Japanese SIM cards

sohelpmegoat said:

The staff at Bic Camera won't mind to help you set it up. What I learn from my trip in Japan most of the people are quite helpful and they will help you out if they can, applies to everything not only buying Sims at the airport, so ask away if you have any trouble

Click to expand...

I recently bought a bmobile sim and I think it was listed as an additional 1000 or 1500yen if the staff sets it up for you. However the setup is really easy with the English guide included. I only needed a wifi to connect.

RandomTokyoGuy said:

I recently bought a bmobile sim and I think it was listed as an additional 1000 or 1500yen if the staff sets it up for you. However the setup is really easy with the English guide included. I only needed a wifi to connect.

Click to expand...

I found this, http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/ and will try this out when I go there again...I use so much data there, and I wish it would be cheaper...

Notes to some of the guys from a lesson I learned...
1. Luckily my airbnb came with a mobile hotspot and used that for the data during my trip, until I hit the data limit. It seems a lot of Airbnb rooms in Tokyo provide one. Take advantage of this. Connect it to your external battery pack, so you can stay connected all day.
2. Hotspot worked great until I hit the cap... I have used hotspots in the past with bad results... Usually the hotspot and my phone would lose the connection and it was a pain in the ass... but not this time and it always stayed connected.
3. As my iPhone treated the hotspot as a regular WIFI connection, my phone behaved accordingly, sucking as much data it needed (downloading podcasts, uploading photos to icloud, updating apps, etc etc). It will be a pain, but I need to manage this better with my next trip.
4. If you want a local number, I advise to get this package at the airport and not in the City. Last time I was able to get a local number at the airport. It was pricey, 7.5K for Minutes and 3 GB data. I assumed I could get one in the city this time, and was given the run around about how it was not possible for a short term visitor. I didn't push back, wasn't worth the effort.
5. I didn't push back too much because I was able to use my phone with US number, and using Tmobile, it wasn't too expensive...Tmobile may suck at times in the States, but internationally, they standard benefits is pretty sweet.

When you buy a IIJ MIO simcard at Bic Camera you get a rebate coupon for additional stuff you might buy at Bic Camera (It says 8% Tax free + 7% off expires in 2018) and a free Brastel card for calling at reduced rates.
I have not used it but you can get more info at www.brastel.com/japantravelsim. It seems to work with the IIJ MIO simcard and you have to install an app called 050 Free. It does not say if you can receive calls though.

Karbon said:

When you buy a IIJ MIO simcard at Bic Camera you get a rebate coupon for additional stuff you might buy at Bic Camera (It says 8% Tax free + 7% off expires in 2018) and a free Brastel card for calling at reduced rates.
I have not used it but you can get more info at www.brastel.com/japantravelsim. It seems to work with the IIJ MIO simcard and you have to install an app called 050 Free. It does not say if you can receive calls though.

Click to expand...

I think I got that card too...no issues with it

I miss the times when Japan had prepaid cell phones. Back in 2001 I was here for japanese language class. The school I went too sold the prepaid phones, and you could easily buy cards for top off your minutes. Then the criminal element of japan abused them and the government stepped in and pretty much killed the prepaid industry.

impish said:

I miss the times when Japan had prepaid cell phones. Back in 2001 I was here for japanese language class. The school I went too sold the prepaid phones, and you could easily buy cards for top off your minutes. Then the criminal element of japan abused them and the government stepped in and pretty much killed the prepaid industry.

Click to expand...

I still have a prepaid phone and I refilled it last time I was there (last summer). even my line account is registered with that prepaid phone's number. are you sure it doesn't exist anymore ?

e-smile said:

I still have a prepaid phone and I refilled it last time I was there (last summer). even my line account is registered with that prepaid phone's number. are you sure it doesn't exist anymore ?

Click to expand...

Every time I asked about them I am told they don't exist anymore, so either providers are lying to me or, I am asking the wrong providers.

impish said:

Every time I asked about them I am told they don't exist anymore, so either providers are lying to me or, I am asking the wrong providers.

Click to expand...

IIRC Softbank still offers prepaid these days.

www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/price_plan/prepaid/

But it is Softbank, so good luck getting one.

impish said:

Every time I asked about them I am told they don't exist anymore, so either providers are lying to me or, I am asking the wrong providers.

Click to expand...

The anonymous pre-paid phones don't exist anymore. However it is still possible to get pre-paid even with all the big providers by showing ID (and living in Japan).

Hrm, see I had asked at Softbank and they said they didn't have any, so I suspect it was because I was a foreigner and they thought i lived outside of japan. Good to know they still exist then.

impish said:

Hrm, see I had asked at Softbank and they said they didn't have any, so I suspect it was because I was a foreigner and they thought i lived outside of japan. Good to know they still exist then.

Click to expand...

try bic camera

MikeH said:

The anonymous pre-paid phones don't exist anymore. However it is still possible to get pre-paid even with all the big providers by showing ID (and living in Japan).

Click to expand...

Before I could get one without living in Japan and if you only used the text mail it was super cheap. I think that's gone for good. Back in the days that was enough, but I doubt it would suffice nowadays.

Found this online...

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/?ap=a2170h

For the price/GB I think, both options are good and may go this route.

Pocket WIFI: 5 Days/$49 for unlimited WIFI
SIM Card:$27- 15 days or up to 3GB which ever comes first. 40$ 30 days or up to 6GB which ever comes first.

I am on a unlimited data plan in the US and am used to consuming a lot of data, so when I go to Japan, I get frustrated....

ur19877 said:

Found this online...

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/?ap=a2170h

For the price/GB I think, both options are good and may go this route.

Pocket WIFI: 5 Days/$49 for unlimited WIFI
SIM Card:$27- 15 days or up to 3GB which ever comes first. 40$ 30 days or up to 6GB which ever comes first.

I am on a unlimited data plan in the US and am used to consuming a lot of data, so when I go to Japan, I get frustrated....

Click to expand...

sim card is good if you plan to use it only for whatsapp, line, maps, searching informations ... and only watch videos when on wifi (and there are many wifi spots in Japan).

pocket wifi is more suitable for streaming and stuff but it costs more.

e-smile said:

sim card is good if you plan to use it only for whatsapp, line, maps, searching informations ... and only watch videos when on wifi (and there are many wifi spots in Japan).

pocket wifi is more suitable for streaming and stuff but it costs more.

Click to expand...

I don't mind paying extra for Data when I am abroad, and not having it, can be a major hassle...
I am not made of money, but for me, its a price worth paying...

ur19877 said:

I don't mind paying extra for Data when I am abroad, and not having it, can be a major hassle...
I am not made of money, but for me, its a price worth paying...

Click to expand...

I consume a lot of data myself but not outdoor so I use my place's wifi for that when I'm in Japan.
if I have a long travel alone by train I download stuff to watch (or to read) in advance and put it in my tablet.

I almost never stream video over mobile networks. Always over local wifi. My iPad is loaded with movies to watch so I just watch one of them when I need to keep busy.

I used to rent pocket mifi when in Japan but the problem is that the battery dies after half a day of moderate internet use. You can bring
a power bank but with the phone in your pocket it's too much to carry. I prefer now to have a 2 simcard phone and put inside an IIJmio tourist simcard
to browse internet. To give you an idea of consumption I use 1gb of data per week on average (no movie watch or heavy downloading).
Till the latest phone (Samsung S8 ...) the problem was that as japan does not use 2G networks anymore you could not (except for a few latest phones)
have 4G on one card (the data simcard) and at the same time 3G on the other card (your "home" card where you receive your calls). So I had to switch on the data sim every time
I needed internet connection. The price to pay to get rid of the pocket mifi and a power bank.

Karbon said:

I used to rent pocket mifi when in Japan but the problem is that the battery dies after half a day of moderate internet use. You can bring
a power bank but with the phone in your pocket it's too much to carry. I prefer now to have a 2 simcard phone and put inside an IIJmio tourist simcard
to browse internet. To give you an idea of consumption I use 1gb of data per week on average (no movie watch or heavy downloading).
Till the latest phone (Samsung S8 ...) the problem was that as japan does not use 2G networks anymore you could not (except for a few latest phones)
have 4G on one card (the data simcard) and at the same time 3G on the other card (your "home" card where you receive your calls). So I had to switch on the data sim every time
I needed internet connection. The price to pay to get rid of the pocket mifi and a power bank.

Click to expand...

Good advice and would use it if Apple had a dual sim phone...I really wish they had one!
The power bank could be a bit cumbersome, but I need to carry it around anyways because of my other electronic devices...mainly phone..

I used a pocket mifi during my last trip and was pretty impressed that it stayed connected all day to my phone and ipad....