Set your trip length and how much data you actually use per day, and we rank every Japan eSIM plan in our data by real total cost — tax included, converted to yen where the provider prices in dollars or euros.
For a 7-day trip using about 1GB a day, the cheapest plan we list is JapanConnect eSIM's 1GB/day (then 256kbps) package at ¥1,580 total (as of September 11, 2026). We currently track 140 Japan eSIM plans from 7 providers; more providers are being added.
Pick your trip length and typical daily data use — the table updates instantly using the same calculation as the rest of this page.
| Rank | Provider / plan | Real cost | Per day | Data | Hotspot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,580 | ¥226 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 2 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,580 | ¥226 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 3 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,680 | ¥240 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 4 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,680 | ¥240 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 5 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,780 | ¥254 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 6 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,780 | ¥254 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | Yes |
| 7 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,870 | ¥267 | 10GB total | Yes |
| 8 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,870 | ¥267 | 10GB total | Yes |
Our default comparison condition — a one-week trip using about 1GB a day (maps, messaging, some browsing). Not ranked by partnership; ranked by calculated cost only.
| Rank | Provider / plan | Real cost | Per day | Data | Days | Hotspot | Phone number | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,580 | ¥226 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 7d | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 2 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,580 | ¥226 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 7d | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 3 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,680 | ¥240 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 8d (+1) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 4 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,680 | ¥240 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 8d (+1) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 5 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,780 | ¥254 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 9d (+2) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 6 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,780 | ¥254 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 9d (+2) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 7 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,870 | ¥267 | 10GB total | 15d (+8) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 8 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,870 | ¥267 | 10GB total | 15d (+8) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 9 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,880 | ¥269 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 10d (+3) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
| 10 | JapanConnect eSIMJapan | ¥1,880 | ¥269 | 1GB/day (then 256kbps) | 10d (+3) | Yes | No | Official 2026-09-11 |
These are eSIMs — there's no physical card to collect at the airport. Install the eSIM profile before you fly (most providers let you do this at home with Wi-Fi), then activate it once you land. When exactly the countdown starts, and what happens if something goes wrong, differs by provider:
| Provider | Validity starts from | App required? | Refund / cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | First connection at destination | No | Not spelled out on the pages we checked — ask official support before buying if this matters to you. |
| eSIM-san | Not stated as one clear rule — check the specific plan | No | Per eSIM-san's official terms: refunds are generally available if your device isn't eSIM-compatible or SIM-lock-unlocked, for buyer-side cancellations or changed travel plans, or if you genuinely can't connect at your destination. Refunds are generally NOT available for plans that include a phone number, purchases over 30 days old, claims filed after returning home, cases where 30%+ of the data allowance is already used, or convenience-store payments cancelled for buyer-side reasons. |
| Holafly | First connection at destination | No | Refund terms: see official page (Japanese). |
| JapanConnect eSIM | First connection at destination | No | Refund terms: see official page (Japanese). |
| Nomad | First connection at destination | Not stated | Refund terms: see official page (Japanese). |
| Saily | First connection at destination | Yes | Not spelled out on the pages we checked — ask official support before buying if this matters to you. |
| Ubigi | First connection at destination | No | Not spelled out on the pages we checked — ask official support before buying if this matters to you. |
Sources: Airalo official (2026-09-11) eSIM-san official (2026-09-11) Holafly official (2026-09-11) JapanConnect eSIM official (2026-09-11) Nomad official (2026-09-11) Saily official (2026-09-11) Ubigi official (2026-09-11)
Short, attributed summaries from travel blogs and videos — not our own testing, and not mixed in with the official numbers above.
Blogger Steph Kloeckener used Airalo's eSIM on a 7-week trip across Japan and reported signal even while climbing Mt. Rishiri in Hokkaido and on the Tokyo subway; only one stretch between Lake Akan and Teshikaga dropped out.
Source: Steph Kloeckener (A Nomad's Passport) — Using the Airalo eSim in Japan – Is it a reliable option?
Blogger Silvia Gentile Polese says the Ubigi eSIM she installed before departure connected automatically the moment her flight landed at Haneda, letting her message family without hunting for Wi-Fi.
Source: Silvia Gentile Polese (The Good Observer) — How I Used Ubigi eSIM In Japan To Stay Online
Silvia Gentile Polese also reported that when a Kyoto cafe's Wi-Fi was unstable, she tethered her laptop to Ubigi's hotspot and uploaded files with no problems.
Source: Silvia Gentile Polese (The Good Observer) — How I Used Ubigi eSIM In Japan To Stay Online
In Ashrith Shetty's review, Mobal's SIM kept map apps like Google Maps working without interruption even in mountainous, forested areas.
Source: Ashrith Shetty (Vacay Work) — Best Japan SIM Card for Tourists + Honest Mobal SIM Review
Ashrith Shetty ordered his Mobal SIM online a week before departure and picked it up in person at a Shibuya Mark City store instead of waiting for delivery.
Source: Ashrith Shetty (Vacay Work) — Best Japan SIM Card for Tourists + Honest Mobal SIM Review
Rob Dyer, who runs the travel blog "The Real Japan," says Mobal's signal reached even Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama Islands, roughly 2,000km from Tokyo.
Source: Rob Dyer (The Real Japan) — UPDATED! Mobal SIM Card Review: The Best Unlimted SIM in Japan?
Not listed as including one on the pages we checked, for the plans we track from Airalo, eSIM-san, Holafly, JapanConnect eSIM, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi. Treat it as data-only unless a specific plan's page says otherwise.
It depends on the provider and plan. eSIM-san, Holafly, JapanConnect eSIM, Nomad, Saily explicitly list hotspot/tethering as supported on at least one Japan plan. Airalo, Ubigi don't state it either way on any Japan plan we checked, so we show it as "not listed" rather than assuming yes or no.
No app needed for Airalo, eSIM-san, Holafly, JapanConnect eSIM, Ubigi — buy and activate through a browser. Saily requires their own app. Nomad don't state this clearly on the pages we checked.
Airalo, Holafly, JapanConnect eSIM, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi: from your first connection in Japan, not the purchase date — so installing before you fly doesn't burn days. eSIM-san don't state one single clear rule across all plans — check the specific plan's page before buying.
Plans with a daily allowance don't cut you off — they throttle instead. Among the plans we track (Airalo, eSIM-san, JapanConnect eSIM, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi), the throttle speed after the daily cap ranges from 128kbps to 2000kbps, resetting the next day. Check the specific plan for its exact daily cap and throttle speed.
Refund conditions are set by each provider, not us — see the table above and each provider's brand page for the source. eSIM-san, Holafly, JapanConnect eSIM, Nomad have refund conditions on record. We could not find refund conditions stated on the official pages we checked for Airalo, Saily, Ubigi — ask official support before buying if this matters to you.