Japan Travel eSIM
SoftBank coverage from $5 — including the Shinkansen and the subway tunnels.
Plans & prices
Selected 1 GB · 7 days 3 GB · 30 days 5 GB · 30 days 10 GB · 30 days 20 GB · 30 days
Total $5$10$15$23$38
Buy now — the plan activates when you land, not when you pay.
- Instant delivery
- Check your device
- Secure payment
Japan
SoftBank network
- 5G ready
- Hotspot
- Top-ups
- No ID needed
Coverage & network in Japan
Japan is where travel eSIMs are at their most boring, in the best sense. The plan runs on SoftBank, coverage is close to universal wherever visitors actually go, and the whole rental-Wi-Fi-router ritual — airport counter, deposit, returns envelope, a second device to charge — becomes unnecessary.
Plans run from $5 for 1 GB over 7 days to $38 for 20 GB over 30 days. Two weeks of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with heavy transit-app use fits comfortably in 5 GB ($15).
Coverage worth naming: the Tokyo and Osaka subway networks are covered inside the tunnels, not just at stations. The Shinkansen holds a connection along the Tokaido and Sanyo lines with only brief tunnel dropouts. 5G is live across the cities and main corridors; LTE elsewhere is fast and stable, including through the Alps and along rural lines.
Where it thins out: high mountain hiking above the treeline, some of the smaller islands, and the deepest tunnels. Nothing that affects a normal itinerary.
Payments: mobile Suica works on iPhone and Apple Watch over this connection and can be topped up with an international card. Android Suica needs a Japanese-market handset — a physical Welcome Suica from the airport is the simple workaround.
Multi-country trip? The Asia plan covers 29 destinations from $11.50, or pair with South Korea from $5.50 and Taiwan.
How to install it
- 1
Buy in a minute
Pick a Japan plan and pay. Your QR code arrives by email in seconds — no account, no shipping.
- 2
Install on Wi-Fi
Scan the code before you fly. The profile sits alongside your normal SIM and stays switched off until you need it.
- 3
Land connected
Turn on data roaming for the TravelNet line when you arrive. The plan starts counting down on that first connection, not at checkout.
Will my phone work?
You need an eSIM-capable, carrier-unlocked phone: an iPhone XS or newer, a Pixel 3 or
newer, or a recent Samsung Galaxy S, Z or A-series flagship. Dial *#06# — if
an EID number is listed alongside the IMEI, the phone has an eSIM.
Travelling beyond Japan?
One Asia plan covers 29 countries from $11.50 — worth it from the third border.
Japan eSIM questions
Which network does the Japan eSIM use?
SoftBank, one of Japan's three national carriers. Coverage is effectively universal in the areas visitors travel: all of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, the Shinkansen corridors, and the subway systems including the tunnels.
Is a pocket Wi-Fi router better than an eSIM?
Not any more, for most people. Rental Wi-Fi routers were the standard answer in Japan for years, but they mean an airport counter, a returns envelope, a deposit, a device to charge and a thing to lose. An eSIM is installed before you fly and there's nothing to give back. A router still wins if you have four people sharing one connection all day — but so does tethering from one eSIM.
Is 5G available in Japan?
Yes, widely in the cities and along the main corridors. Outside them you'll be on 4G/LTE, which in Japan is fast and unusually consistent, including in mountain areas and on rural rail lines.
Will it work on the Shinkansen?
Yes, along essentially the whole Tokaido and Sanyo route. There are brief dropouts in the longest tunnels, including under the Seikan strait to Hokkaido, but the practical experience is a working connection for the length of the journey.
How much data do I need for two weeks in Japan?
5 GB ($15) suits a typical two-week trip. Japan pushes you toward heavy map and transit-app use — Google Maps, Japan Transit Planner, translation apps pointed at menus — so it's more than a beach holiday would need but less than a working trip. 10 GB ($23) if you're hotspotting or posting a lot of video.
Do I need to register the eSIM?
No. Japanese prepaid SIMs sold to visitors are data-only and don't require registration either, but an eSIM skips the counter entirely. Nothing to fill in, nothing to show.
Will it work in the mountains — Hakone, the Japanese Alps, Nikko?
In the towns and at the main sights, yes. Coverage follows the roads and rail lines closely, so Hakone, Nikko, Takayama and the Kamikochi approach are fine. Genuinely remote hiking above the treeline is where it drops out, as anywhere.
Can I use IC cards and mobile Suica with it?
Mobile Suica on an iPhone or Apple Watch works over any data connection, including this one, and you can top it up with an international card. Android mobile Suica is tied to Japanese-market handsets with Osaifu-Keitai, which is a phone limitation rather than a SIM one. A physical Welcome Suica card from the airport sidesteps the whole question.
Can I tether?
Yes, hotspot is enabled on every Japan plan and it's the standard way for a couple or a family to share one plan. Consider the 10 GB plan if more than two devices will lean on it.
Also visiting South Korea or Taiwan?
The Asia plan covers 29 destinations on one profile from $11.50, which is usually right for a multi-country East Asia trip. For two countries specifically, separate plans for South Korea from $5.50 and Taiwan often work out cheaper.