Purchasing a sim card in Japan is not a problem nowadays. Unlike before, you need to get a phone contract or to subscribe to a traditional Japanese mobile phone service to be able to use your phone. Fortunately, with these cheap sim cards that are widely available in the market, a contract is not needed anymore. Yes, there is no contract, and also, no cancellation charges.
Best recommended for foreigners who came to Japan on a working holiday or short-term study abroad. Why? Because these cheap sim cards have a relatively minimum usage period and are not tied to a two-year contract. You don’t need to visit stores and fill in lots of paperwork and also, you will not be worried over the early termination fees. Indeed, a justly ideal for foreigners who stay less than a year in Japan.
Each Cheap SIM card plan comes up with various features, promos, and of course the monthly cost. Here, we will explain all the features of cheap SIM cards for foreigners in an easy-to-understand manner. If you are a foreigner living in Japan, refer to this special feature to find a cheap SIM card that will suit you.
3 Types of Cheap SIM Cards in Japan
Cheap SIM cards are divided into three types: SIM card for data communication, SIM card with SMS function, and SIM card with voice call function. Let’s check each function!
| Cheap SIM voice call function | ||
| Internet Data | SMS (Short Message Service) | Voice Calls (phone # starting with “080” “090”) |
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cheap SIM SMS function | ||
| Internet Data | SMS (Short Message Service) | Voice Calls (phone # starting with “080” “090”) |
| ✔ | ✔ | x |
| Cheap SIM data only | ||
| Internet Data | SMS (Short Message Service) | Voice Calls (phone # starting with “080” “090”) |
| ✔ | X | X |
Cheap SIM Cards Recommended for Foreigners
IIJmio won first place as the “Cheap SIM Award 2015” for giving costumers’ overall satisfaction. Their SIM card is not only high reliability, but it also occupies a top-class share among cheap SIM cards. If you ask for the stability of communication speed, then this SIM is perfect for your Japan travel.
IIJmio offers a variety of plans that allow you to freely combine functions and data volume according to your internet usage.
Available Plans:
- Minimum Start Plan (3GB)
- Light Start Plan (6GB)
- Family Share Plan (12GB)
General Features:
- Unused data for the month can carry forward to the next month
- Can enable the “burst function” when the communication speed is low
- Light text feature for low data or communication speed
- Easy SIM card usage guide for foreigners
Cheap SIM card provided by LINE has been widely used in Japan as it easy for foreigners to make a contract and no cancellation fees.
Since it uses the largest telecommunication carrier, the NTT DoCoMo, so you can use it anywhere in Japan. Besides, this cheap sim card comes up with great extras, which are using LINE, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for free without data deduction.
Available Plans
- LINE Free Plan (1GB)
- Communication Free Plan with LINE, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are unlimited (3GB, 5GB, 7GB, 10GB)
- MUSIC + Plan with LINE MUSIC, LINE, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are unlimited (3GB, 5GB, 7GB, 10GB)
Other features:
“LINE Pay” and “Line Paycard” are making your payments most easily. Because of this great feature of LINE mobile, even foreigners who don’t own a credit card can obtain a contract from them.
The most popular cheap SIM card among foreign visitors is produced by Rakuten Communications of Rakuten Group. It offers a low monthly cost, which is the edge over its competitors.
Available Plans:
- Basic Plan
- 3.1GB Plan
- 5GB Plan
- 10GB Plan
- 20GB Plan
- 30GB Plan
*The “3.1GB plan” has the same charge as the other 3GB plans for cheap SIM cards. However, it has a data allocation of 0.1GB (100MB) for communication, such as video calling.
Other Features:
Another cool thing about this SIM is that the unused communication data for the current month will be carried over to the following month. Moreover, the first monthly fee for all plans is free. Super cool, right? You could also collect Rakuten Super Points for every 100 JPY of the monthly usage payment. If you are a foreigner who particularly wants to save on a monthly mobile phone bill, then Rakuten mobile cheap SIM cards will best suit you.
Cheap SIM Cards for Foreigners (data only)
A cheap SIM card for data communication is a cheap SIM card that can only be used for Internet communication, which means it has no call and SMS functions. The most advantage of this cheap SIM cards dedicated to data communication only is the low monthly costs. Most of the foreigners preferred this type of SIM card because they can also use it to communicate with their friends and family outside Japan without getting a SIM card with call or SMS functions.
| Cheap SIM card (for data communication) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 yen |
| Minimum usage period | Until the end of the month following the start date |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225 Mbps |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | When you make a new application to IIJmio Mobile during the campaign period, you will enjoy these great benefits, such as the initial cost will only be 1 JPY instead of 3,240 JPY, and communication data average per month will increase by 1 GB/month for 12 months from the start of use. (This promo ends on May 8, 2019) |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (for data communication) rate plan | LINE Free Plan (1GB): 540 yen |
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 yen |
| Minimum usage period | None |
| communication speed | private |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | The monthly basic usage fee is free for the first month |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (for data communication) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 yen |
| Minimum usage period | None |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225Mbps (excluding basic plan) |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month (* “Basic Plan” is not supported) |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | Monthly charges are free in the month when you start using a cheap SIM-card! Furthermore, during the Rakuten mobile contract period, the points at the Rakuten market are doubled. |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
Cheap SIM Cards for Foreigners (with SMS)
A cheap SIM card with SMS is a cheap SIM card that can send short text messages (SMS) in addition to Internet communication. The SMS function is used as an authentication system for identity verification of apps like LINE. Best recommended for foreigners, who use apps and games that require SMS authentication such as LINE.
| Cheap SIM card (with SMS function) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| 3,240 JPY | |
| Minimum usage period | Until the end of the month following the start date |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225 Mbps |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | When you make a new application to IIJmio Mobile during the campaign period, you will enjoy these great benefits, such as the initial cost will only be 1 JPY instead of 3,240 JPY, and communication data average per month will increase by 1 GB/month for 12 months from the start of use. (This promo ends on May 8, 2019) |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (with SMS function) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 JPY |
| Minimum usage period | None |
| communication speed | private |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | The monthly basic usage fee is free for the first month |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (with SMS function) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 JPY |
| Minimum usage period | None |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225Mbps (excluding basic plan) |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month (* “Basic Plan” is not supported) |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | Monthly charges are free in the month when you start using a cheap SIM-card! Furthermore, during the Rakuten mobile contract period, the points at the Rakuten market are doubled. |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
Cheap SIM Cards for Foreigners (with voice call)
A cheap SIM card for voice calls is a cheap SIM card that has a phone number starting with “080” or “090” and can make voice calls. Of course, SMS and Internet communication functions can also be used. It is recommended for foreigners who want to use all the functions of their mobile phones and smartphones.
| Cheap SIM card (with voice call function) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 JPY |
| Minimum usage period | 12 months |
| Cancellation penalty | (12 months-number of months of use, starting with a 0 month) x 1,080 yen |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225Mbps |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | During the campaign period, if you make a new application to IIJmio Mobile, you will be able to earn “Initial cost of 3,240 JPY down to 1 JPY.” In addition, the next month from 12 months of use start, 1GB increasing the monthly amount of communication data, and for the first 3 months will have 1,300 JPY discount. ※ If you contract a voice call function with SIM *Special benefits are available until May 8, 2019. |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (with voice call function) rate plan |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 JPY |
| Minimum usage period | Starting from the use start date, the month following the use start date is the first month until the end of the 12th month (including the end date) |
| Cancellation penalty | 10,584 JPY |
| communication speed | private |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information | During the campaign period, if you apply for a new SIM card with LINE mobile voice call function and start using LINE mobile, the basic monthly fee will be discounted by 1,390 JPY for 3 months! (* In the case of the LINE Free Plan, the monthly basic fee is 900 JPY discount for 3 months) ! |
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
| Cheap SIM card (with voice call function) rate plan for foreigners |
|
|---|---|
| Initial cost | 3,240 JPY |
| Minimum usage period | 12 months from the first month of use (the month including the arrival date of the SIM card) |
| Cancellation penalty | 10,584 JPY |
| communication speed | Downstream maximum 225 Mbps (excluding basic plan) |
| Carrying over excess data | Carryover to the next month (* “Basic Plan” is not supported) |
| Cheap smartphone | Available for purchase |
| campaign information |
|
- As of April 2019 (contents may have changed)
With these best Cheap SIM cards, you can be able to use your mobile phone in Japan, where you can conveniently purchase it in a physical store or order it online. But don’t fail to check the SIM card size first before you buy it. Then, pick a Cheap SIM card Plan that will meet your demands.
FAIR Japan provides useful information about Japan.
