Best eSIM for Japan in 2026: an honest comparison by use case

The best eSIM for Japan, by what you need

• Lowest pricepovo Japan SIM or Sim Local

  povo: ¥3,390 for 7 days unlimited or ¥1,430 for 10 GB / 7 days on au, but no refunds and you need an SMS-capable number from one of 20 listed countries. Sim Local: $19 for 7 days unlimited on au, refundable within 14 days if not activated. Which is cheaper depends on the exchange rate.

• You need a Japanese phone numberSakura Mobile or Mobal

  Sakura Mobile sells a voice + data eSIM for travelers (ID check in person at an airport counter or in Shinjuku). Mobal's numbers come with long-term monthly plans. Everyone else here is data only.

• Most full-speed data on unlimitedSaily or Ubigi

  Both give 5 GB a day at full speed before slowing down, compared with 3 GB at Airalo and iroiro. Ubigi has no 7-day plan; its nearest is 8 days.

• Cheap fixed data from a global brandUbigi

  10 GB for 7 days at $14, and Ubigi lists all three major Japanese networks.

• Japanese IP addressiroiro Standard plans or Japan Wireless

  iroiro Standard plans run on NTT docomo through a Japanese MVNO profile with a Japanese IP; Japan Wireless states “Local IP” for its eSIMs. Most others don't state the IP country, and Holafly says its IP may look foreign.

• If you lose or break your phoneiroiro, or Saily / Ubigi

  Among the eSIMs here, only iroiro includes a free new eSIM (1 per order) at no extra cost when your phone is lost or broken; Mobal offers one through its paid All Risk Protection Plan. Saily and Ubigi let you move the same eSIM to a new phone in their app. povo and IIJ state they give no reissues; Airalo, Mobal and Japan Wireless ask you to buy a new eSIM.

• First eSIM, or you want help in your languageiroiro

  A full refund if it can't connect on a supported, unlocked phone and we can't fix it (ask within 7 days), real people in the same chat, 1 free reissue and up to 3 calls made in Japanese. It costs more than povo, Sim Local, Mobal and Airalo.

• Buying after you landIIJ Japan Travel SIM

  Sold at convenience stores in Japan (Lawson, FamilyMart, Ministop), including a digital eSIM version on docomo. It can't be bought officially before you travel.

docomo, au (KDDI) or SoftBank: does the network matter?

Japan has three nationwide networks: NTT docomo, au (KDDI) and SoftBank, plus the newer Rakuten Mobile. In big cities all three work well. The difference shows in the countryside, mountains, long tunnels and underground, where coverage depends on the network's own towers.

Travel eSIMs from global brands usually roam on SoftBank or KDDI, sometimes both. Japanese providers use one network: povo uses au, IIJ and b-mobile use docomo. An eSIM that can switch between two networks gives you a fallback when one is weak.

Independent testers such as Opensignal publish Japan network reports every few months; each network wins different categories, and no single network wins everything. If you will spend most of your trip in rural areas, pick a plan on docomo or one that can use more than one network.

Roaming eSIM vs Japanese network profile, and why the IP matters

Most travel eSIMs are roaming profiles: the SIM is issued by a carrier abroad and roams on a Japanese network. Your traffic may leave the internet in another country, so websites see a foreign IP address. Holafly says this openly; most other brands don't state it.

A foreign IP rarely matters for maps or messaging. It matters for Japanese banking, ticket and streaming sites that check where you are, some restaurant booking sites, and sites that show extra captchas to IP ranges shared by many users.

A Japanese network profile (an MVNO or the carrier's own SIM) normally gives a Japanese IP. povo and IIJ are Japanese carriers' own SIMs, though neither states the IP; iroiro's Standard plans are specified with a Japanese IP, and Japan Wireless states “Local IP”. iroiro's Unlimited plans are a roaming profile.

What “unlimited” really means in Japan

Almost every unlimited plan for Japan is a daily allowance of full-speed data followed by a slower speed. At 1 Mbps, maps, messaging and music still work; HD video and large uploads do not.

• Airalo and iroiro Unlimited: 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, reset every day.
• Saily: 5 GB a day, then 1 Mbps. Ubigi 8 days: 5 GB a day, then 2 Mbps.
• Japan Wireless 4G “unlimited”: 3 GB a day, then 256 kbps.
• Mobal and Sakura Mobile (au/KDDI unlimited): no daily figure published; Mobal says “it really is unlimited”, Sakura says “no daily limits”.
• Holafly, povo and Sim Local: no published daily figure; they say speed may be reduced under fair use or congestion (Sim Local's guarantee terms mention 10 GB a day).
• Hotspot rules are separate: Mobal, Sakura Mobile and Sim Local allow up to 6 GB on 7-day unlimited; Holafly allows 1 GB a day; Saily's terms forbid excessive tethering on unlimited.

How much data do you need?

For maps, messaging, translation and social media, most travelers use about 0.5 to 1 GB a day. A week in Tokyo and Kyoto fits in 5 to 10 GB. If you watch video every day, take video calls or share your connection with a laptop, choose unlimited.

Fixed-data plans are much cheaper than unlimited if you are a light user: 10 GB costs ¥1,430 at povo and about $12 to $18 at the global brands, against $19 to ¥5,775 for 7 days unlimited.

If it doesn't work when you land: refunds compared

This is where providers differ most, and where few comparisons look. Read the condition, not the headline.

• No refunds at all: povo Japan SIM, IIJ Japan Travel SIM.
• No refund, but a backup: Japan Wireless 5G plans are non-refundable, and it sends a free pocket Wi-Fi if the eSIM can't connect.
• Refund only before you install, scan or activate: Saily (within 30 days), Sim Local (within 14 days), Ubigi (before the QR code is scanned), Sakura Mobile (before the QR code is issued; optional ¥550 cover for incompatible phones).
• Refund if the fault is theirs: Airalo (within 30 days, after troubleshooting with support), Holafly (contact them during the trip), Sim Local (technical fault on its or the network's side), Mobal (money-back guarantee within 8 days of activation, if given the chance to fix it).
• iroiro: a full refund if the eSIM can't connect in Japan on a supported, carrier-unlocked phone and our team can't fix it, requested within 7 days of purchase. A phone that doesn't support eSIM or is carrier-locked is not covered, so run the device check first.

If you lose or break your phone

An eSIM lives on one phone. If that phone is lost, stolen or broken during the trip, the eSIM and its remaining data usually go with it, and a QR code normally installs only once. Providers handle this in three ways.

• No reissue, buy again: povo (“No returns, refunds or reissues”), IIJ (“eSIMs cannot be reissued”), Airalo (can't be recovered or transferred), Mobal data-only eSIMs (a new order is required), Japan Wireless (a new phone needs a new eSIM).
• Move the same eSIM yourself: Saily and Ubigi let you reinstall the eSIM on another phone through their app. If the old phone is lost or broken, both ask you to contact support (Saily on its blog); neither states the outcome.
• Not handled by the seller: Sim Local says it can't help with a lost or stolen device and points you to the network operator.
• Not stated for a lost phone: Holafly (contact support), Sakura Mobile Travel eSIM.
• Paid cover: Mobal's All Risk Protection Plan, a separate paid plan, includes a free replacement eSIM for a lost, stolen or damaged phone (police report needed, one claim per 12 months).
• iroiro: every order includes 1 free reissue. Tell us in the chat; we confirm the order by email and send a new eSIM of the same plan to the same address, while the original plan is still valid or before its activation deadline. The new eSIM's validity counts from its own first connection in Japan.

Japanese providers most comparisons leave out

Most English-language comparisons only list global eSIM brands. Japanese carriers also sell to visitors, often for less, but with stricter conditions and support mostly in English or Japanese.

• povo Japan SIM (KDDI): buy online before or after arrival, au network. Unlimited from 6 hours (¥260) to 7 days (¥3,390). A cash-only scratch card version is sold at Lawson stores in Japan.
• IIJ Japan Travel SIM: docomo, 3 to 55 GB for 30 days, physical SIM or eSIM, sold in Japanese convenience stores and electronics stores. IIJ also sells an unlimited physical SIM (au network) at Bic Camera.
• b-mobile VISITOR eSIM (Japan Communications): docomo, you choose days and data (for example 7 days and 5 GB comes to about ¥1,457 on b-mobile's own price calculator). Hotspot allowed; activation must happen in Japan; support in English.

How we compared

For this first version we compared providers using information they publish themselves: plan pages, help centres and terms of service, all checked on October 18, 2026. Where a page could not be read in a normal way, we noted it and checked again. We have not yet run our own speed tests, so this article makes no claim about which eSIM is fastest.

We included the global brands that appear most often in other comparisons (Airalo, Saily, Holafly, Ubigi, Sim Local), providers that focus on Japan (Mobal, Sakura Mobile, Japan Wireless) and Japanese carriers' own visitor products (povo, IIJ). Where a provider's own pages disagree with each other, we use the plan page and say so. iroiro's row uses our live prices. If you spot something that has changed, tell us in the chat and we will correct it.

FAQ

Update history

• October 18, 2026First version. Prices, networks, hotspot, lost-phone, refund and support terms checked on each provider's official site.