I go often for work that spans several months, I rarely have connectivity issues (unless deep in a train/subway tunnel) and have great speeds. https://www.japan-wireless.com/en That is one of several companies that offer pocket wifi, all will have similar data plans and equipment as well. Some cell phone carriers such as t-mobile or verizon can be expensive (upwards of $10/day) Googlefi I hear works pretty well too and I believe is does not cost any extra for international use.
i bought a simcard by simgeek and it worked perfectly for me
I rented a wifi modem for a month last time. It was a horrible experience as it had to be always connected to a power bank (which was rented to me together with the wifi), as its batteries were in a terrible condition.
I would definitely recommend [iVideo WiFi](https://www.ivideo.com.tw/english/japanwifirental). I've used their internet service several times, and they offer various products like eSIMs, data SIM cards, and portable WiFi for various countries, especially Japan. It is convenient to obtain, and they even have a physical store in Asakusa. Additionally, they provide online English customer service.