It’s always been easier for me to google-map around the places I intend to visit. With all maps available in one handy phone, it will be more convenient since I tend to travel really light. That is to say, having wifi connection is in my bucket list before most of my travels.

In Japan, unfortunately, free wifi is not widely available even in cafés and restaurants. Fret not! There are still many options for you to access the internet. In this post, I will share two options which I’ve tried while travelling in Japan.

Option 1: Prepaid Data SIM

The prepaid data SIM includes cellular data only, as Japan prohibits short-term visitors to own a temporary local number for local calls / SMS.

Global Advanced Communications and eConnect are good where the data SIM can be purchased online in advance through their websites, and have it delivered to the airport, homestay, or hotel. You can also purchase it in the airport when you first arrive.

The 7-day plan usually costs around ‎¥‎3000, and 1-month plan around ‎¥‎4000-5000.

Who Should Choose This?

This deal is good and considered a cheaper option for solo travellers. Go ahead if you only need it to whatsapp / LINE / wechat your friends and family once in a while. It’s also suitable if all you do is posting some photos on facebook occasionally. Otherwise, the daily limit (~100MB) is usually insufficient for anything more. Some companies offer long-term plans, but limit the max data at 1-3GB for a month. I have tried the data SIM but got irritated 90% of the time, as it was slow and extremely difficult to locate available wifi network at times of need. The network tends to be unstable too, so I do not recommend this option. This is especially not recommended if you would like to constantly use your phone.

The best part is that you can throw away the data SIM once you’re done, no returns required!

Option 2: Portable Wifi / Pocket Wifi

As the name suggests, the small handy portable wifi was my favourite companion in Japan. This option is best when you need a huge daily data limit like I did. They offer ‘unlimited data’ maxed at 10GB a month, which was more than enough for me.

Area of Coverage

I had doubts about the coverage before trying it. Yet, I fell in love with it instantly for the powerful and stable network! Pocket wifi offers very wide 4G LTE coverage, almost everywhere I went had strong signals. The standard speed at 75Mbps is fast for daily usage, some companies even offer higher speed at 165Mbps!

However, a friend cautioned me that Hokkaido areas will have less desired coverage (which I have yet to confirm). In addition, certain mountainous areas like Kurama and Kibune will be affected too. I had very poor signals on both my data SIM and pocket wifi.

The best part is that you can share the costs of one pocket wifi with up to ten people, how awesome is that? This way, it will be much cheaper than the data SIM! Good to have if you are travelling with your family and will be together most of the times.

Which One Should You Choose?

Global Advanced Communications, Japan Wireless, and Wifi Hire offers similar good services, and all can be purchased online with pick-ups at the airport, homestay, or hotel. The rentals are around ¥5000-6000 for 7 days. My personal favourite is Global Advanced Communications, just because they have been around forever and have already established a good reputation. Most importantly, they are reasonably priced, and their delivery + return are free.

You may want to select your choice wisely based on your itinerary. Though they are all good with similar coverage plans, the rental terms are slightly different.
For example, your flight arrives at Kansai International Airport on 1st June at 7:00am, and you are leaving on 8th June departing at 7am, your rental terms should be 7 days inclusive from 1st June to 7th June. Most airport counters do not open at 7am, so your logical delivery mode will be homestay / hotel (extra surcharge will be applicable for non-office hour pick-up and return).
For returns, you can either pass it to the hotel concierge, or return it in a prepaid envelope (provided by the company) at the nearest mailbox on the night of 7th June.

Where Else To Get?

Most Airbnb in Japan provides pocket wifi as part of the rental, and free for your usage whether indoor or outdoor. This is a very good deal, but note that some pocket wifi may have limited data of <500MB per day. This is usually fine for travelling, if you are also streaming videos, then you may want to get your own.

My Recommendations

Global Advanced Communications and Japan Wireless are recommended and more flexible as the rental terms do not include delivery and return dates – as long as you place them safely into the mailbox by 8th June, you are safe.
Some companies like Wifi Hire will include 8th June as part of your rental terms (which means extra 1 day to your rental costs) if they do not receive it back before the end of rental terms, even if you deposit into the mailbox on 7th June.

I should also mention that phone rentals are not recommended as the prices are as high as international roaming.

It is tough to plan a comfortable trip, so I hope this post has helped you in your decision-making. Feel free to let me know in the comment section if you have any questions!