Mobile number mini guide

[Doggyfong]

Since everyone is going to Japan and most require a number, here is a short guide on how to get a number for all your punting needs.

Most Popular
Mobal
https://www.mobal.com/

Most well known service provider.
You get a real Japanese phone number with an 070, 080 or 090 prefix. This makes it super easy for friends, family or business contacts to reach you. Our competitors provide 050 numbers, which are unreliable and not accepted by many institutions.
Pickup at the airport or ship to your door.
At almost 8k yen for a month, the price is kinda steep. Expensive IMO.
44 yen call per minute
Lets give or take you make 10 minutes of calls, 440 yen
Total damage 8360

Rental
Anyfone
https://anyfone.jp/en/

My personal favourite and go to for cheap and quick fix for my needs.
Register AT LEAST 3 days before your trip or you can forget about getting a number.
Pickup at the airport, return at the airport(Or their office in Roppongi)
330 yen admin fee
110 yen daily rental
110yen call per minute

If you were to rent this number for a month (compare to mobal), damage will be 3630 yen.
Lets give or take you make 10 minutes of calls, that will be 1100 yen
Total damage 4730

Do take note to use an android device and turn off mobile data, the data sucks.
Data is at 990yen per day. better to get a data sim in Japan. Cheaper and more heavy duty options are available
iPhone does not allow data to be turned off for more than 12 hours due to its safety protocol.

AnyFone also require you to deposit 40k yen from your credit card(will be refunded)
When you make online reservation, we will check the validity of your credit card. We also place a pre-authorization hold which reduces your overall credit limit (pre-authorization amount: for rental use in Japan, ¥40,000/device, for rental use overseas, ¥30,000/device)).

Long term solution for frequent visitors
Hanacell
https://www.hanacell.com/japan/

Long term solution for anyone who goes to Japan frequently
Foreigners can apply for the sim card.
Registration at $39 USD
And yearly costs at $8 USD a year(Waived for the first year)
So for the first 2 years, you are only paying $47 USD.
Calls are at 0.85 USD (About 130yen)
10 minutes will be 1300yen or $8.50USD

Do take note to use an android device and turn off mobile data, the data sucks.
$29 USD for 3gb of data for 1 month(high speed) after the 3gb, speed will drop
iPhone does not allow data to be turned off for more than 12 hours due to its safety protocol.

BONUS
Data only for travel use
Yodobashi Wirelessgate
Yodobashi has what I feel is the best bang for buck at 5k yen for 50gb for 31 days
Available at most yodobashi outlets
Personally used this quite frequently for my trips.
https://www.yodobashi.com/category/174101/281017/m0000020858/

 

[kirayamato]

so on the very slim chances you might got a number that are banned by some stores?

 

[Doggyfong]

so on the very slim chances you might got a number that are banned by some stores?

I doubt it, it will be odds against even more odds
Lets say they have 1000 numbers(definitely way way more) and there are hundreds of shops.
You would probably win the lottery first than get the number which is banned.

Believe someone rented a number and tried to register for sites like Eplus but the number was previously used.
Those are more well known public sites, so the chances are higher.
But you can actually still by pass it...

 

[AnotherTag]

I did run into the issue with other visitors using Anyfone rental service at the Style Group before so it can happen LOL. At least I had a PIN with Style Group to clarify the mix up.

I am not sure if HanaCell has English support or only Japanese support though. Their webite is only in Japanese even though they are US based.

 

[Doggyfong]

I did run into the issue with other visitors using Anyfone rental service at the Style Group before so it can happen LOL. At least I had a PIN with Style Group to clarify the mix up.

I am not sure if HanaCell has English support or only Japanese support though. Their webite is only in Japanese even though they are US based.

Bad luck i guess? But any issues with using the number at other shops?

Hanacell is a commitment, hence for frequent visitors. Which I want to believe they at least proficient enough in Japanese to get that.
I personally have not used it, but have friends who use it just to get concert tickets.

 

[AnotherTag]

Bad luck i guess? But any issues with using the number at other shops?

Hanacell is a commitment, hence for frequent visitors. Which I want to believe they at least proficient enough in Japanese to get that.
I personally have not used it, but have friends who use it just to get concert tickets.

Nah, no issue with other shops as far as I remember, just that with a new number every time you visit you would have to tell the shops what number you were using before for existing customers' benefits etc. Worth it the first time to get around CityHeaven account creation issue so you can just use CH to make appointments then use whatever temp phone number you have at the moment.

I am a Hanacell user actually as I gave up the pain of getting a new temp SIM every time I travel. No problem with Hanacell and I can converse in Japanese with the staff so all's well. Just wanted to point out that if someone decides to go Hanacell route, they would better understand and read Japanese.

 

[rd1023]

Nice writeup but according to the link from anyfone, the rental cost is 270 for a simple phone, 550 a day for a smartphone. That would make the cost for a simple phone roughly in-line with modal's sim card.

 

[Doggyfong]

Nice writeup but according to the link from anyfone, the rental cost is 270 for a simple phone, 550 a day for a smartphone. That would make the cost for a simple phone roughly in-line with modal's sim card.

They have SIM only plan at 110 yen
https://anyfone.jp/en/rental_japan/sim_card.php

 

[rd1023]

They have SIM only plan at 110 yen
https://anyfone.jp/en/rental_japan/sim_card.php

Thanks for the link! Unfortunately for people like me who are stuck with the newest model of iPhones, it seems like I have to go the phone rental route since the newest models sold in the US don't have a SIM card slot. Perhaps I'll search around for a cheap burner Android with a SIM slot.

 

[Doggyfong]

Thanks for the link! Unfortunately for people like me who are stuck with the newest model of iPhones, it seems like I have to go the phone rental route since the newest models sold in the US don't have a SIM card slot. Perhaps I'll search around for a cheap burner Android with a SIM slot.

Yeah, will suggest an android as above

As the data fee per day is expensive for both anyfone and hanacell
Will be better to hold both phones(android and iphone).
Iphone has a “security function” that will turn on data and wifi after 12hours so that find my phone will always be active.
Will update on main post

 

[scorpioni6ths]

cheap burner Android with a SIM slot.

not too cheap ... phone should at least be 4G if not 5G ... they're turning off 3G here on 2024/4/1

 

[AnotherTag]

Hanacell only has monthly data plan and it starts on the first day of the month and ends on the last day of the month, regardless of when you turn on the data and start using it, probably due to Softbank constraint/contract, so not that flexible.

Their older 7GB / month data plan costs a whopping 49 (or was it 59) US dollars and the newer 3GB / month plan is more reasonable at 29 US dollars, still expensive, but sorta works if you are not using cell data all the time and have access to free WiFi around.

I would recommend some other data plans or pocket WiFi for your data needs if you need a lot more than that, which means you typically need a dual SIM capable phone so that you are not swapping SIM cards all the time.

 

[shirowhite]

so for iphone users, modal sim rental? It would be easiest if one of them has an esim option. I currently get esim packages abroad but they often are data-only.

 

[Doggyfong]

so for iphone users, modal sim rental? It would be easiest if one of them has an esim option. I currently get esim packages abroad but they often are data-only.

Either that or get a cheap android device

Since anyway you go, you will need to rent and you cant rent an esim since they will want the number back
Easier for them to track everything

 

[Alice]

so on the very slim chances you might got a number that are banned by some stores?

Slim chance, but I have seen some TAG posts about a number already having been used for Cityheaven so they couldn’t use it to sign up for it anymore themselves, lol.

 

[txtx]

Slim chance, but I have seen some TAG posts about a number already having been used for Cityheaven so they couldn’t use it to sign up for it anymore themselves, lol.

i experienced EXACTLY THE SAME THING when rented Anyfone som card last time!

Never got the OTP and later on i saw the masked email address binding with this number using "password recovery" function in CH.

 

[Babaram]

Everybody: Please be aware that there have been major changes with domestic mobile phone tariffs. All providers now have low cost, high data plans.
Docomo has Ahamo, which gives you phone service plus 20GB of data for 2,970 JPY a month, 100GB for 4.950. What's more, you can use 20GB of data overseas for 15 days for free. Others have similar plans. Line has Linemo, which gives you a month of phone service plus 3 GB of data for only 990 JPY a month. You can sign up online. Foreigners with residence card are O.K. Tourists aren't.

 

[Sudsy]

Tourists aren't.

QFT.