Tokyo - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
We have GoogleFi, which worked okay, but not great all the time. We also had Japanese numbers which cost us about $50 a line per month, was fine for data (but slower than the U.S. even though allegedly being “5G”). Japanese cell plans are more affordable on average than the U.S., but come with fewer perks (no unlimited talk/text, and data quickly gets throttled once you hit your limits). Data in general works well, but is a little slower than the U.S. I highly recommend getting a Japanese number as you will not be able to do things, like for example make reservations at some restaurants, if you do not have a Japanese number. - May 2025
I have both, but doing it over I would just keep US servic.e - Jan 2024
Cell phone service is way overpriced in Japan! And be careful, there are all sorts of things that feel like scams. For example, if you get a two year contract (we did this through the base) they automatically renew it at the end of the two years for another two years. We found this out when we had to "break" our contract when we left. Additionally, if you're not careful they will lock your cell phone. There is a law that passed that made this illegal., but they have all sorts of fine print My cell phone died, I bought a new one at the Apple store and switched out the SIM. Only when I left did I find out they had locked the new one! I spent days on the phone with them to no avail. In short: be careful and make sure you read the fine print if you get a local contract. - Nov 2020
Bring an unlocked phone from home and buy a Sim card here; it’s a cheaper & better option than getting locked into a contract with a big provider like SoftBank . - Mar 2019
Softbank is easy to get a personal phone. It's about $100 per month. - Jun 2018
Lots of cell phone options. Best to bring an unlocked phone, or buy a second hand one here, and either get a contract or month-to-month service. It can be tricky to get approved before you have your ID, diplomatic or otherwise. Non-Japanese credit cards are sometimes not accepted. My husband actually got a refillable data-only sim at the airport. He has used it for 2 years and it works perfectly. We use Messenger for voice calls between us, and it costs him less than US$30 per month. - Mar 2018
Most use SoftBank here. - Mar 2017
You will need to acquire a phone locally, which is a process and will take a few days at least. Most people go through Softbank, and you can set it up at the military base. - Feb 2014
Not really. Go get one and pay for one. - Apr 2013
The embassy will provide you one. - Oct 2008
Most people get them locally. - Jan 2008
