- Japan SIM Navi
- SIM for residents
- y.u mobile
y.u mobile: what it costs, and who it accepts
y.u mobile's plans for people living in Japan, what it takes to sign up, and the real monthly cost including the setup fee. Everything here comes from y.u mobile's own official pages.
y.u mobile states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents, and a residence card is accepted as ID; its lowest real monthly cost is ¥2,173 at 3GB a month (12-month cost including setup fees) (checked October 6, 2026). Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision.
Heads up: y.u mobile's official application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm. You (or someone helping you) will likely need to read Japanese to sign up.
y.u mobile, 3GB a month, 12-month cost horizon
y.u mobile5GB
12-month total ¥26,070Setup fee ¥3,740 (included above)eSIM not for a new contract (SIM card only; you can switch to eSIM after activation)
- Real monthly cost: the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call); no discount that needs a condition.
- Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision, not ours.
From December 1, 2026, y.u mobile raises the monthly price of every plan, and this applies to current customers too. The Single plan goes from ¥1,070 (5 GB) to ¥1,390 (20 GB) a month, Single U-NEXT from ¥2,970 (10 GB) to ¥3,490 (25 GB), and the base fee of Share U-NEXT from ¥3,620 (20 GB) to ¥4,440 (50 GB), tax incl. The y.u mobile figures on this page use the current price for all 12 months and do not include the new prices.
Who y.u mobile suits
- You hold a residence card — this carrier states officially that it accepts residents.
- You want to use the residence card itself as ID.
- You hold a newer-type residence card — Residence cards (including Specified Residence Cards) and special permanent resident certificates (including Specified ones) issued on or after June 14, 2026 are not accepted for online sign-up.
- You have no Japanese credit card — this carrier states a credit card is required.
- You need English support — application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm.
- You want to sign up on an eSIM from day one. New contracts are SIM-card only; you can switch to eSIM after activation.
y.u mobile plans
Monthly price before the setup fee, tax included. The real monthly cost above is the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus the call charges for 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call) at the carrier's own per-call rate, with no paid call option and no discount that needs a condition (family, fibre bundles). Calls a plan already includes are free, and discounts with no condition are counted.
| Data | Monthly from | eSIM | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5GB | ¥1,070 | New contracts: SIM card only (eSIM after activation) | ¥3,740 |
| 10GB | ¥2,970 | New contracts: SIM card only (eSIM after activation) | ¥3,740 |
| 20GB | ¥4,170 | New contracts: SIM card only (eSIM after activation) | ¥3,740 |
The y.u mobile prices in this table are the current ones. The new prices that start on December 1, 2026 are not included.
Sign-up conditions
From y.u mobile's own official pages, checked on October 6, 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it addressed, which is different from a "no".
| Condition | What the official site states |
|---|---|
| Accepts foreign residents | Yes (stated officially) |
| Residence card as ID | Yes |
| Newer-type residence cards | Residence cards (including Specified Residence Cards) and special permanent resident certificates (including Specified ones) issued on or after June 14, 2026 are not accepted for online sign-up. |
| Min. remaining validity | Not specified by the provider |
| Support language(s) | Japanese |
| Credit card | Accepted |
| Debit card | Not accepted |
| Bank transfer | Not accepted |
| Convenience-store payment | Not accepted |
| Setup cost | ¥3,740 |
| Minimum term | None |
| Cancellation fee | None |
The exact list of accepted ID documents is long and partly Japanese-only legal text, so we link to the source rather than translating it: y.u mobile official page on ID documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does y.u mobile accept residence-card holders, and does it run a credit check?
Yes — y.u mobile states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents. Residence card as ID: Yes. Newer-type cards: Residence cards (including Specified Residence Cards) and special permanent resident certificates (including Specified ones) issued on or after June 14, 2026 are not accepted for online sign-up. Being accepted as a foreign resident is a separate question from credit screening for the line contract itself: screening terms exist; see the official page.
Can I pay y.u mobile without a Japanese credit card?
No — y.u mobile's official site states a credit card is required; it does not offer bank transfer, debit, or convenience-store payment for this plan.
Is eSIM available from y.u mobile?
Not for a new contract. New contracts are SIM-card only; after activation you can switch to eSIM.
Sources
- y.u mobile official page 1 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 2 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 3 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 4 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 5 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 6 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 7 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 8 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 9 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 10 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 11 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 12 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile official page 13 (checked October 6, 2026)
- y.u mobile plan page (checked November 1, 2026)
- y.u mobile plan page (checked November 1, 2026)
- y.u mobile plan page (checked November 1, 2026)
Back to the resident SIM ranking · Paying without a Japanese credit card · What the residence-card requirement means · Full plan details (Japanese page)
Before you apply to y.u mobile
At 3GB a month the real cost is ¥2,173/month. Check the accepted ID documents and payment methods on y.u mobile's official site before applying.
Choose by provider
Logos open the provider's own site.
